Tribal Festival

It's Friday in Sapa and we are heading to a Festival in a village with a population of 3000. Two tribes live here in harmony; the Black H'mong and the Red Dzao.  Sai met us at the hotel in a spectacular outfit reserved for big parties.  I need to get one of those hats!!

Judy, Sai and Ken

The route to the village is narrow with a very steep grade and lots of twists and turns. I manage, yet again, to get in on the side with the precipitous drop. That Ken is a sly one.  We have a different driver and a bigger vehicle today but he's also in a hurry and much to Ken's horror he spends most of his time on the wrong side of the road and passes every vehicle we come across. We meet lots of H'mong from other villages, including Sai's, on our way and they are dressed in their best shiny black indigo.  Sai is going to make a big splash at the festival in her colourful ensemble. 

Sai and her sister

The village is nestled in a valley with hills all around.  They grow cabbage, corn and artichokes to sell to restaurants in town rather than rice.  We arrive at the town and run the gauntlet of Red Dzao venders.  Sai had advised against shopping in the village to avoid being harangued all day.  We follow a thirty meter pocked marble road to the festival.  It's being held in a field with very uneven ground and terracing so you have to watch your footing.  

There is an area for singing and traditional dancing.  Groups of young girls from each tribe take turns entertaining the appreciative crowd.  A faux Red Dzao wedding dance is also held complete with the "bride" in her huge red hat which is insignificant in comparison to the real thing according to Sai.  

A greased bamboo pole that young boys are climbing to grab a bag with candy and money is also a big attraction. Many get close to the top but the grease scuppers the repeated attempts and the crowd laughs uproariously.  Finally, one lad makes it to the top and holds up his bag of loot in a victory salute.  Some older guys (little boys in men's bodies) also attempt the climb not to get the prize but for fun.  One even makes it. 

Climbing a greased bamboo pole

Another attraction is a fenced in area where men are blindfolded, two at a time, and chase a duck around trying to catch it.  There are peals of laughter from the crowd as they try to "help" the blindfolded men.  The crowd cheers loudly when one hapless participants gets a hold of the duck.  

There are also games of strength; a bamboo pole pull where two men face each other to determine who is strongest and a tug of war between two villages.  We saw two groupings of three flags; one halfway up  a very steep hill and the other at the top.  Sai told us that was for foot races.  The women ran to the first level and men to the second with cash prizes for the winners. Big ups.  

There were other games for the kids and the Grand Finale was throwing lumps of clay at a target atop another bamboo pole.  We headed out before that but it was an enjoyable morning.  On the way bar to the car there a big wind came out of nowhere and blew apart a ramshackle metal hut that had been built for the festival.  A large piece of sheet metal hit a man on a motorcycle and cut him over the eye.  After giving him whatever Kleenex we had and making sure he was in good hands, we continued to the car happy that we hadn't left a minute or two earlier because we weren't wearing helmets.  On the way back up the hill from the festival to Sapa, we saw a couple on the side of the road that flagged us down.  The wife had been in an accident back home in Israel seven months earlier and was finding the ride on the back of the motorcycle excruciating.  On our way back to town she told us that they had taken a bus from Hanoi to Sapa that took only five hours!!   Crap, we were facing a 10 hour train ride. 

Back to town to do some exploring, have lunch and hang around until 5:00 waiting for our drive back to Lao Cai.  We decided some pampering was in order so Kenny had an hour-long head, shoulder, leg and foot massage while I opted for another wash and blow dry.  The wash was great, the blow dry not so much.  We had a beer at a couple of locals, attracting any number of insistent H'mong who weren't to be put off but the fact that I'd already purchased wares the day before in the village.  There was a lot of good-natured badgering that drive Ken insane but made me laugh which is likely why they followed me wherever I went. 

Soon enough it was time to head out on our one-hour drive which was a bit frightening but I think I was getting used to our driver passing on blind turns on the narrow winding roads.  Insanity but they did it every day so you have to think they know what they are doing.  We arrived on the uninteresting town and grabbed a bite at a local restaurant while Sai went to get our train tickets.   Both Ken and I were trepidatious about the trip as the journey here had been anything but enjoyable.  

Soon after we got on the train, an Aussie lady that I'd met in the hotel in Hue, popped by our "room" for a chat followed by her husband.  They had done the Camino the year before so we'd traded war stories about the Camino in Hue and compared notes on Sapa tonight, all agreeing that it was a fantastic place but getting there and back on the train sucked.   

The train set off more or less on time but soon after I started feeling nauseous.  Clearly this was going to be an even better trip than the trip to Sapa! 'Nuff said.  We'll be back in our comfy hotel in Hanoi tomorrow so it'll be okay.  More tomorrow.  

Sapa trekking adventure

Sapa is a fabulous, mystical place.  Getting here was not so much fun.  The train grunted and groaned up the hills to Lao Cai (mere miles from the Chinese border) arriving at 6:30 am.  Neither of us got much sleep so we are both a bit grumpy.  The trip could be it's own blog post but the day was so fantastic I'm not going to waste our time reliving the less than stellar journey. Suffice to say that this is one of those times that the destination is more important than the journey.

We were picked up by our bubbly guide Sai, a 27 year old woman from the Black H'mong, fresh from a big bash last night carrying a sign with my name in one hand and the most fabulous headdress (definitely too beautiful to call a hat!!) in the other.  We walked over to the car and set off on the 37 km/one hour drive.  Lol, I'm not sure how Ken always end up on the side of the car away from the 1000 foot drop.  The road to Sapa goes up a mountain that must be higher than the Hai Van pass; it's definitely narrower with more twists and turns.  But, wow, what vistas.  The mountains here are lush farm land so the hills are terraced to prevent erosion.  The main crop used to be rice but this far north there was only one crop a year so they've switched to taro rice (not sure what that is) but they get three harvests a year so there more food and some leftover to sell to the nearby Chinese.  Not sure whether the driver had a hot date but we seemed to be passing every car, bike, motorcycle and bus we came in contact with.  At one point there was a group of water buffalo blocking one lane but he just swerved around them without slowing.  I thought Ken was going to have a coronary and I had one hand firmly on the "Oh Jesus" bar for most of the trip.  Wild driving aside, we made it safely to our hotel which is on the edge of a mountain so more great views assured when we get back after our trek.  

Chau Long Sapa Hotel

Sai escorted us to breakfast and we planned to meet back at the hotel in an hour so we could eat and get cleaned up.  We were headed to Lao Chai, the Black H'mong village where Sai's family lives.  The driver dropped us off at the top of the mountain as we were walking the 8 km or so to the village.  There was a number of H'mong ladies and children waiting to swoop in with their wares.  Lol, almost immediately bought a bracelet from two very young children who appeared to be on their own but I am sure their Mom was nearby supervising.  Hard to say no to the dear things.  We also picked up three additional "guides", friends of Sai's.  One of them looked about 15 (though she was likely in her 20's) carrying her one-year old in a sling on her back while the other two had baskets of wares hitched over their shoulders. 

Walking downhill always sounds so easy but the roads were very uneven, the terrain very steep, there was a fatal drop off and the constant "threat" of motorcycles coming fro both direction.  The beautiful scenery and warming weather made it all worthwhile.  At one point,we had the option of continuing down the road or taking a shortcut.  Assuming the narrow, treacherous track was a not far from the village, we decided on that route though it looked tricky.  Fairly quickly it was clear that we would be going quite a ways on the path but we had reached the point of no return so we carried on. The scenery was still stunning even when I was terrified of falling over the cliff!!   On the top of a particularly large hill closer to town, there was a large yellow building that I asked about.  Apparently, it's the secondary school for the village.  The kids walk up and down twice a day so no wonder they are all in great shape. 

Everyone once on a whole, the older of the three unofficial guides would give me her hand or show me the best holes to step in.  I was happy when we got off that path and back onto the road even when the pitch seemed like 45 degrees.  We made it to the village without incident crossing a thin metal bridge that swayed as we crossed.  Lol, Ken and I walked down the middle sneakin peeks over the sides.  

The village is a conglomoration of houses spread over a wide area including many houses deep in the mountains.  Lao Chai has a single tribe of very industrious folks, mainly farmers numbering approximately 2500. In town, we came upon all manner of livestock wandering the streets and grazing nearby pastures; chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, water buffalo. 

In addition to food crops, the H'mong grow indigo to dye their clothing the traditional deep black colour.  The clothing is made from hemp fibre that they weave and then dye.  Say provided us with a demonstration at one of the shops. We also saw a man carving marble and incense drying in the sun. 

Marble carving

Incense drying in the sun

Tourism is big business here as well as there are numerous places to spend money; both shops and restaurants.  My first purchases were from our unofficial guides and then I sprinkled money liberally among other shopkeepers much to Ken's amazement and amusement.  We also stopped at a local watering hole where Ken tried the local brew.  

Water buffalo

Peach blossoms

Sai weaving cloth from hemp

Having sufficiently boosted the economy of Sai's village we headed back across another rickety bridge to the next village Tay Van. Same same but a little different.  Wandered up to the car and headed back to town.  Finally, a moment to relax and clean up.  We made a lunch of the snacks we'd not eaten on the train, Kem went for a coffee and I had a quick nap. Later in the afternoon,we wandered through town up to the lake before heading to dinner at an Italian place.  

Sated with pizza, we headed back to the room for an early night. Off to a festival tomorrow am so we want to be rested.  Sadly we couldn't stay up to see if Ken has what it takes in Karaoke.  

From the sublime to the ridiculous

Today we are leaving the Imperial City for a quick stop in Hanoi before taking the overnight train to Sapa.  That's one of the places I didn't get to in 2008 when I was here on my Golden Jubilee tour so I'm super excited.  

Our drive to the airport to catch our flight was eerily calm as our driver hardly used his horn and seemed happy to chug along with traffic.  We are flying princess class so the airport procedures are quick and painless before we head to the CIP (VIP) Lounge to wait for our flight.  The one hour flight was a far cry from the ten-hour overnight train ride that I'd taken in the opposite direction seven years ago; fast, comfortable and luxurious.

We were picked up by the folks at the Essence hotel and after an uneventful trip arrived at our hotel.  The moment we arrived, I knew we'd be comfortable here with a central location in Old Town close to West Lake.  The staff is fabulous, especially Quan who welcomed us warmly and got us set up for the rest of our stay in Vietnam.   We rented a room for the rest of the day so we had a base of operations and could get cleaned up before heading to the train station at 9:00.  

After a brief moment of relaxation, we headed toward the lake to check out our surroundings and grab a bite of lunch.  There are less people in Hanoi than HCMC but the traffic is still wild especially in Old Town as most of the streets are very narrow (not really wide enough for two cars to pass each other).  We found a spot with a view of the lake for a vermicelli bowl and then continued our explorations.   

I checked out some of the shops and Ken several art galleries as we got our bearings.  Pretty soon it was time to go back to the hotel to get cleaned up and grab a bite of dinner.  We opted to eat at the hotel which was an excellent choice. Imperial spring rolls to start followed by a bowl of the most fabulous Pho for me and excellent sweet and sour stir fried chicken for Ken.   The Pho was perfectly balanced and brimming with succulent chicken and noodles with greens for colour and added flavour.  Best I've had so far.  

Off to the train station with an escort from the hotel to make sure we got on the right train.  Love the service at this hotel; they think of everything.  Walking by the other cars to our train we could see that the berths were vey small and hoped our Deluxe cabin might have a bit more space.  The photos make it look luxurious.  Luxurious, well no but clean and we'd arranged for a private car so there weren't strangers in the top bunk snoring above us.  Lol, I should have gotten a photo of Ken's face when we went in the door.  I was a bit more prepared having been on an overnight train in Vietnam before.  That one was three bunks high on each side.

The attendant was quite insistent that we needed a beer but we'd stocked up,with beer, water and snacks in town as advised by Quan.  Soon enough we were clickity clacking down the track toward Sapa.  Didn't seem we were likely to get a lot of shut-eye so we cracked open a couple of beer and Ken kicked my ass in crib.   Time for lights out to try and get some sleep.  The bunks were narrow and hard but we were tired so eventually drifted off.  Woke up at one point and it was freezing so put the two blankets they left each of us to good use and drifted off agin.  Still excited about tomorrow and Sapa.  Both will be here soon enough.