The gardens and reflections of Sapa lake were delightful
Seeing a live wriggling snake in a cafe was a bit unsettling
Yellow dog - Yum!
I loved the images that these people had chosen to decorate their door with
Incense drying in the sun
I could quite easily have bought a dozen of these handmade bedspreads
Hemp cloth after being dyed with indigo
This is an example of the type of toilet that does not bother me at all now. They are perfectly serviceable so long as you are prepared to use a hose or you bring your own toilet paper. I
Last day in Sapa - 30th October
On the morning of our last day in Sapa we went for a walk along the valley from Lao Chai to the Cau May Ratt bridge. We did not know how far the walk would be or what the terrain was like and had arranged for motorbike drivers to pick us up at the bridge. It turned out to be a very easy walk and not as far as we would have liked but it was enjoyable. We again had the opportunity to view the rice paddies from above and while walking beside them. It was a lovely walk. Along the way there are quite a few people selling handcrafts, coffee and food. Some of the locals were happy to return cheerful greetings but others seemed bored with passing tourists.
The other walkers we encountered on the route were part of a group or had a local guide. We were glad to be walking independently as this allowed us to take our time to look at things that interested us on the way. At one stop, without any language in common, we were able to ask some questions about the source of materials used in the textile making which was very interesting.
During the morning we came across some women and children who seemed extremely poor. It was heartbreaking to see some children who were very despondent. Most children we had come across on other occasions were lively and playful but on this morning some of the children who were begging appeared to have lost all joy and energy. I will never get used to seeing people living in such poverty. Living in Viet Nam has given me opportunities to fully appreciate the wealth that we take for granted in New Zealand. Whenever I listen to the radio it is full of news of economic woes – the concerns seem petty in comparison to the struggle that many people here live with as they endeavor to feed and educate their children.
In the afternoon the cloud again rolled in. We decided to spend time walking around the backstreets of the township rather than trying to view the valleys again. Some parts of Sapa are quite wealthy. On the hillsides there are large houses with big gardens. We enjoyed walking around the lake which had beautiful flower gardens and colorful reflections in the water.
When we stopped at a café a young man arrived with a live snake tethered to a stick. It was we established destined to be a pet not a meal. Watching him handling the snake was quite creepy and made me realize that once again I had not even thought to look out for them as we had walked around rocks and through fields.
We had arranged bus and train tickets at our hotel and in the evening when we left for Lao Cai I felt sad because it is unlikely that I will ever return to this district and there are many places that we did not see. I am very fortunate to have had the opportunity to go there.
In Lao Cai we had time to fill and stopped at a stall for coffee. We had vouchers for the train which we needed to swap for tickets. Nick was looking at these when the ‘helpful’ coffee woman told us where we needed to do this. Little did we know that we were being set up for a sting. Following her directions we crossed the road and were met by a man who told us that we had been given the wrong tickets and we needed to give him the vouchers and pay an extra 30,000 dong each for beds. Fortunately Nick had got a phone number to call and when we rang to check this out he disappeared leaving us flummoxed. Eventually we found some men on the station steps who claimed to have our tickets. We were naturally were feeling pretty suspicious by this time. Nick was marvelous. She insisted on checking them out and eventually we agreed to take them (at no extra cost) even though we were still uncertain about what was happening. We managed to get ourselves on the wrong train but fortunately got taken off before it departed and when we finally got to our beds it was a lovely surprise to discover that they were in a very comfortable carriage. Had we believed the first man we would probably have ended up with fake tickets that we could not use but we ended up in a carriage much better than the one we had arrived in – go figure!
I slept quite well on the train and got a surprise when it lurched to a sudden stop back in Hanoi at 4:30 am. Before I came to Viet Nam I was concerned about having to use unsavory toilets. Up until this time it had not been too awful but the toilets at the station were by far the worst that I have encountered - I did not believe that it was possible to find a toilet in a more disgusting condition. Later in the day when we went to Hoa Binh I discovered just how dreadful they can be. I will spare you the graphic details but I would like to know what it is that one is paying for in some of these places – it is certainly not cleaning, paper or running water. No wonder so many locals choose the street – I certainly have discovered that it is possible to hold on longer than seemed possible!
On the morning of our last day in Sapa we went for a walk along the valley from Lao Chai to the Cau May Ratt bridge. We did not know how far the walk would be or what the terrain was like and had arranged for motorbike drivers to pick us up at the bridge. It turned out to be a very easy walk and not as far as we would have liked but it was enjoyable. We again had the opportunity to view the rice paddies from above and while walking beside them. It was a lovely walk. Along the way there are quite a few people selling handcrafts, coffee and food. Some of the locals were happy to return cheerful greetings but others seemed bored with passing tourists.
The other walkers we encountered on the route were part of a group or had a local guide. We were glad to be walking independently as this allowed us to take our time to look at things that interested us on the way. At one stop, without any language in common, we were able to ask some questions about the source of materials used in the textile making which was very interesting.
During the morning we came across some women and children who seemed extremely poor. It was heartbreaking to see some children who were very despondent. Most children we had come across on other occasions were lively and playful but on this morning some of the children who were begging appeared to have lost all joy and energy. I will never get used to seeing people living in such poverty. Living in Viet Nam has given me opportunities to fully appreciate the wealth that we take for granted in New Zealand. Whenever I listen to the radio it is full of news of economic woes – the concerns seem petty in comparison to the struggle that many people here live with as they endeavor to feed and educate their children.
In the afternoon the cloud again rolled in. We decided to spend time walking around the backstreets of the township rather than trying to view the valleys again. Some parts of Sapa are quite wealthy. On the hillsides there are large houses with big gardens. We enjoyed walking around the lake which had beautiful flower gardens and colorful reflections in the water.
When we stopped at a café a young man arrived with a live snake tethered to a stick. It was we established destined to be a pet not a meal. Watching him handling the snake was quite creepy and made me realize that once again I had not even thought to look out for them as we had walked around rocks and through fields.
We had arranged bus and train tickets at our hotel and in the evening when we left for Lao Cai I felt sad because it is unlikely that I will ever return to this district and there are many places that we did not see. I am very fortunate to have had the opportunity to go there.
In Lao Cai we had time to fill and stopped at a stall for coffee. We had vouchers for the train which we needed to swap for tickets. Nick was looking at these when the ‘helpful’ coffee woman told us where we needed to do this. Little did we know that we were being set up for a sting. Following her directions we crossed the road and were met by a man who told us that we had been given the wrong tickets and we needed to give him the vouchers and pay an extra 30,000 dong each for beds. Fortunately Nick had got a phone number to call and when we rang to check this out he disappeared leaving us flummoxed. Eventually we found some men on the station steps who claimed to have our tickets. We were naturally were feeling pretty suspicious by this time. Nick was marvelous. She insisted on checking them out and eventually we agreed to take them (at no extra cost) even though we were still uncertain about what was happening. We managed to get ourselves on the wrong train but fortunately got taken off before it departed and when we finally got to our beds it was a lovely surprise to discover that they were in a very comfortable carriage. Had we believed the first man we would probably have ended up with fake tickets that we could not use but we ended up in a carriage much better than the one we had arrived in – go figure!
I slept quite well on the train and got a surprise when it lurched to a sudden stop back in Hanoi at 4:30 am. Before I came to Viet Nam I was concerned about having to use unsavory toilets. Up until this time it had not been too awful but the toilets at the station were by far the worst that I have encountered - I did not believe that it was possible to find a toilet in a more disgusting condition. Later in the day when we went to Hoa Binh I discovered just how dreadful they can be. I will spare you the graphic details but I would like to know what it is that one is paying for in some of these places – it is certainly not cleaning, paper or running water. No wonder so many locals choose the street – I certainly have discovered that it is possible to hold on longer than seemed possible!
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