Sapa

Well we were up near the Chinese border as our sleeper train rolls into the station. Normally this is when you begin waking up however we were treated to calls of "Goodmorning. Coffee." that started at 430 am an hour before the train ride ended. So all groggy like the twelve student two other teacher and I walk out to train tracks. We found our contact who was a diamond in the rough as far as tour guides go. Zihn a member of Hmong ethnic minority, who came over from China around 500 years ago to settle in Sapa. She spoke excellent English picked us up and took us to the Bac Ha market where we got our first taste of the local handicrafts. We wandered the market in small groups trying their hand at bargaining and speaking a little Vietnamese to the vendors. In addition to the local craft there were trinkets from China and other parts of Vietnam for sale as well as water buffalo, chickens, goats, and yes - dogs. The locals were dressed in brightly colored clothes that had intricate stiching and were dyed locally usualling using indigo which grew all over.
That night we ate a local cafe and were treated to a Vietnam special. Big hot pots steamed as we threw in meats, seafood and vegetables and then ate continously as we kept on cooking. Easily one of the more memorable meals I've had. Then to top it off we told the staff that one of the students had a birthday. Not know what to expect we were amazed as we were finishing up our meal when the lights went out. A intricately decorated cake with the students name and delicate frosting decorations rivalling any fancy cake boutique was brought out. the speakers burst out with the Vietnemese version of "happy birthday" there were fruits cut up with a tomato sliced in the middle which was shaped like a rose. The kindness was overwhelming as they brought us all out rice wine to celebrate and then sang along with us.
The trek the next day was through the rolling hills and mountains surronding us. Everything was green and wet. The rice paddies terraced down the hills for hundreds of feet. Years of work has gone into the agriculural system here. I can't wait to be able to post up some pictures to go along with the thousands of words I could write about all these sites. We hike a few miles that day. A student twisted here ankle and after helping here hike to a path she was able to take a motorbike ahead via another road to meet us at the homestay. Another teacher went on a different bike and both were treated to there first motorbike ride in an outstanding fashion and area. We slept at a homestay house that night and hiked back to the hotel the next day. After a sleeper train back to Hanoi we went to a water puppet show that night. Such an art form. Basically the puppets move through a small rectangle of water and along with instrument tell local stories through song dance and humourous puppetry. up next Cat Ba island!