Sa Pa
We've been holed up in the small mountain town of Sa Pa for the last three days - thoroughly enjoying the relative solitude and isolation. While not as long or frustrating as the train ride to Hanoi, it was still a rough night of sleep during the 9 hours from Hanoi to Lau Cai. Since it is cold enough here in the Northern hills, windows are left open and doors provide little shielding from the elements. For whatever reason the train seemed to stop and start more violently than the others. We were startled awake at midnight when my hand slammed into the wall as the the train jerked to a halt. Took me a minute to realize what was going on before I let out some swearing that, assuming they understood, our Vietnamese roommates didn't appreciate. Another hour and half bus ride from Lau Cai, and we were finally in the misty town of Sa Pa.
The area is very similar to Northern Laos and is a popular tourist attraction for trekking the limestone landscape and visiting local ethnic villages. Villagers in traditional garb wander the streets selling hand sewn clothing and other trinkets. Innocent looking women constantly approach us with handfuls of clothing or a basket-backpack of cloth. I can only imagine it's the facial hair, but I am also frequently confronted by the same sweet old ladies asking, in there high-pitched-voices,"Mare-uh-wana, okay! Hashish, you want? Good! O-p-um...okay. You want smoking? I have. Okay!"The weather has been very cold and damp and we've limited ourselves to brief walks through the surrounding area, hot baths, and eating. It's been very relaxing and we've both slept better in the last few days than we have in weeks. Yesterday we walked to a Hmong village in the valley below Sa Pa; descending a newly paved, single lane road that spirals down the hillside through hundreds of terraced rice fields. Hmong working parties manually tilled the land while dogs, goats, hogs, and water buffalo freely roam the hills. After only a few hundred meters, we were well below the fog level and much warmer - enabling us to comfortably enjoy a short walk along a forest trail.
We've been hoping that the fog would lift long enough for us to catch a glimpse of Fan Si Pa, the mountain our hostel supposedly has a view, but it has remained too thick so far. Tomorrow we will bus back to Lao Cai, cross into China, and take a twelve hour bus up to Kunming. On the road again...
5 comments:
So glad to hear you've been getting some rest!
Can we still call on your cell? It would be great to talk with you. If so, still the same time difference?
love,
Mom and Rob
The geography looks very Chinese village-esque so I am sure that you will be prepared for Yunnan. How is it that this remote village with minority farmers has internet access and cell phone reception? Don't tell me that they have a high speed connection! What's the internet cafe like? A back packer stop in your hostel or dark and musty filled with vietnamese men looking up porn?
Good luck in China!
Mandarin lesson for today:
Ni hao = hello
Xie xie = thank you
Ni hen piao liang = You are very pretty (for Nicole)
Cesuo zai nali? = Where is the toilet? (for Andrew)
Hello!!
It was so great to hear from you last night and I thought of you as I was laying there getting ready to sleep while you were making a border crossing into China! Amazing events and communication...thank you so much for calling..
Can hardly wit to hear how the travel in country has been so far and where your first stop is/ what you're focusing upon..
Thanks again for the gift of the updates...love to you both.
Mom and K.
Just to let everyone know, Andrew has informed me over email that his blog has been stopped in China so he'll be sending me the information to post.
I'll be posting them on my work website as well at www.chinabooks.com.
Cheers,
Cy
Hi Guys,
For whatever reason, I always think Nic is writing and many times after reading through the blog, I realize it's Andrew. So it was pretty funny when Andrew mentions all of the facial hair and the local innocent women asking him if he wants drugs. For a min. I think, what's happened to Nic's pretty face while she's been gone...sorry Nic. Then I breath a sigh of relief that Nic hasn't grown any facial hair..I know I'm strange. On a difft. note, that first picture looks so much like the indigenous women from La Paz. Her and the babies facial features and the way she is carrying the baby on her back...I guess they are decendants so it makes sense but it's amazing to see. Hopefully the next train ride will be better.
love,
Kathy
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