Little sales girl in Sa pa from Black Hmong tribe (English)

Pics: Sapa and Cat Cat

Sa pa_Cat Cat

3 days, 4 nights to Sa pa and Cat Cat. Hiking, night at the Homestay. A lot of fun and a lot of tribal people helping you to get ahead and trying to sell their handicrafts!

Sapa 2 (English)

The second day of the Sapa hiking tour was just as great as the first! The great group of 7 people from various countries and our tour guide were pretty much aware that when we got up at 6.30 AM due to the sounds of the local cocks that the nice temperature then will not last.

And so it was, after a nice breakfast with pancakes (or crepes) the group headed out to discover more little villages, get to know more rice fields and loose another 10 liters of sweat during the day. We were of course followed by the tribe ladies and their children, with their deep desire to sell their handicrafts to us. Most of us resisted their attempts and bought nothing, which let to some curses and unfriendly ladies, who finally left after the 4km trail. Back in the hotel we had the chance to enjoy a nice and refreshing shower, as well as exploring the local market in Sapa!

No it is time to take a rest and get enough energy for the night life as well as tomorrow's hike!

Sapa! (English)

Modern technique is great! I am sitting some 380 km north of Hanoi, very close to the Chinese border and can have Wireless Internet access. The wireless is not referring to a wireless laptop or comparable, but the whole connection is wireless. That way it is possible to enjoy the beauty and information of the web in a village, where there are no pavements, roads are muddy and children only go to primary school and have to stop after that to work and support their family with work.
Well, this was the introduction. I am happy today. I finally got to know the nice side of Vietnam. Besides the great scenery here in Sapa (with great valleys, rice fields and water buffalos), I finally got to know nice Vietnamese people.
I was trekking today a trail of about 14 km from the city Sapa through several small villages to get to the "homestay" place for the night. The trail was tough, though not too steep. The sun was burning and we had to walk "ueber Stock und Stein". We were followed by natives of the local tribe, chatting wiht us about their lives, assisting us to get through more dangerous situations and most of all trying to sell us their handmade products. In the end the attemps to sell us more and more got a bit annoying, but they mostly remained very friendly.
On the plan for tomorrow is another 10+X KM trail and then I will stay the next night in a 2star Spa-Hotel....