The Hill Country

The train from Hanoi was remarkably comfortable and we slept well, unless you count being woken at around 5.30am. They had provided biscuits and a banana and water too so our provisions were hardly needed.

From Lao Cai we were taken on a bus south-west to Sapa twisting upwards into the mountain areas. Sapa is at an altitude of 1600 metres but although it was cooler, it was still pleasant.

Immediately on arrival we were taken to a restaurant just a few doors away from our hotel, the Chau Long Hotel. Here we had one of the most interesting breakfasts of our trip - freshly made omelettes, pancakes with syrup, fried balls with green bean filling, banana fritters, potato soup, all laid out on large tables.

The local people are very colourful in their dress, very friendly, and very persistent in their efforts to sell their handmade craft work. It is beautiful, though, and much of it embroidered and cross-stitched. You see them sitting and working almost anywhere. I bought one cushion cover and it reeked of the smoke from an open fire, proof that it had been probably stitched in the half light at night by an open fire. They work incredibly hard and many walk to the markets each day from their villages kilometres away.

We spent an afternoon wandering the streets of Sapa and then enjoying the markets on the football field where handmade items were laid out on the ground, displayed for sale. Even here, the ladies kept sewing. Despite the hours of painstaking work, around 100,000 dong (around $5) buys a cushion cover, a cap or a scarf.

There are several hill tribe people: the red hmong, blue hmong, black, white and flower hmong. Each are easily identifiable by their headgear and clothing once you know what to look for., The red hmong women shave off their eyebrows once they marry. 

These red hmong look like they are discussing photography with Gordon but really they are trying to sell him their needlework!

The market in Sapa is vibrant and extensive. When I went one morning plucked chickens - the ones we are used to, as well as black ones - were lined up ready to sell. When I returned later in the day, the benches were empty and the vendors were counting their cash.

There were many varieties of fish, too, pig's heads split in half, almost any meat you could think of to eat for sale, as well as vegetables, bean sprouts, chillies, bunches of morning glory (a popular green vegetable), and fruits, eggs, noodles and little stalls selling freshly fried breads and spring rolls.

The local women carry their belongings and goods for sale in wicker baskets on their backs. Note the umbrella. It rains a lot in this area.

Babies are well-loved, and well-protected, always closely bound to mother's back. Sometimes we saw a young girl, perhaps the baby's older sister, running nimbly on a hillside with a baby on her back.

Sapa town has a wide range of restaurants and cafes, some serving Italian fare, and of course catering for what has become a major industry here - tourism. For this reason the sort of Vietnamese food we have become used to is not as upfront here - which is perhaps why we so enjoyed that first breakfast and also our last dinner at a family restaurant at the top end of town.

There is a 'frontier town' feel to the place. You can be shopping for the finest silk dresses or heritage silver jewellery, then step outside and see water buffalos strolling up the centre of the main street, with the traffic simply making way for them to pass.

On our second day in the hill country we hiked to a local village. While the distance was only a few kilometres, the trail was greasy and slippery as we descended into the valley. At every turn there was yet another view of rice paddies and terraces, misting away into the distance.

We clambered over log bridges, skirted a quarry and for a while walked with a band of little children who chanted over and over: 'You buy from me? You buy from me.' They wanted to sell us bookmarks and bracelets, anything we would take, and were relentless in their sales pitch.

At the end of the morning's walk our guide led us on a 'shortcut' through a paddy field much like this. One slip and we would have been drenched.

One delicacy of the region are small roasted birds, often threaded on a wooden skewer while cooking. At one roadside stop a group were gathered around a charcoal brazier, evidently enjoying a quick and tasty snack.

In the main street of Sapa, tasty spreads such as these are common, just waiting for a passer-by to select something to be quickly cooked and served on the spot.

This  tot was at a roadside market sing-songing 'You buy from me?' Our guide told us he was worried that children are kept home from school in order to use their 'cute-power' to aid sales, but other people I spoke to said they wanted their children to have an education.

Truly the Switzerland of Vietnam, Sapa and the hill-country has mountains and cool-climate flowers and fruits. Many houses in the town are built in a chalet style too.

Finally it was time to head back to Lao Cai and the Fanxipan train, but not before a detour to the river which separates Vietnam from China. We stood in Vietnam and looked across to China, but to cross that bridge we would have needed a visa.