I have just arrived in a town called Lao Cai, which in spite of its mystical sounding name is nothing more than a transit hub between Hanoi and Sapa. I was told that the bus ride here would be two hours or more, so left at 5:00 to make sure I would have enough time to grab a bit to eat before grabbing the overnight train back to Hanoi. Forty five minutes later, I arrived and now have loads of time to kill before my train departs at 8:50.
Backing up a few days, I found my self in a pinch because my Bank of China bank card which I've been using all week had been inexplicably frozen. I took the appropriate measures to be sure I could use the card here in Vietnam and had no problem making withdrawals all week until Tuesday morning. By the time I came to this realization, I was almost broke and about four hours away from boarding an overnight bus to Sapa for a two day trip. The bus ticket was non-refundable and the clock was ticking. I met my friend Pascaline for lunch and she was kind enough to lend me a little money to get through the day, and in a strange brush of luck I ran into a couple that lives in my hometown of Buffalo as I was heading out of my guesthouse. They lent me a little cash upon the good faith that I would meet them in Buffalo for Thanksgiving of 2011 (my next scheduled trip home). I'll probably wire them the money before then, but what a nice gesture. I had already put an emergency email out to some close friends and family, and the response was rapid, so my money dilemma was put to rest quickly. (Thanks again Jacky, you're a savior!!!).
The bus ride was uncomfortable, each seat was a recliner with a compartment for your legs. These were clearly designed for short Vietnamese travelers, but luckily no one laid down in the chair/bed next to mine so I was able to stretch out a bit and get some semblance of rest on the bumpy ride to Sa Pa. I arrived in town at 6:30 am, washed my face and brushed my teeth on the side of the road and went to the center of town to see if I could find some breakfast. Knowing when the buses arrive from Hanoi, the tour guide vultures were already circling the bus station at seven. I went along with one of them simply so he could take me to an internet cafe, then dropped him when he started to try and sell me a group tour which started with "four" other people and five minutes later was "maybe six or eight people...I don't know." The city woke up at eight, and suddenly the streets were alive with street vendors and local villagers from the tribe areas outside of town. I started chatting with an old woman from the Black Hmong tribe named Shum. Her English wasn't very good, but a young girl from the same village named Mai soon approached and I negotiated a good price for a private tour of the area and a home stay in the village.
We walked along a paved road for about 90 minutes and below was a valley which eventually climbed to the surrounding mountains, each hillside carved with terraced rice fields and roamed by water buffalo and busy villagers tending the land. We walked through two villages and descended to the river, rushing fast with rapids and scattered with fishermen perched on rocks searching for the evening's dinner. We arrived at Shum's home and some neighbors came by to show me some handicrafts which they encouraged me to send home to my my mother and sisters. Shum has two young boys, about 11 and 15, very shy and sat quietly in the corner as my 13 year old translator Mai facilitated the conversation between everyone.
After the long walk I went down to the river and found a huge rock that sat at the end of the fast moving water and gathered into a small swimming hole. I jumped in and swam around in the cold water for about an hour, watching the villagers working the fields and admiring the mountainous scenery. It made me reflect about the fact that my holiday is ending soon, and reminisce about all of the beautiful sights I've seen during the course of this trip. I climbed back onto the rock to lie in the sun only to doze off and then be woken up perhaps thirty minutes later completely surrounded by naked children, all around eight years old. There were three boys and three girls, the boys repeatedly climbing the rock, jumping into the river and letting the current carry them downstream, the girls sat next to me on the rock washing each other's hair and speaking in some undecipherable tongue. They likely noticed my surprise when I woke up, said "hello," giggled and then carried on with their business. I gave one last leap into the water then headed back to the hut where I was staying.
I was reading a book in front of the house, and Mai returned from her home and came over to chat with me. The father had arrived home now, and he laughed heartily at everything I said in spite of the complete lack of understanding. I showed him photos from my trip as well as a map of Southeast Asia, which he was particularly interested in and showed him the route of my journey thus far. Shum, with her limited English, and Mai asked me every ten minutes, "You tired, you want to sleep?" so eventually I conceded and took a nap on the hard, bamboo matted bed. I was woke to the sounds of everyone in the house stirring about and chatting loudly, dinner was being served. I had asked Mai what Hmong people usually eat, and she told me, "Rice, some vegetables, and if we have money maybe some chicken or pig." I accompanied them to the market that morning, and we did in fact pick up a chicken on my tab, which I was happy to contribute to the family dinner. Dinner was very simple, the chicken unseasoned, some steamed greens, a strange green melon-like vegetable which I had never seen before, cold rice, small fish caught that afternoon from the river, salted and boiled in water and some chilis. I went down to the river in pitch black after dinner and sat down, just to listen to the rush of water and look up at the perfectly clear skies above, knowing that once I return to China, it will probably will be the last time I see stars for a while. Everyone went to bed at 8:30 as they rise at 4:00 am everyday to begin working on the land.
The home stay was very nice and the family was of course warm and welcoming. I didn't however, see as much of the countryside as I would have liked. I intend on coming back here sometime this year to climb Mount Fansipan, a trip that would have materialized had I a bit more time in Vietnam. With my flight approaching quickly on the 9th however, a "cannonball run" from Sapa to the Hanoi airport on Saturday didn't seem like a logical end.
The next day I got up at six and had a small breakfast of rice and steamed pumpkin with the family and we proceeded to walk up through a few more villages before I said farewell to my new friends and hopped a motorbike taxi and headed back to the town of Sapa. I had all day to kill in Sapa, so enjoyed a straight razor shave, wandered through the market, spent some time in a photography gallery and had a burger at a western restaurant before grabbing the mini-bus to Lao Cai. Now its back to Hanoi, I'll have one last day of shopping and then meeting with my new friend Phoung Chi for a "second date." I'm not sure what we'll do, but I'd like to have one last authentic Vietnamese dinner and then possibly just walk around the lake and "people watch". Pretty low key. I have to wake at 4am to catch my flight out of Hanoi Saturday morning, then back to the "real world" in Tianjin. This trip has been like a dream (sometimes a nightmare, haha) and I guess it's time to wake up!
I can't post photos on this message because I didn't bring my USB cable...photos from Sa Pa (gorgeous place) coming soon!
~Christopher~
