Trekking with a Sister in Sapa

We were to meet our guide, Lan at 9am the next morning in the hotel lobby. I decided to get up early, 6ish so that I would be packed and ready before breakfast. I went to set my alarm and realized I had left my phone (my pseudo alarm clock) in Hanoi. So, I made a call to the front desk which went something like this..
Me: "Could I have a wake-up call at 6:00?"
Front Desk: unintelligible Vietnamese
Me: "Could someone call me on the phone at 6:00 to wake me up?"
Front Desk: "hmm...." unintelligible Vietnamese
Me: "Someone at the desk call me, at 6:00?"
Front Desk: 6:00?
Me: "Yes"
Front Desk: quiet Vietnamese words
Me: "Alarm clock, I don't have one. I need to wake-up at 6."
Front Desk: "Yes"
Me: "Someone call me?"
Front Desk: "No..." unintelligible Vietnamese
CLICK. End of conversation.

*A mental note - Always bring your phone whether it works in a foreign country or not.

Since we had no means of an alarm, I opened my eyes every hour to look at my watch,...Not ideal for one who needs a good nights sleep before trekking off in to the Vietnamese backcountry... 

Graham, Jordan and I were in the lobby by 8:45. At 9:05 a 4'10" (if that) woman dressed in traditional Hmong attire wearing rain boots, toting a pink backpack and carrying an umbrella walked in the door. She greeted us warmly. We made our initial introductions. Lan had a sweet smile and a child-like infectious laugh. She spoke fairly good English and seemed glad to see us.

Before we departed she told us we would need rain boots,..all of us. "We get rubber boots for you." I replied that we didn't mind getting our shoes wet. "Everything is muddy,..lots of water, very slippery. You get your shoes very muddy." I didn't like the thought of getting my walking shoes muddy but I really didn't like the idea of walking 18km in rubber boots. Jordan, our Eagle Scout was wearing hiking shoes, so he declined. Lan stressed "We go by guest house, we get your boots." I told her I would think about it.

It was raining so we donned our rain gear and back packs and off we went into the street...The Sapa Sister and her three sojourners.

Lan, Our Sapa Sister
I'll tell you more about Lan and the Sapa Sister organization later.

As we began walking Lan inquired about our likes. "You like cheese, pork, bread, tomatoes, fruit? You eat? We go to market." The market was a busy place. Lan moved quickly among the food vendors always saying to us, "You wait, I buy food." Then she would hand off her umbrella and begin her transactions; she was shopping for our lunch. 


Once the items were purchased and packed in her small backpack, she turned to me and said, "We go by Guest House for rubber boots." (I was not convinced this was a good idea.) When we arrived, there were other trekkers renting rubber boots. Graham took one look at the boots and declined. I began to ask more questions,...'Can I wear them over my sneakers?', 'How muddy is muddy?', 'Can I take my sneakers adjust in case?'... Lan convinced me that the boots were the right option. I tied my shoes to my backpack and off we went...

As we moved out of the city, it didn't take us long to realize, we were not alone. There were many trekkers heading out of the city,...and many Hmong women and young girls walking along side or following. "Helloooo", "What your name?", "Where you from?" Lan did not engage in conversation with them, she just kept walking and so did we...

The rain was pelting down, the clouds were low obscuring the vistas,...my hair was out-of-control, not a stitch of make-up on my face, I was wearing teal rubber boots...but we were walking in this beautiful place on the other side of the world with these precious people. Priceless.

  As we walked out of  town...

Beneath a canopy of bamboo

Hmong women carry their young children on their backs

Young boys tending to their family's water buffalo

This was something we encountered alot on our journey around Sapa. Hmong children selling small ribbon-like bracelets. If you bought a bracelet from one child, the others would swarm around saying "buy from me?" If I had had the money and the time, my arm would have been draped in bracelets. It was heart breaking. (Note: Two of the children in the background are carrying their siblings on their back.)

About 30 minutes into our journey we came to a crossroads (of sorts). Lan informed us we could stay on the road or take the path. I looked at my young, robust, young male companions, they looked back at me replying, "It's up to you..." Oh great,..What a decision. Here we were in Northern Vietnam, almost China,..we have signed up for this trek,..I've got 2 physically fit young men with me...Am I going to "wimp out" or go for the adventure? Lan knew the path option would be tough for this ole gal. She kept asking me "Are you ok with muddy path?", "We go easy", "Once we go muddy trail, too far to turn around"..."Are you sure?"

Let's do this,...here we go! 

At this point we have two Hmong women accompanying us, both are dressed in traditional Hmong attire. One says she is my age, she knows alittle English and is wearing rubber boots. 

The other is much older with few teeth, she doesn't appear to know much English, she smiles alot and is wearing plastic flipflops and socks. Little did I know how invaluable these women would become.

The first part of the path was downhill and rocky,... very rocky. I felt every sharp edge underneath my little rubber soles. (I'm seriously questioning my rubber boot decision.) In spite of the discomfort I was dodging the mud and feeling confident about my ability to tackle this off-road adventure.

Our FEARLESS Leader, LAN

But soon the rocks became almost nonexistent, the trail turned to mud, not just any mud,..deep and thick ooey, gooey mud.  As we navigated the muddy slopes, the Hmong women didn't leave my side. They were within arm's length.

As we walked, the rain ceased and the clouds began to dissipate providing us with our first glimpse of the beautiful countryside. It was a nice reprieve from the mud.

Rice terraces

For the next 6km we navigated steep, sometimes narrow paths with lots of mud. My Hmong sidekicks were right beside me every step of the way. If I slipped they caught me, if the climb was steep, they supported me. These ladies were amazing. Their grasps were firm, their feet somehow firmly planted and their holds were strong as steel. 

At one point the trail was on the edge of a steep drop-off, one misstep on the muddy edge and you would've gone down,..way down. Before I could begin to problem-solve this treacherous climb.The women simultaneously turned my body towards the slope, each grabbed a hand and walked me step-by-step up the precarious path, even guiding me through some untrodden vegetation. At one point when making an elevated step, the ground gave way and gravity was taking control. Before I could react, my #1 Sidekick (the older woman with few teeth wearing flip flops) had my arm, she pulled with such force and intensity, I thought she was going to throw me on her back. I said to Lan, "I thought she was going to try and carry me." Lan replied, "She can do that..."


After the treacherous climb I was relieved to hear we were approaching a clearing, a place to rest. As I came over the ridge I noticed Graham being bombarded by the children. (Poor guy.) 

While drinking my water, Lan sat down beside me and asked "How you like boots?" I replied, "I love these boots. You're a smart woman." She laughed. "How is Graham?" I replied, "Graham is wishing he had some boots." 

After a brief rest it was time to hit the trail again. The views were spectacular.

My lens wasn't wide enough...

The areas surrounding Sapa are well known for their rice terraces. Can you imagine the time and effort it took to create these planting areas, not to mention to maintain them year after year? In addition the farmers have designed ingenious ways to irrigate these terraces.

As were walked through the countryside we observed many villagers working in the field. Lan informed us that it was rice planting time. "Everyone is very busy." The farmers will harvest the rice in August/September (which was very different from the other areas we had visited in Vietnam).

A farmer and his family preparing the terraces and planting the rice seedlings.

Planting

Adolescent girl transporting the seedlings prior to being planted

As we came off the muddy trail, we noticed a gathering on the road up ahead. Trekkers, Hmong guides and others had found a water source. All were taking turns rinsing the mud off of their shoes, legs, arms, hands... Some people had fallen in the mud and were a mess. 

I, for one, was glad to leave the worst of the mud behind. I sensed I was not alone. Lan told us we were approximately 20 min from the village, which meant LUNCH. Thus, we began the descent into the village. 

I'm not sure why these Hmong women had congregated in this area but they were enjoying their social time.

This young woman was tending her water buffalo
on the side of the road.

This little boy was the happiest little rascal,
smiling at everyone.

As we approached the village Lan directed us to the cafe. The cafe was bustling with trekkers and their Hmong guides, as well as villagers selling their wares. Lan advised us to go downstairs where it's "quiet and not crazy". As soon as we unloaded our backpacks, she disappeared. She returned shortly with an appetizing spread of food--warm baguettes, ham, cheese, egg, tomatoes, cucumbers and a variety of fresh fruit. We enjoyed the food, relaxation and great conversation. After an enjoyable lunch Lan told us we had about 2 hours until we reached our "home stay". So, we grabbed our water and hit the trail.

It was not unusual to see dogs in the village. Most of them did not seek human interaction, but this little buddy was different. He was a cutie and really took to Graham.

As we moved from one village to another we caught a glimpse of Hmong life...

Teenage girls doing what teenage girls do...

Children playing..

Young children missing their mommies, who were working in the field. 

As we walked I asked Lan many questions about the life of the Hmong people. As we approached a terrace, she said in a hushed voice, "this family waited too late." (I wasn't sure what she was referring to). I looked at her. She pointed to a group of flooded, but empty terraces. She explained, "you can plant early, you can plant on time. But if you are late because you are lazy, you will have no rice." I asked how they will survive without rice. She said she didn't know, possibly depending on the generosity of other family or neighbors. "Not good to be lazy. They will be sorry".

As we came down a hill we noticed a young boy struggling to get up the hill on his bicycle. Jordan quickly reacted and pulled him up the hill,…the little boy seemed thrilled and rode on down the road.  

We arrived to our home stay around 3:30. The three of us were joined by 2 other trekkers -- a girl from Canada and one from Holland. None of us had ever experienced a "home stay" before,…but as I have experienced in Vietnam, "be prepared for the unexpected".

Stay tuned. The adventure continues...