Xin Chao! Part 3: Sapa

After a challenging night’s sleep on the overnight train from Hanoi to Lao Cai, we jump on a minibus that will take us into the mountains of Sapa and on to the isolated Topas Ecolodge for the next two days. To say the ride along the bumpy curvy twisty turvy road was nauseating would be a slight understatement. I try to keep my eyes on the road as the Australian in front of me practically sticks her whole head out the window to keep from getting sick all over the car. Finally, we reach solid ground, dump our bags and enjoy the Topas Ecolodge breakfast. Feeling refueled and rejuvenated, we sign up for a 6-hour tour of the surrounding villages to see the sweeping views of terraced hillsides and learn a little about a way of life that was, until recent years, unknown to foreign visitors.

The area is home to a number of Vietnamese minority groups, including the Black Hmong, Tay, Xapho and Red Dao groups. The main agricultural product is rice, followed by corn, cassava and other goods. We traversed the muddy rocky pathways and our guide, who is himself from a local Tay village, taught us about the methods used to improve farming, distribute basics like water and electricity (each home is allowed about one kilowatt per day). Dave enthusiastically tries his hand (actually, his whole body) at an old concrete and stone hand-churned corn mill (no doubt dreaming up new functional exercises with which to torture his clients). Although more efficient machines are slowly replacing them, some farms still use water mills to clean the shells off the rice grains. You can see a picture of one below and I'll try to upload a video in our video bar of how it works.

Our guide also takes us to visit a local home – a large wooden structure with no windows and a corrugated metal roof. Large families live inside (though smaller now due to new Vietnamese restrictions on the number of children each family can have). There are two cooking areas – one for animal food and one for human food. A large storeroom makes up the attic, piled high with huge bags of rice and vats of corn. The matriarch of the household, a strong beautiful woman in full traditional costume, invites us to try a little homemade rice wine. “I like sake,” I think, “I’ll try some of your rice wine.” Dave and I thank the hostess and down the liquor, which quickly burns our throats and warms our bellies. Quite a bit stronger than sake…

We head back through the valley, stopping to wave to the kids and take pictures of various animals and plants.





We return to the ecolodge, sweaty and thoroughly exhausted. Our room sits atop a hill, looking over the valley. Half of the electricity supplying the room comes from a solar panel outside. There are no TVs, no hair dryers, and electricity comes in and out. Surrounded by silence and a fine mountain mist, we drift off to sleep…

The next day it's off to the local market in Sapa and back to Hanoi.