Sapa…where do I begin? The places on this trip that really
reach down and tug at my soul are always the hardest to write about. I’m afraid
that mere words can’t do any justice, paint the landscape, and illustrate the
beauty of the people and their daily lives. Mikes photos are a very good start;
hopefully his pictures accompanied by my words can begin to tell the story of
some very amazing people and their home. Their names were Shu, Su and Ge. They
stood at about 5ft tall with beautiful open faces, high cheekbones sprinkled
with freckles and intricately wrapped long hair. Their ages were hard to depict
but their deep brown eyes suggested knowledge and wisdom far greater than I
will ever achieve. They approached us with hoards of other women as soon as we stepped
out of our van onto the streets of misty Sapa. Dressed in bright and detailed
clothing, hand made and died with indigo grown in their village. Large heavy
jewelry dangled from their ears and covered their necks. The ladies squabbled
for our attention following us through the streets practicing their English
with enthusiasm and introducing us to their crafts. A young girl smiled up at
me and asked if I had any children. Slightly confused by my answer she proudly confessed
that she was 20 and had a baby girl at home. “I need to have a boy soon though”
she said anxiously. As we came nearer to our hotel our fan group had depleted
to a few and that’s when Shu timidly approached me. She had a desirously happy
baby tied to her back, barley noticeable as she sheltered him from drizzle with
her umbrella. She was refreshingly shy compared to the other ladies but was
keen to know everything about us. As Mike checked into the hotel I was
reluctant to leave Shu and her friends Su and Ge, it was a once in a lifetime experience
chatting to women whose lives couldn’t be more opposite to my own. A few
minutes later as Mike emerged from the hotel I had somewhat anxiously agreed to
accompany them to their village the following day, a 4 hour trek over 1000 year
old buffalo tracks. We agreed to meet them at 9.30 as they tied bracelets
around our wrists (a way of remembering us). Then as quickly as they appeared
they vanished around the corner as a dominant looking police man came down the
street. We later learned that it’s illegal for the hill tribes to sell or
converse with the tourists outside of the designated marketplace and this had
us a little worried. That night sitting on our balcony staring out over the
hazy mountains covered in a patchwork quilt of rice fields we thought about all
the things that could go wrong on our trek. We would be taken deep into the
forest where the men would shoot us with bows and arrows and take the clothes
off our backs…we would be taken hours out of Sapa then forced to pay ridiculous
amounts of money to get back…we would be fed chicken that had been sitting in
the sun for days resulting in life threatening food poising. If South East Asia had taught us anything it certainly had
made us more cautious and maybe a little less trusting of people. As the
morning of our trek approached we packed our bags put shoes on for the first
time in nearly 4 months and went off to meet our “friends”. They were very
happy to see us that morning, it was almost as though they hadn’t expected us
to turn up but their lives would be that much better if we did. We followed Shu,
Su, and Ge out of town, a 4 hour journey that they made twice a day. We learnt
about their families, their children, their rituals, and their daily lives as
they tried to comprehend ours. Language barriers had us in fits of laughter, as
we tried to respond to their many questions. They scaled the hills at an
amazing pace, steady legs and Shu even had her 4 month old baby on her back. We
passed over hills, muddy steep trials, and hugged shady bamboo paths
overlooking the valley. The view was amazing, vivid green rice paddies, and
indigo fields speckled with huts. Old bridges took us over the gushing river
that fed the surrounding land. Village ladies walked by greeting us with wide
smiles. Young boys rode buffalo and dusty bare bummed children followed their
older siblings. We were headed for the village of Lao Chai,
home of the Mong people. There are several hill tribes in Sapa each with their
own language, traditional clothing and way of life. The Red Dao people wear red
head cloths and shave off their eyebrows. Shu, Su and Ge took us away from the
main village, buying fruit and tofu on the way through and up a steep climb to
an area they said was never visited by tourists. Their community was made up of
around 40 people (mostly children) 2 buffalos, 1 chicken, 3 dogs, 4 puppies, a
kitten, a rice field, 2 industrial threading machines and about 8 very basic
bamboo homes. Their dark homes (most without electricity) consisted of the
dining area with a hole in the dirt floor for cooking, a food preparation area
with running water from the stream and sleeping quarters. We sat on small
stools as their shy children came to greet their mothers and marvel at these
tall and strange looking foreigners. I will never forget the sound of laughter
and amazement on their faces when Mike took their photos and they saw
themselves on the camera. We brought crayons and paper as they happily drew
lines and gazed at all the colours. The children stay in the village but the
men go into the forest every day to hunt and bring back bamboo for the homes.
We were very lucky that 2 men had stayed at home in preparation of arrival.
They had tidied, cleared and were ready waiting to help the ladies prepare us a
welcome feast of rice, fried tofu, tomato, cucumber and noodles. We drank rice
wine and herbed home brew feeling extremely lucky to meet these wonderful
people (and not to have been shot with bows and arrows) We sat with some of the most wonderful women
that lunch time, women who walked 8 hours every day, had arranged marriages and
moved out of their family homes at 18, gave birth to their babies on the dirt
floors of their homes without medical help, made the most exquisite jewelry,
clothing and home wares, had blue stained hands from indigo dye, worked in the
rice fields, cooked amazing meals, chatted to strangers all day to learn
English and earn a living for their families, and ran from policeman who banned
them from certain areas of Sapa. They would take the clothes of their backs for
their families in the cold winter and eat the family pets to survive but the
beauty of their tribe’s existence, the spark of life in their eyes, and the
incomprehension of our way of life meant they were pretty happy with their hand
in the card game of life. We brought handmade pillowcases off Shu, Su and Ge to
remind us of them, and handed over $700,000 dong. (3 pillow cases and $35
seemed measly for what we had just experienced) They appeared more than happy
with our contribution and gave us departing gifts especially for our brothers
and sisters. After a short walk the men took us back to Sapa by motorbike as we
promised to return again one day with our family. We left them waving on the
side of the road and felt like we were saying goodbye to old friends. The rest
of our stay in Sapa was spent sheltering from the chilly breeze, drinking hot
chocolate, and dreaming of our unforgettable trek. Shu, Su and Ge left such an
impact on us that we got 3 sets of photos printed that Mike took in their
village, hired a motorbike, brought a map and found our way to their village
again to give them a tangible memory. Something they may be able to show other
tourists to make persuade them to do a trek with these amazing ladies, and feel a little safer about accompanying them to
their homes…not a bow and arrow in sight.
Sapa…where do I begin? The places on this trip that really
reach down and tug at my soul are always the hardest to write about. I’m afraid
that mere words can’t do any justice, paint the landscape, and illustrate the
beauty of the people and their daily lives. Mikes photos are a very good start;
hopefully his pictures accompanied by my words can begin to tell the story of
some very amazing people and their home. Their names were Shu, Su and Ge. They
stood at about 5ft tall with beautiful open faces, high cheekbones sprinkled
with freckles and intricately wrapped long hair. Their ages were hard to depict
but their deep brown eyes suggested knowledge and wisdom far greater than I
will ever achieve. They approached us with hoards of other women as soon as we stepped
out of our van onto the streets of misty Sapa. Dressed in bright and detailed
clothing, hand made and died with indigo grown in their village. Large heavy
jewelry dangled from their ears and covered their necks. The ladies squabbled
for our attention following us through the streets practicing their English
with enthusiasm and introducing us to their crafts. A young girl smiled up at
me and asked if I had any children. Slightly confused by my answer she proudly confessed
that she was 20 and had a baby girl at home. “I need to have a boy soon though”
she said anxiously. As we came nearer to our hotel our fan group had depleted
to a few and that’s when Shu timidly approached me. She had a desirously happy
baby tied to her back, barley noticeable as she sheltered him from drizzle with
her umbrella. She was refreshingly shy compared to the other ladies but was
keen to know everything about us. As Mike checked into the hotel I was
reluctant to leave Shu and her friends Su and Ge, it was a once in a lifetime experience
chatting to women whose lives couldn’t be more opposite to my own. A few
minutes later as Mike emerged from the hotel I had somewhat anxiously agreed to
accompany them to their village the following day, a 4 hour trek over 1000 year
old buffalo tracks. We agreed to meet them at 9.30 as they tied bracelets
around our wrists (a way of remembering us). Then as quickly as they appeared
they vanished around the corner as a dominant looking police man came down the
street. We later learned that it’s illegal for the hill tribes to sell or
converse with the tourists outside of the designated marketplace and this had
us a little worried. That night sitting on our balcony staring out over the
hazy mountains covered in a patchwork quilt of rice fields we thought about all
the things that could go wrong on our trek. We would be taken deep into the
forest where the men would shoot us with bows and arrows and take the clothes
off our backs…we would be taken hours out of Sapa then forced to pay ridiculous
amounts of money to get back…we would be fed chicken that had been sitting in
the sun for days resulting in life threatening food poising. If South East Asia had taught us anything it certainly had
made us more cautious and maybe a little less trusting of people. As the
morning of our trek approached we packed our bags put shoes on for the first
time in nearly 4 months and went off to meet our “friends”. They were very
happy to see us that morning, it was almost as though they hadn’t expected us
to turn up but their lives would be that much better if we did. We followed Shu,
Su, and Ge out of town, a 4 hour journey that they made twice a day. We learnt
about their families, their children, their rituals, and their daily lives as
they tried to comprehend ours. Language barriers had us in fits of laughter, as
we tried to respond to their many questions. They scaled the hills at an
amazing pace, steady legs and Shu even had her 4 month old baby on her back. We
passed over hills, muddy steep trials, and hugged shady bamboo paths
overlooking the valley. The view was amazing, vivid green rice paddies, and
indigo fields speckled with huts. Old bridges took us over the gushing river
that fed the surrounding land. Village ladies walked by greeting us with wide
smiles. Young boys rode buffalo and dusty bare bummed children followed their
older siblings. We were headed for the village of Lao Chai,
home of the Mong people. There are several hill tribes in Sapa each with their
own language, traditional clothing and way of life. The Red Dao people wear red
head cloths and shave off their eyebrows. Shu, Su and Ge took us away from the
main village, buying fruit and tofu on the way through and up a steep climb to
an area they said was never visited by tourists. Their community was made up of
around 40 people (mostly children) 2 buffalos, 1 chicken, 3 dogs, 4 puppies, a
kitten, a rice field, 2 industrial threading machines and about 8 very basic
bamboo homes. Their dark homes (most without electricity) consisted of the
dining area with a hole in the dirt floor for cooking, a food preparation area
with running water from the stream and sleeping quarters. We sat on small
stools as their shy children came to greet their mothers and marvel at these
tall and strange looking foreigners. I will never forget the sound of laughter
and amazement on their faces when Mike took their photos and they saw
themselves on the camera. We brought crayons and paper as they happily drew
lines and gazed at all the colours. The children stay in the village but the
men go into the forest every day to hunt and bring back bamboo for the homes.
We were very lucky that 2 men had stayed at home in preparation of arrival.
They had tidied, cleared and were ready waiting to help the ladies prepare us a
welcome feast of rice, fried tofu, tomato, cucumber and noodles. We drank rice
wine and herbed home brew feeling extremely lucky to meet these wonderful
people (and not to have been shot with bows and arrows) We sat with some of the most wonderful women
that lunch time, women who walked 8 hours every day, had arranged marriages and
moved out of their family homes at 18, gave birth to their babies on the dirt
floors of their homes without medical help, made the most exquisite jewelry,
clothing and home wares, had blue stained hands from indigo dye, worked in the
rice fields, cooked amazing meals, chatted to strangers all day to learn
English and earn a living for their families, and ran from policeman who banned
them from certain areas of Sapa. They would take the clothes of their backs for
their families in the cold winter and eat the family pets to survive but the
beauty of their tribe’s existence, the spark of life in their eyes, and the
incomprehension of our way of life meant they were pretty happy with their hand
in the card game of life. We brought handmade pillowcases off Shu, Su and Ge to
remind us of them, and handed over $700,000 dong. (3 pillow cases and $35
seemed measly for what we had just experienced) They appeared more than happy
with our contribution and gave us departing gifts especially for our brothers
and sisters. After a short walk the men took us back to Sapa by motorbike as we
promised to return again one day with our family. We left them waving on the
side of the road and felt like we were saying goodbye to old friends. The rest
of our stay in Sapa was spent sheltering from the chilly breeze, drinking hot
chocolate, and dreaming of our unforgettable trek. Shu, Su and Ge left such an
impact on us that we got 3 sets of photos printed that Mike took in their
village, hired a motorbike, brought a map and found our way to their village
again to give them a tangible memory. Something they may be able to show other
tourists to make persuade them to do a trek with these amazing ladies, and feel a little safer about accompanying them to
their homes…not a bow and arrow in sight. 
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