Time to get off the well trodden tourist path ... I had arranged a trip with Greentrails -Indochina - 3 days cycling from Sapa to La Cao.. Sapa is very much on the well trodden tourist path due to it being surrounded by beautiful mountains - a trekking mecca, with added bonus of an opportunity to visit and even stay in a number of hill tribes. Whilst I was keen to experience the mountains and hill tribes, I also was desperate to get on the bike, hence my decision to bike and not trek. The trip entailed an overnight sleeper train from Hanoi to La Cao, the enjoyment of which can depend on your fellow cabin guests. I was sharing with an Indian couple from Singapore on honeymoon, and a Vietnamese businessmen. A pleasant few hours spent chatting before we settled around 9pm for what we hoped would be a good rest....it was not to be, pretty comfortable beds, but noisy and bumpy ride with plenty of stopping and starting and we arrived in LaCao at 5am! An early breakfast at the hotel with my guide for the next few days, Hau, and then the hour transfer to Sapa with "the driver" - I tried to catch a bit of shut eye but the roads were windy. We were heading up to Sapa, following a river path and surrounded by magnifient mountains, although my view was shrouded in mist, clouds and rain!
On arrival in Sapa, it was very misty and raining so off to the market for a rain coat! The market is mostly local produce which the villagers from the various hill tribes (some from many kms away) all dressed in their traditional colourful outfits attend to sell or purchase goods. One mainly sees the women and younger girls out in the market as well as out in the streets waiting to pounce on new ly arrived unsuspecting travellers to sell their handicraft - beautiful silver, colourful bags and material and postcards.......as I was the only mad one out there, the rest of them keeping warm and dry in their hotels....I was soon surrounded by up to 10 ladies - weather beaten faces, threadbare traditional outfits, big smiles and big asks for their goods!
After a couple of hours we jumped in the mini van with bicycles and bags and headed out of town in the mist, rain and up a very muddy pass, stunning scenery of Fansipan mountain if the clouds would open up......at the top, we put our cold gear on and hurtled down the pass, coming out of the clouds and enjoying stunning scenery, lush forests, waterfalls and the odd road construction chaos and as we hit the flatter terrain, rice paddies, tea plantatins and reed huts! We cycled 50/60/70 kms (mostly relatively easy except one long hill....)respectively passing small villages populated with various different minority groups (or hill tribes) living very basically (not dissimilar to parts of rural South Africa) without running water, electricity. The different groups are distinguished by their colourful head gear/bags or jewellery and by their teeth (coloured black) or hair (shaved at the front if you are a married woman) - all considered very attractive. The main groups we came across were (H)Mong (also found in Laos, China, Thailand) and Black Thai. They are largely nomadic and build basic dwellings and farm the land (no rent or taxes) and have limited access to school and healthcare. I wondered if they move away from their tribes to the cities but this is not so, keeping to their familiar way of life. They are relatively shy with westerners (probably because in these more remote areas they are more infrequent) but we came across plenty of children walking to/from school on side of road and they smile, wave and greet Hello. We stopped for lunch in local villages where the guide Hau ordered copious amounts of food which was fabulous to try real Vietnamese food and then in the evenings stopped in small towns where we settled into local hotels and feasted at local restaurants. When we arrived at our final destinations, I would generallytake a walk passed the nearby hill tribe homes, along the main roads or into the markets. I often came across school children who would practice their English "Hello, how ar eyou, Where are you from? with their parents watching in awe. One mother pulled me into her home and gave me water and we communicated through hand signals. One market stall holder took photos of me and introduced me to her friends and husband, and then after dinner found me at the restaurant and invited me into her home for tea, which I enjoyed in their front room on their bed with husband, son, mother in law and a blaring tv. Again hand signals were our way of communicating.
I really loved these 3 days, it was an indulgence but it was worth every cent for the freedom of being on the road, the smiles and giggles of the children on the side of the road, the openness and friendliness of the local people, for the magnificent scenery and the local food and culture.
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