Getting among the H'mong

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  Sapa, Vietnam
Monday, January 11, 2010

We had very little sleep on the train to Lao Cai. The tracks have not been updated since the French built them about 100 years ago and to say the train rattled is an understatement!
We arrived in the early morning about 5am and were met by our guide Vung, who saved us from swarms of taxi drivers marketing their services.


We made our way up the mountain and about 30 mins later arrived at the very swish Victoria Hotel in Sapa.

Fortunately breakfast had been arranged for us at the hotel so we tucked into soups and omlettes in front of a fire. The temperature was about 10 degrees lower than Hanoi and the weather reminded Mike of downtown Manchester - cold and drizzly.

Our room was ready after breakfast so we freshened up before heading out to the Muong Hoa valley.

After taking in the spectacular views over the mountains and rice fields we visited Lao Chai village, where Vung guided us through the homes of Black H'mong people.

The H'mong are tenacious when it comes to spruking their handicrafts to westerners and followed us for miles. Mike was having none of the crazy prices and kept them at bay with stern NOs.

The next village (Ta Van) was the home of the Giay minority.

These folks have a more commercial approach to life and have well established businesses in handicraft trading. Their houses reflect their relative success and are made from brick (some even have TVs!)

Vung dropped us back at the hotel and we ordered 'beef' burgers for lunch  (beef is a loose term for either cow, buffallo or horse - these particular burgers tasted like a mix of all 3). A post lunch stroll downtown ended when the weather turned cold and cloudy and we headed back to the hotel for a swim and sauna.

We finished the day with a quick earring shop, a couple of Sunshine cocktails and a piece of local Sapa trout.

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Arrival @ 5am & met by our guide Vund	A bleary eyed Mike & Kym after our 9 hr train ride	Lao Cai station - about 30 km from Sapa	after a shower @ Hotel we set off @ 9.30am
The drive down the Muong Hoa Valley	local H'Mong children	A view down the Muong Hoa Valley	A view down the Muong Hoa Valley
local H'Mong children playing	Black H'mong flogging stuff	local Giay minority	A local girl embroidering
yes mobile reception even here!	older black H'mong women	building a house Black H'Mong style	The main street of Lao Chai village
The view from the H'mong village   Comments!	Lao Chai primary school	Black H'Mong embroidering & weaving	Black H'Mong brewing 'Happy Water' aka rice wine
The local butcher stall	clouds rolling into sapa around midday	our walk back to the hotel

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