Vietnam: Trekking in Sapa

We arrived in the northern Vietnam village of Sapa via a sleeper train after a nine (or so) hour overnight journey.  After a hearty breakfast, we met up with our Black Hmong (the largest of the 54 minority groups in Vietnam) tour guide Su.  Maren had gone on a trek with Su about two months ago and had a great time so Jill and I were eager for the new experience.

Su - 28 years old - amazing tour guide, spunky personality, incredible person

As Su purchased the food we would eat for the next two days, Jill, Maren and I got fitted with Hmong style leg warmers to keep our pants from getting muddy.  They were well worth the $3 we paid for them as they saved us (and our pants) from serious discomfort later on.  It's no wonder no Hmong woman leaves home without them :)

In the market in Sapa, sporting the Hmong style leg warmers with a new pal

After our leg warmer situation was taken care of, we began our trek.  As we walked through the streets of Sapa, we gained quite a posse of Hmong women who were trying their best to peddle their wares.  A big part of the Sapa City experience is enduring women of all ages asking where you're from, what your name is, etc., in order to make some sort of connection with you in hopes that this new connection will result in a sale.  To some extent, it becomes a bit exhausting, but we managed to make the most of it.  The three women that stuck with us for the entire trek were dears.  They answered our myriad of questions about their culture from marriage and birthing practices to family lifestyles, the ways of their handicrafts and whatever else we could think to ask.  Each woman's hands were stained from the indigo used to dye their woven fabrics and they spent the entire trek stretching and separating long strands of hemp before weaving it around their worn hands.  I asked one of the women what she was doing and to my surprise, she hauled out a piece of hemp, showed me how to stretch and separate it and wove it between my pinkie finger and thumb, smiling from ear to ear.  We became fast friends.  To add to our bond, she must have recognized my oaf-like tendencies as we hiked because any time it was even remotely slippery or I looked unsteady in the least, she would, with cat-like reflexes, reach for my hand and steady me.  Several times, I was nervous that I would take her with me if I fell, but no such thing happened.  I would say she held my hand about 45% of the trek and that is probably a modest estimate.  I'm sure we were quite the sight.  I towered over her, yet she was the one holding my hand, providing me with (at times, much needed) support.  You just never know when or where you're going to connect with people.  I never expected to gain a pseudo caretaker on this three hour trek, but that is exactly what I got.  She was a gem.

My pal, showing me her ways

Though it became obvious that these women hoped to make some money from us as they hiked well out of their way with us, it was one of the best parts of the experience.  One of the women was 23 years old, the same as Jill and me.  It was mind blowing to consider the contrasts between our lives.  Despite these vast differences, it was so refreshing and delightful to learn about our similarities.  Talking with these women and later Su and Mai (our homestay host), I was reminded of just how small the world really is.  Despite the many surface differences that are apparent to the naked eye, we are so much more similar that I would have ever thought to recognize.  We have similar worries, triumphs, joys and pain.  We met such strong, capable, amazing women on this two day journey and we built a beautiful bond with them in such a short time.

Our trek lasted for about three hours.  A dense fog had descended upon the area and never really lifted the first day.  Though we weren't able to enjoy the picturesque views, the fog made for its own mysterious and oddly soothing beauty.  We hiked through various terrains including a hard surface road, rickety bridges (see below), up sharp inclines and down steep paths through hard clay, rocks and slippery mud.  We learned the reasoning behind most Hmong people being outfitted in rubber galoshes.  I'll definitely add those to the packing list for next time!  (By the end of the second day, my entire right foot was coated with mud.  It looked like I had a chocolate covered foot attached to my body.)  Also during the hike, we stopped for lunch at a tiny shack that cooks for trekkers.  We had chicken omelets, laughing cow cheese (!!), tomato and cucumber slices on a baguette.  Soo tasty!
   

Jill and Maren with my pal on a super delicate bridge.  I kept thinking of Romancing the Stone when parts of a bridge breaks off as they're crossing it...  EEK!  That didn't even come close to happening to us, but it would have made for a sweet story!

The dense fog - and my caretaker.  Notice her holding my hand and imagine an hour and a half of this for her.  She has strong arms underneath that hemp robe!

Rice paddies filled with water.  If there was no fog, this view would go as far as the eye could see.  Beautiful.  Have I mentioned that I love Vietnam?

Soon after lunch, we arrived to the village (Lao Chai Village, population 850 or so - my pal was baffled to hear that my hometown was not a whole lot bigger than their modest village!) where we would spend the night.  We were taken to a school yard so my pal could introduce us to her painfully shy granddaughter and got to spend a few minutes playing with the adorable Hmong children.  We spent the rest of the afternoon warming ourselves and our shoes by the fire inside the house, talking with Su and Mai.  Mai is 28 years old and has three kids.  When her husband died last year in a logging accident, she was forced to support her family on her own.  With Su's sister Shu's help, she was able to get a loan to build a house in which to host homestays as often as Su can book them.  Both women are incredibly intelligent, both learning English through their exposure to tourists.  They were so open to sharing their lives with us in such an incredible way.  They made us feel right at home, building an awesome fire, cooking us delicious meals and talking for hours around the fire.  Su took to calling each of us "Sister" for the rest of the trip.  I'm not sure if this was because she couldn't remember our names or if we earned this term of endearment through our time spent together, but either way, we found it quite delightful and returned the sentiment often.

Connecting with these women on a more complex level than can be expected was so special.  It touched my heart in ways that are hard to describe.  Listening to them talk to us about their way of life, their struggles and triumphs and seeing them smile and laugh reminded me of how simple life can be.  This seems to be something we lose as we do so much to make life more complex than it needs to be.  Maybe it's due to the differences in our upbringing, world view or culture, but it was mind blowing to experience.  I later wondered if our experience was different than that of the average homestay participant.  Do these women charm everyone or did we really connect with them on a deeper level?  I guess it doesn't matter.  What does matter is the experience we had and the bonds we created with these women and with each other.  This was truly one of the most special (and unexpected!) experiences of my life.

Su and Mai cooked us dinner and breakfast the next morning.  The food they prepared was delicious and it was fun to share meals with them. 

Jill and Su warmed their hands while demonstrating what I now refer to as the Asian squat.  Everyone squats here and in Vietnam too.  The physics of such a bodily position are beyond me, but it is ingrained in them early on.  Ever Mai's two year old daughter had perfected her squat!

The next morning Maren and I woke up around 8:00 to find Mai cooking us breakfast. Probably still recovering from jet lag (and, let's be honest, homegirl enjoys a good night's sleep!)  Jill slept in until around 10:00 and woke up to sing song calls from Su of "Sister - Lazy!  Lazy Sister!"  For the rest of our time together, Su's sing song voice could be heard warning us of the slippery terrain ahead, urging us to be careful or just calling Jill lazy.  Delightful. 

This little buddy greeted us outside the house's window along with two other "buffalo"

Maren with Mai and her daughter.  The blanket Maren is holding was hand stitched by Mai

Su and me - she's pint sized!

A view of Lao Chai village from our homestay  (I think..)

The weather cleared for the second day, so we were able to fully enjoy the picturesque natural views.  The hiking on the second day was crazy.  Lots more mud resulting in many falls - on my part.  By the end of the trek, Jill told me I should change my pants for the bus ride to the train station because it looked like I had had an accident.  I had, just not the kind to which she was referring :)

Hiking with our pal Sister

One of my favorite pictures from the trip - these girls were adorable

At one point, Su took us to her house to introduce us to her children.  It was so special to be able to meet her family and play with them.  Because their father was at work logging and Su was giving us a tour, her ten year old son was placed in charge of the whole brood.  It seems Hmong children are forced to grow up much faster than western cultures are generally accustomed.  This ten year old was in charge of his eight year old sister, six year old brother and four and a half year old brother, often times overnight.  This blew my mind.  Clearly, he was capable of such a task and will grow into an even more responsible, kind caretaker than he already is, but can you imagine placing your family in the care of a ten year old?

It was refreshing to watch these kids play.  When we arrived, the eldest son was meticulously whittling a top.  The younger boys cleverly constructed a hammock out of a rice sack and a cell phone charger.  When it broke, resulting in them falling from their contraption, there were no tears, just belly laughing at how fun it was to fly, even just the briefest of moments.  When the hammock lost its appeal, they constructed makeshift bows and arrows from a cornstalk and string.  Not only was this idea adorable, but they worked pretty well too.  Between these two feats of ingenuity, Jill captured some amazing portraits of concentration, determination and pure and unabated joy.  The irony of the situation was when Su emerged from their home to ask where her children were.  They had run somewhere and we didn't know where they were.  Unconcerned, Su replied, "Oh well.  They're probably watching the t.v. at the neighbors."  HA!  I guess kids are more similar across cultures than I thought!

Su's eldest son perfecting his top

Some bow and arrow action, corn stalk style

Enjoying the hammock in all its glory

The rest of the trek was spent (on my part) desperately trying to stay upright.  I took such careful steps, so as not to fall down, that I fell quite behind the rest of the group.  They were patient with me though and by the end of the hike, I would be lying if I said I was disappointed that we weren't doing more hiking.

I don't know how, but I often end up doing activities that I never saw myself doing.  Several hour treks through mud falls into this category.  However, just because I never saw myself accomplishing such a feat surrounded by some of the most beautiful scenery in which I have found myself with some of the most amazing and delightful women with whom I have had the pleasure of spending time, doesn't mean I am regretful.  In fact, as we descended on the small clearing with a homestay destination that marked the end of our trek and more important to me, our lunch break, I was so glad that we signed up for this experience.  After all, in life, some of the experiences that are the most worthwhile are things you never saw yourself doing in the first place.

Traversing the rim of a rice paddy, trying not to fall backward into the water filled pool of mud and muck.  Of course Su held my hand - this became a standard practice

Miss Maren and me - I am so thankful to have shared with experience with you, pal! (And Jill too... I guess :) )

The whole group - what a wild ride we took in Sapa!