Sapa Village, Vietnam - March 29-30, 2011

April 1, Hanoi Vietnam

Hi all,

About 200 miles north of Hanoi in the northern portion of Vietnam lie the

mountain ranges that border China. In this mountainous region also known as

the Tonkinese Alps, filled with cascading rice terraces and lush vegetation

lies the city of Sapa. Sapa is a popular destination because it puts you

among a diverse population of hill peoples. Sapa is a trekking hub where you

can hike out in several directions and visit 3 or 4 of Vietnam's 54 ethnic

groups.

Sapa is reached best by train, the usual method being a night train leaving

Hanoi about 8PM, then arriving in Lao Cai the next day about 5AM. Then a one hour ride

from 1500 feet elevation up to Sapa at 5000 feet elevation. Sapa was in the

colonial days, a mountain resort that provided an escape from the hustle

bustle of big city to the cool mountains - it remains that today.

The trip to Sapa was one of the highlights of my trip to Vietnam.

I met my local guide, Ta, raised near Ha Giang, a small village about 50 km from Sapa. Ta was

amazing. Over the 2 days he shared his knowledge of the people and the

area, and assisted me in trekking to visit 3 different mountain villages and to

interact with many local residents. Many of the locals wear native, very

colorful clothes, with color schemes representing their respective heritage.

Among the peoples visited were the Black Moung (mung), Red Dao (tszow),

and the Day (tsai).

I was very lucky Ta said. The weather is hazy, but clear. It can be very foggy

in Sapa. The last few days he said you could hardly see 10 meters ahead on

the road.

When you arrive, you are surrounded by the ethnic ladies in their costumes

with a large hand woven baskets on their backs, carrying purses, cloth belts, and other all

handmade objects. Many will follow you for hours hoping to make the big

sale. Most have a small child wrapped in a cloth backpack. At first it's a bit

intimidating, you are a bit offended, then with a little time you converse, laugh,

take pictures, and as they put it, you are their "new friend". Their technique

works, after several hours and 5 to 10 km hikes, you give in and buy

something!!!

Right off the night train, in the early morning Ta took me through the Sapa

market. This was a REAL local city market, fresh vegetables, fish, chickens

including black chickens, all kinds of meat including the unmentionable....yes

dog. Tables set up with locals having the usual morning soup for breakfast.

No trip to a small village is complete without a trip through the local market.

This whole area is incredibly beautiful with deep valleys, many terraced rice

paddies, water buffalo, and hiking trails all over with lush green forests of

bamboo.

I took a 6km trek the first day to visit the Black Moung in the Cat Cat village.

The second day, an 11km hike down a long river valley to visit the Red Dao

and Day peoples. Yea..I gave in and bought several things to support the

local communities. They are good saleswomen. You bargain and bargain and end up with a agreed upon price. You get handmade items taking hours of work for very few dollars.

This was a wonderful pause from the busy city of Hanoi. Back to the city, for

my last 3 days.

Photos: Night train to Sapa; at the market; black chicken; villagers shopping; Sapa town; little Black Moung; trekkers and their "followers"; water buffalo; incredible valley; my guide Ta; my "new friends"

Video: An encounter with the water buffalo

- Bill

Halong Bay, Vietnam

March 31, 2011 Hanoi, Vietnam

Hi all,

On March 26-28, I took a tour of Halong Bay. Halong Bay is a large bay 70 km south east of Hanoi in the north part of the Gulf of Tonkin. You start the boat tours in Halong Bay city, which is about a 4 hour bus ride south east of Hanoi.

What is nice is the bus picks you up at your hotel, although the bus must weave in and out of the narrow streets of Hanoi with high traffic. The "guide" onboard assists you in finding your boat when you arrive at the dock. Also he becomes your guide on board the boat, this is a great system as it avoids a madhouse of tourists trying to find their respective boats. The group on the bus is generally the group on your boat, so you get a chance to get acquainted on the bus ride south. The bus makes a rest stop along the way where, of course, you find a huge souvenir shop ready to take your money.

Halong Bay is a large bay with about 1500 picturesque, yet bazaar karst pinnicle peaks. These peaks were all formed from a limestone layer of sediment at the bottom of the ocean millions of years ago. Techtonic plate activity caused this layer to rise up vertically creating the tall peaks you see today. Available, but not all cruising, are some 2000 Chinese junk design boats outfitted to cruise the tourists to predesignated points in the bay. The boats are quite nice, they are outfitted with kitchen, nice dining area, staterooms and great viewing areas aboard.

The day the trip started it was cool and rainy, but the next day the weather was wonderful with even some broken clouds and sun. Lucked out, it was rainy and foggy a few days ago.

The boat stopped in many hidden bays, allowing passengers to kayak among the peaks. We visited a floating village where the whole village lived aboard floating houses, complete with pet dogs and a school, in the shelter of the peaks. Also included was a stop at an amazing cave, that we got a chance to hike through.

Halong bay is also a World Heritage site, protected from harm or commercialization by this UNESCO designation.

Most visits are 2 days and one night aboard ship, with all the meals included.

I met some great people on board from all over the world. Laura and Jerry, Brits who were on a 10 month backpacking trip around the world, Yugo and Tatiyana from Moscow, Mike from Chicago, Kevin, Christine and Megan, a family from Vancouver, all fun people.

Hope these pictures help show you what an incredible place this is.

From here, on to Sapa, a small village way up in northern Vietnam, where there is an opportunity to visit small villages of hill tribes, all with their own unique style and language. Looking forward to that.

- Bill

Phong Nha Caves - March 25, 2011

Hi All, March 29, 2011 Sapa, Vietnam

One of the wonders of the karst (limestone) pinnacles or peaks that are characteristic of coastal waters and rivers of South east Asia and southern China are that caves can occur in side them as they were formed. Many of these have been discovered over the years. One of the biggest in the world is here in Vietnam, inland up a river in the central portion of the country. I couldn't resist seeing them. I hired a car, made a 4 hour trip (each way) then 1/2 hour boat ride up river, then a 2 hour tour of the caves, then back in one day. It was all very worth it.

You tour the first 2 km of the cave in a local boat, launched by a skilled one-oar pilot using the same technique the gondaliers use in Venice. Then the motor comes on. After a tour inside the cave on water, you beach and walk through the cave. Amazing.

This site has also been designated as a World Heritage Site. The only way to describe it is through pictures, I have a few here.

Next, on to Halong Bay, with its over 1500 karst pinnacles out in the ocean, see you there!

-Bill

Photos: up river to the cave; the entrance to the cave; inside the cave

Video: River traffic on the way to the cave, these boats transport tourists up river to see the caves.