After arriving in Hanoi, we went to the Old Quarter to kill time before having to catch our train north to Sapa. Our first stop was at a restaurant where we sat outside on child size plastic stools, and using metal toothpick-like utensils, we extracted snails out of their shells and ate them. Our next stop was at a restaurant where we again sat on child size plastic stools and at a child size plastic table (we swear this is the only furniture in local restaurants. KG barely fit.) We were unable to communicate with the staff who spoke only Vietnamese, and had to rely on hand gestures for ordering food (they also had no menus, so you can imagine how difficult it was). We have no idea what we ate, but it was delicious.
We walked around the town for awhile before heading to the train station. As soon as we got into our taxi, the rain started to pour hard, to the point where the streets became flooded within minutes, and we needed ponchos to keep our bags dry. The train platform looked as though it was right out of the movie Slumdog Millionaire, and KE proceeded to sing Jai Ho. We had no idea which train car was ours, but thankfully we had our new Vietnamese friend from France, D, to guide us to the correct one. Inside, we felt like we were on the Hogwarts Express and proceeded to look for chocolate frogs and Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans on the treat cart. It was an overnight train and we were in a four person room with a sliding door and bunk beds. We tried looking for Harry but he was no where to be found.
Before we knew it, it was morning and we were in Sapa! We had traditional Vietnamese breakfast out of a bag, which contained sticky rice and pieces of meat. We wasted no time and started our trek that morning. Our guide led us through the countryside, which was one of the most breathtaking landscapes we have ever seen. We can't even describe it in words. There were terraces of rice fields everywhere, mountains dotted with lush green trees, and streams that turned into waterfalls. What was initially a party of 5 tourists and 1 tour guide, became a party of 10 - the additional 5 were women from the Black H'Mong tribe who followed us from Sapa town all the way to Lao Cai (their village, a 3 hour trek). This trek was different from Chiang Mai's - there was variety to this one - we walked through corn fields, climbed over rice paddies, wandered through villages, played with children along the way, and spotted a bunch of animals. Goats, water buffalo, pigs, dogs, chickens...and seas of butterflies.
When we finally make it to Lao Cai village, our Black H'Mong friends pressed us to buy their handmade souvenirs. This is how they make a living. After lunch, we headed to the next village, Ta Van. Here, we met our host family. They showed us how to plant rice on the paddies. This was our most authentic experience yet. With our legs knee deep in mud, we struggled to navigate our way through the terraced paddies. CF kept destroying the mud walls that separated each terrace, while KE ran into a 4 inch unknown organism with pincers. She practically ran through the mud after seeing that. How many doctors does it take to plant rice? Clearly, more than two. We were so bad at it that we were kicked out and demoted to removing the mature rice plants instead. We did this for a good hour and were exhausted. Vietnamese women and children do it for more than 12 hours per day. This made us really appreciate what we have in Canada.
We saw kids playing with the water buffalo, and decided to join in. Except we couldn't actually get on the buffalo. Until our third attempt.
After a hot shower, which we weren't expecting, dinner was ready. Our host family cooked for us a traditional Vietnamese dinner consisting of peppered chicken and pork with vegetables, tofu in a tomato-like sauce, veggie spring rolls, and a variety of leaves picked from the garden. One leaf tasted like passion fruit. Another like lime. And others were minty. We wish we knew the names in English (or remembered the Vietnamese names!).
Oh, and one more thing. We had "happy water".. 5 times. This is what they call rice wine, and it's made locally in the village. Vietnamese men drink it like it's water. It wasn't what we were expecting, both in taste and strength.
After dinner we went to the bamboo bar. We figured it would be an easy ten minute walk, not a half hour scramble in pitch black through the mud. Our tour guide came with us and brought a torch, but it wasn't enough for 6 people. We were escorted by the family's dog, Moon, who is one of the lucky dogs in the village to live past the age of 1. Most are killed and eaten for dinner. But since Moon is very intelligent, he survived the slaying...for now. We hope he lives a long and prosperous life in Ta Van village.
The following morning we said bye to the family we stayed with and trekked through more rice paddies until we reached another village. Since it had rained the night before, the dirt on the path had turned into slippery mud and the walk up and down the hills became treacherous. We had to go very slow. D slipped and dunked his entire shoes and socks in the mud, along with part of his side bag. And he's a martial arts instructor.
After spending some time in the village, we took a bus back to Sapa town. We had Vietnamese food in an Italian restaurant for lunch. It was funny. And KE ordered a 'latte' from the menu, which ended up being a chocolate crepe. We spent the rest of the day walking around town, which reminded us of Banff. It's quite touristy and they sell a lot of North Face products. The difference being that these ones are fake.
Side note: while writing this blog post, CF said something ridiculous and KE laughed so hard that she fell off the bed. Which tipped CF over the edge into one of her fits where she laughs like an otter and can't breathe. Thought you'd enjoy that.
Tomorrow we trek some more! We're also planning to ride motorbikes to Fanxispan Mountain in the afternoon.
Xin chao,
EGF
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