I was neutral on Vietnam during my first trip in 2008. The infrastructure was not impressive and the traffic chaotic. At that time I did not realize that I was bitten by the Vietnamese bug. It took a couple of weeks to dawn upon me that Vietnam was not bad after all. My initial angst was misplaced and the more I reflect, the more I like Vietnam.
Hence, in the morning of 13th September 2011, I found myself clearing immigration at Hanoi's Noi Bai International Airport, eager for another visit, my third. This time around my travel plans were much simpler, to walk the hills of Sapa and the rest of the time was ..... an open canvas.
The night train from Hanoi was to leave at 9.20pm. We assembled early and thankfully so as the train left sharp on time. We met 2 girls, Ms Low and Ms Sum who were fellow Malaysians from Johor. Comparing our tour price we found out that we 'overpaid' for our Sapa package. We paid USD$120 for a 2Day/3Nighst trip inclusive of 2 overnight train tickets and 1 night at Sapa. They paid USD$119 for 3Day/4nights. That's good negotiation on their part. We were the scary cats that booked early for ease of mind.
We arrived early at the border town of Lao Cai, the hop-off to Kunming, China. Our group was greeted by the hotel's representative and our names checked against the guest list. Note that you were not supposed to "trust" anybody at these border towns unless you want to be whisked away to the wrong hotel. Unfortunately our van was short of 1 guest and we had to wait another 40 minutes for the next train. Hotel policy dictated that we need a full load before we can leave for Sapa.
The ride to Sapa passed quickly as we were mesmerized by the beautiful valley as we crawled ever higher. We arrived at the Sapa summit Hotel at about 8.30am and given an itinerary for the next 2 days. We were quickly ushered to the morning breakfast buffet as the first walk of the day was to start in one hour at 9.30am.
The sight that greeted us at the entrance of the hotel was an experience for me. About 30 eager Black Hmong, girls and ladies, were already gathered in front of the hotel. They were held back by an invisible line to the untrained eye. They were eyeing us just as we were eyeing them. The difference being, we were doing the tourist thingy, taking photos and gawking. The Hmongs were ready for another day's work having left their village at 6am +/-.
The first hike was to Cat Cat Village which was supposed to be a half day. After a leisurely walk through part of town for about 20 minutes, we were at the entrance to the village. Our chief guide, Kher, a 32 year old Hmong, quickly paid for the entrance fees to the village. We passed through the guard house without any hitch. Our personal guide was a young girl, Bow, 22 years and with her was her baby riding piggy back.
The hike down the valley to Cat Cat was easy and we took in the sights, smell and sound of the village. We were to descend from 1500m to 1200m to view a confluence of 3 rivers coming together. The Hmongs did not waste any time and displayed their prowess in making little animals out of paddy stalks. Bow made a horse. As we approached the village our guides quickly excused themselves as they were not allowed into another village. We made a token purchase of a crafted brass bangle as a souvenir. Other items sold were ladies' handbag, sling bags and coin holders, all made of woven fabric. Personally, I think we should support trades like this to give the indigenous people a chance to be economically independent.
Walking through stalls selling native crafts and woven fabric, we passed a house making knives in the traditional way. It was hard work, tending to the oven heat and forming the red hot blades into usable parangs and knives. The ladders to the native's elevated house were also interesting. Made out of a sinle log with deep groves cut in as steps. Have seen the same ladders in Sarawak which means that these people do have some historical linkages.
Upon reaching our final destination, the roar of rushing waters could be heard from a distance. We crossed a suspension bridge to the viewpoint where most visitors stopped for photo shots. We were no different. A sense of achievement enveloped us but the hike up was just about to begin! To refuel, we ate a purple coloured ubi keledek or sweet potato sold by an obliging lady vendor. The colour of the sweet potao was just vibrant to the point of being unreal. It tasted good though.
The way up was not that bad. We resisted offers by the locals to ride back to the hotel by motorbike, at a small cost of course. The reward was a peek at this albino water buffalo! It has its own young and another adopted calf.
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