Hanoi 2/Sapa

I got back into Hanoi and just wanted a day without taking a long bus ride somewhere. So, I literally spent all day sitting on the wicker chairs outside Hanoi Backpacker’s Hostel. We just got up to eat and back to the wicker chairs. This hostel is so fun that sitting all day out front is enough entertainment for the day. In Vietnam, they burn photocopies of money as an offering to Buddha. I bought a big stack of US $100 bills at the market. That night, I went around Hanoi burning US money with the locals.

We took a night train to Sapa in the north. Sapa is beautiful little mountain town near the Chinese border. They have these 3 ethnic minority mountain tribes that look nothing like the Vietnamese and live like they did 1000 years ago, well except that they all have cell phones.

Sapa has become somewhat of a tourist hub and the local people walking around pushing their handiwork on foreigners. They are quite aggressive, but in a charming way. They are quite funny too. If you show even a hint of interest in their stuff, you will be surrounded by a gaggle of minority women in funny outfits. They don’t really accept “no” for an answer. Its really fun because they are really good t English and highly sarcastic. One woman told me that if I didn’t buy anything, she would follow me forever.

On our first day in town, five of us rented motorbikes to go up into the hills and visit the minority villages. It was so foggy that day that we were literally scooting in the clouds. It was the first ride for two of our friends. Looking back, it probably was not the safest ride. We had an amazing time though. They do all their farming in stepped fields in this gorgeous mountain valley. Whenever the clouds cleared, it was one of the most stunning views that I’ve ever seen.

The village women were definitely the highlights. I loved finding ways to say “no” and hearing their amazing responses. One girl I actually told “I will never buy anything from you ever!” She was 8 years old. My Canadian friend, Jordy, told one woman that if she could catch him, he would buy a shirt from her. We saw him riding up a hill with a native woman running after him.

I am upset that I spent so much time in the South of Vietnam because I am enjoying the North more. I am heading to Taiwan tomorrow to see some modern world and familiar faces.