Rich, Megan, and I took a bus to Sapa, an area - a beautiful area - of northern Vietnam, full of rice terraces, mountains, and a gorgeous landscape, that are truly a sight to see.
On the bus from Hanoi, we met Nicholas, a Swiss guy, who grew up in Switzerland, French and Spanish speaking, and speaks english with an American accent, also with a mum from Hudson, Ohio! ..hence the American accent. We travelled through Sapa together and further into Laos, and I'm currently still with him lol headed to Luang Probang tomorrow. Anyway.. When we arrived in Sapa, we all stayed together in a Guesthouse, until the next day when we did a homestay.
Sapa:
The first day, we walked around the town and area soaking in the views, the town, and the culture of the tribes in the area. We also met up with a woman, Jan, that was recommended to us by a friend back in Hanoi. We chatted with her and arranged a homestay for the next night.
Jan and a few others were our guides to the village the next day, it was about a 4 hour trek there, full of beautiful views of the terrain and landscape of the area. When we got there they made us lunch and we really just hung out. The village was up the side of a mountain. It looked like what we would consider very poor at home, but it is the way of life here. There weren't ceramic tiles for floors, or dry walls for ceilings and walls, and there also wasn't any running water. But it worked, and it was so good. The floor was just the dirt ground, flattened by footsteps, the walls were vertical wood planks, the ceilings were a metal sheet, and the doors were made out of bamboo. The toilet was a squatter, and was separate from their house, and shared with others in the area.
There wasn't much to do in the town, and it was on the side of a mountain, so if you wanted to go anywhere.. it was a bit of a hike! At one point, these ladies from the village came in and wanted to sell us some handmade things from the village. It was bound to happen.. any chance to make money from a Westerner, they will take it!
Side note: it's totally normal for women to breast feed in public.
Also: these people are in crazy awesome shape.
When it was time for bed, about 8:30 lol, they wouldn't allow us to sleep on the ground, so we slept on their bamboo mat beds.
The next day we went up the mountain to her father-in-law's house. It was a 2 hour trek up the mountain! And was probably the hardest hike I've ever been on. Especially the way down! It's worse to fight gravity, so you kinda have to do a little bit of a run at the same time as avoiding stepping on a rock the wrong way so you don't roll you ankle. It was a really tough hike up, but once I did it I was so proud and Happy with myself.. because a bit of the way through, I was really feeling a bit discouraged, it was so tiring.
When we arrived, we had lunch there. Her father-in-law also made jewelry, so I watched that for a bit after relaxing. It was pretty cool. Afterwards, we headed back down. This time, all the way to the bottom, past her house further up in the village.
At the bottom, we said our goodbyes and headed off on the back of 4 guys' motos to take us to the town again. As we were leaving though, Jan looked at Megan and I, then her wrist, and took off 2 bracelets to give to us. It was very sweet, and definitely a good reminder of the experience.
The ride back so soo utterly beautiful. A part of me thought, shit, I could've just rented a motorbike for a day and seen just as many, if not more, beautiful views! But I loved being there and able to see and get to know a local village, daily life, and people a bit.
That night was my second last night in Vietnam. :( And the next morning, we were off to make our journey to Laos, which would take 2-3 days. But Rich was headed back to Hanoi, so it was time for goodbyes.. again. Maybe I'll see him again once he makes in to the US in his 2 year venture around the world. Or when I finally make it to the UK, in probably about 2 years.
But now, it's off to Laos! Headed to the border town, Dien Bien Phu in for the night, then a bus the next morning to Muang Khua.
<3
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