I wasn't too sure what conditions to expect today as I was told we would be trekking twice as long from 9-3pm with lunch in between. Don't be surprise that I actually expected the worse coming from the Indonesia tour, but praise the Lord it was so much better than that! Our same tour guide, Mai, from yesterday led the way again, but today we had more ladies from her tribe tag along as it was a longer tour and one that would eventually lead us to their village. Later we found out the main reason was so they could sell us stuff once we got there, however it was still very pleasant to trek alongside the native people of Sapa and exchange backgrounds and stories. Unfortunately, the weather was mistier and much more foggy than the day before, so in terms of the view, we didn't get to see as much.
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| The wonderful ladies made these by hand for us, from leaves!! |
We were guided to hike the
Muong Hoa Valley and onto many small trails to the
Y Linh Ho Village where the Black H'mong Tribe resides. The route was downhill most of the way and for a third of the journey we were walking on paved roads which made it fairly easy. It got challenging as we headed into green pastures and fields as the wet factor made it harder to for us to trek and the mud and soften clay ground made some people from our tour slip and fall easy. A part of the way was also on the edge of cliff with no railings or anything so our conversations all of a sudden fell silent as we were all heavily concentrated on our next step. Not going to lie, it felt quite dangerous to be trekking like this and I was beyond impress that these ladies were doing so so effortlessly AND with their babies strapped on their backs. They must be use to these conditions or else they are just plain fearless.
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| It was quite treacherous due to the fog and muddy conditions |
We had a simple lunch at the entrance of
Lao Chai Village, but it actually wasn't very pleasant as the village children and ladies kept pestering us to make purchases from them. I bought from one girl who helped me through the trek, but honestly as hard as it is, it's better not to purchase from them here because once you buy from one, you will feel guilty for not buying from another. The children's pestering voices turned into a white noise of chanting to our ears but they eventually moved onto another group of tourists once they realize we weren't going to make any more purchases. We also sited another tribe at this entrance as they were here to meet foreigners and of course try selling us stuff at a later time (they don't do it when the other tribe sells to us-must be a misconduct to do so I assume).
Calling this a humble experience would be an understatement. I was deeply touched by how simple their lives are, yet how happy they were with just what they do have. It reminded me that the simplest things in life are simply the best and that happiness and joy aren't ever found through materialistic means.
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| One of the young moms & their baby |
A few stories stuck out to me. I was told one of the ladies trekking with us got married at 16, had a child by 17, and divorced shortly after as they didn't work out (apparently divorce is allowed in the tribes just like in western cultures). However, her ex-husband now lives in another village and doesn't take any responsibility over their child, so it is just up to her to raise her son up. Some of the village ladies actually have told her to sell her son so it's easier for her to support herself/re-marry, but she said she would never do this (and how can any mom consider this?). Interestingly, it was also made known to me that one of the older ladies with a baby on her back (whom I assumed was her grandchild), actually bought this baby girl when she was born from another village as she always wanted a girl having had four grown sons now and not being able to have kids anymore. She saved up 5 million Dong (~$250 US) for this baby-crazy isn't it? I guess perhaps having lots of children is a safety net sort of thing that selling one off for money isn't unusual or as insane as it seems from a first world perspective. I felt more culture shock than I've ever been, the village way of life is so absurd from what I've been brought up with.
Lastly, I noticed in the villages that the husbands and children don't wear the traditional Black H'mong costumes. My tour guide told me because they don't want to nor have to as the villages are heavily westernized now and some of them even have cellphones and all. In fact, the ladies don't typically wear their costumes at home either, so it's mainly a tourist gig which is understandable as people do come here to see these tribes and seeing them in the costumes makes it easy for them to be distinguish and also for them to sell their handicraft. Though I think it's quite sad really.
Sapa has taught me a lot about the beauty in the smallest things and come to appreciate all that you have. If you are coming to Vietnam, do make a trip here, I guarantee you will see the world differently by the time you depart. When I was telling Mai I hope to see her in the future, she was so sweet and told me to bring my husband next time-it must be crazy to them that I'm 22 and not yet married. At this age, you're expected to have a kid already-say what?!
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My highlight of today was going biking at Cat Ba National Park where we got to ride to the Viet Hai Village. Vietnamese people settled here way back when and the population is only around 500 if I recalled right. I asked our guide if anyone ever leaves this island and he said no and I couldn't understand. I think I've become too much of a city gal to ever be able to stay still and just settle on some random island and start farming. Despite my comical perspective, it was neat to see them grow only organic fruits and vegetables for themselves as they don't sell any of their plants. I got to see various chilli peppers, taro, lychee, rice and sticky rice plantations which was really educational. I didn't know bettlenuts grow on trees did you?
What really made this experience was the actual biking part. I haven't biked in years, and doubling up on a tandem five years ago doesn't count as that wasn't a very smart move for someone who hasn't biked since possibly junior high school. I don't know why I kept away from biking and partaking in outdoor sports (perhaps my dislike of gym class in grade school?) but biking reminded me of how exhilarating and thrillingly fun it can be. I was very wobbly and unstable at first, but once I got my balance down, everything came back naturally except for going uphill where I had to get off my bike to push it up. I don't have the greatest stamina getting back into things right away, but I'm glad I didn't just quit or chicken out either. I only regret not taking any photos of the mesmerizing view biking through the limestone formations as I was highly concentrated on biking and keeping my balance. It felt like learning to drive all over again as I was worried that even turning my head back to check my blind spots would end in me colliding into something or someone. Thankfully that didn't happen and the rush of adrenaline already has made me anticipating for the next chance to bike. Its so awesome that Ive gained so many opportunities to accomplish so much physical activities while travelling as Im usually not like this. Yet, I'm really appreciating this adventurous and outdoorsy spirit of mine and I hope it stays even when I'm back home.
