Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
This morning our trekking guide Lang arrived. She belongs to an entrepreneurial trekking group known as the Sapa sisters who belong to the H'mong tribe.
Her English was excellent- self taught from tourists!
She showed us on a map where we were going that day and the village we were to stay at overnight.
We set off and were joined by another 4 Sapa sisters who spoke only a little English but were so kind.
We trekked through remote countryside off the tourist trail- quite an adventure!
Beautiful scenery of amazing paddy fields and little houses.
It was super muddy on the first day and we had a couple of good wipeouts. The Sapa sisters were very sure footed and we hung onto them as we descended the hillside.
Lang gave us a great run down of country life for the local H'mong tribe.
Girls can be married by arrangement at 12 years of age - Caitlin was a bit shocked by this and was very glad she wasn't part of the H'mong tribe!
Most children go the the local primary school and it's then up to the parents/ grandparents as to whether they continue with high school. The older generation don't like the children going onto further education as they want them working at home in the rice fields.
It's a hard life and the H'mong people are very poor. They survive off the rice they grow along with making hemp clothing and crafts which they sell to the tourists.
Rex: the scenery was unreal with the mountains climbing more than 3000 m and the terraced rice paddy fields filling the valleys. The village buildings and people look to be uninfluenced by western technology. The kids roaming outside in what looks to be their only set of clothes and the toothless old ladies were full of smiles in their tribal homemade colourful hemp clothes and hats. A humbling experience yet wonderfully enriching with the generous helpings of food and rice wine. Also loved the mezzanine floor sleeping with mossie net coved mattresses all lined up.
20+ kms felt like a huge achievement by all five of us.
Arriving back at Sapa Eden hotel was a blissful experience of hospitality even though we'd finished our stay they looked after bags and valuables while we all had showers before heading up the road to have 3 bags of washing done while we dined at nature view and took in another foot massage.
Caitlin: The trek was lots of fun, I really enjoyed walking through the mud and the rivers. When we walked through the villages everyone was very kind and smiley. I was very nervous about staying overnight at someone else's house in the village but I definitely would do it again sometime. The food was delicious and we met lots of tourists in the home stay from Holland, China and France.
Lulu: I loved the trekking it was VERY adventurous. When we walked through the villages all of the houses were very different, the roofs were made from the left over rice stalks and there was no carpet - it was all wood on the inside. As we were trekking lots of children were on the streets playing so we gave them some balloons which they liked alot.
Sophie: I liked the Sapa sisters- they were nice.
They helped guide us through the muddy bits.
At the homestay we made our own spring rolls - they were yummy!
- comments
Krissy Harris This blog brings back such vivid memories! So glad you went to Sapa and got to a hike.
Uncle John Wow girls, sounds like you're having an awesome time. I don't understand how those villagers in Sapa can live without an iPhone, flat screen, or expresso machine, without the latest fashion from pumpkin patch and live in a little stick house in the mud and still be happy?? Lulu, have you tried the 'walk away' move while bartering? It works a treat - get dad to run you through it.