We negiotiated a mini-bus to Sapa and parked ourselves at the Queen Hotel, which was an absolutely fabulous find. Almost all of the places were booked in the little touristy town of Sapa, and, of course, we haggled the price down (by now I am pretty good at this, I haggle for everything). We stayed one night and then did a 2-day trek with a homestay. Sapa is known for the high proportion of H'mong, Dai and other minority groups that add a great deal of character to the colorful and friendly culture of the area.
After China, I appreciated their approach to selling me things "Hello, what is your name? Where are you from? Do you have any brothers and sisters? etc... Would you like to buy from me?". They make almost everything by hand and use the interactions with tourists to learn better English.
There are a couple different groups of the H'mong peoples. Our guide also told us that the languages varied so much that it is incredibly difficult for each of the groups to understand each other. Our guide also told us that the red H'mong (which wear red head dressing) shave their eyebrows and the front part of their hair when they get married. This is because they take over any of the cooking duties and hygiene is a definite concern for the new family. The black H'mong tribe only use a comb to ensure that all of their remains in place; the styles and interpretations of seemingly similar traditions varied greatly among each of the H'mong groups.
The 2 day trek and homestay is a must, even though the trekking was more of a walk along rice patties and traversing the mild hills in the area. We swam in the river with the local children who were giddy with the delight of shoving each other in the water and pushing their way up through the current.
After Sapa we ended to lovely Hanoi!! I am a little behind on my blog as internet access is now always the most accessible, and I still mean to post pictures the next time I get a chance.
After China, I appreciated their approach to selling me things "Hello, what is your name? Where are you from? Do you have any brothers and sisters? etc... Would you like to buy from me?". They make almost everything by hand and use the interactions with tourists to learn better English.
There are a couple different groups of the H'mong peoples. Our guide also told us that the languages varied so much that it is incredibly difficult for each of the groups to understand each other. Our guide also told us that the red H'mong (which wear red head dressing) shave their eyebrows and the front part of their hair when they get married. This is because they take over any of the cooking duties and hygiene is a definite concern for the new family. The black H'mong tribe only use a comb to ensure that all of their remains in place; the styles and interpretations of seemingly similar traditions varied greatly among each of the H'mong groups.
The 2 day trek and homestay is a must, even though the trekking was more of a walk along rice patties and traversing the mild hills in the area. We swam in the river with the local children who were giddy with the delight of shoving each other in the water and pushing their way up through the current.
After Sapa we ended to lovely Hanoi!! I am a little behind on my blog as internet access is now always the most accessible, and I still mean to post pictures the next time I get a chance.
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