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| The Black Hmong Tribe |
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| Shosha and another guide |
MONDAY 18 - TUESDAY 19 JULY 2011
We arrived at the station in Lao Cai about 6.15 am and were taken by bus to the Summit Hotel in Sa Pa, about 3\4 hour away up the mountain road. Sa Pa is in the far north west corner of Vietnam, about 25 km from China. As it is about 1200 meters above sea level, the temperature was much fresher. The French used to go to Sa Pa to avoid the summer heat of Hanoi. The bus was met by girls from the local tribes, all talking at the same time – some of these were to be our guides.
After breakfast at the hotel, we were introduced to our guide Shosha who is from the Black Hmong tribe. In my group were Dennis and Kim from Holland, Theresa and Kristian from Denmark, and Jason from Melbourne. Jason’s girlfriend was ill, so had to stay behind in the hotel.
As soon as we set off, it started raining lightly which continued through the morning and made walking quite slippery, particularly where it was steep. Along with Shosho our guide, about fourteen other Black Hmong walked with us, and one helped me over tricky places. as we walked along the Muong Hoa Valley. The mountain scenery was spectacular, as we walked through paddy fields and saw rural Vietnamese life, with boys as young as 5 in charge on the buffalo and people working in the paddy fields. We stopped for lunch at Lao Chai, which is Shosho’s home and where the Black Hmong live. We were asked by the people who had walked with us to buy their handicrafts. It’s part of the deal – they help you along the way, and you give them a few dollars in exchange.
It poured with rain after lunch. Shosho took us to her house, where we met her mother and then we had a look at the local school which had been donated by the Japanese. We continued until we got to our ‘Homestay’ at Ta Van where the Black Hmong and Dzay Tribe both live. Each tribe wears a different costume, and they all have their own language. They are all very small – about 4’ 10”. Shosho is 19 but looks a lot younger.
The Homestay had electricity, TV and hot and cold water and a shower. The waste from the sink went straight on to the floor, and cooking was done over an open fire. Our beds were mattresses on the floor with mosquito nets. The village had some electricity about 17 years ago, probably from generators, but about 2 years ago they were provided with electricity from Sa Pa, for which they have to pay. There are about 25 Homestay houses in the area, some provided by other countries, and they provide an additional income to the villages. A young married couple ran our Homestay on behalf of a local man who owned the house. Ta Van has a population of about 3,000 including the outlying farms, and the scenery is beautiful. I asked Shosho if she liked living there but she said she didn’t like the mountains – there were mountains in front of her and mountains behind her.
The rain stopped just as we arrived, after walking 12 kilometers in the rain! After a rest, we had a walk around the village and saw workers coming back from the fields, children looking after the buffalo, and men carrying cement on their backs to take to a building project.
We had an excellent supper – the best spring rolls I have tasted and then Jason went back to Sa Pa by motorbike, as his girlfriend was still ill. The rest of us played cards and drank the very strong rice wine which Shosho called ‘Happy Water’.
As soon as we set off, it started raining lightly which continued through the morning and made walking quite slippery, particularly where it was steep. Along with Shosho our guide, about fourteen other Black Hmong walked with us, and one helped me over tricky places. as we walked along the Muong Hoa Valley. The mountain scenery was spectacular, as we walked through paddy fields and saw rural Vietnamese life, with boys as young as 5 in charge on the buffalo and people working in the paddy fields. We stopped for lunch at Lao Chai, which is Shosho’s home and where the Black Hmong live. We were asked by the people who had walked with us to buy their handicrafts. It’s part of the deal – they help you along the way, and you give them a few dollars in exchange.
It poured with rain after lunch. Shosho took us to her house, where we met her mother and then we had a look at the local school which had been donated by the Japanese. We continued until we got to our ‘Homestay’ at Ta Van where the Black Hmong and Dzay Tribe both live. Each tribe wears a different costume, and they all have their own language. They are all very small – about 4’ 10”. Shosho is 19 but looks a lot younger.
The Homestay had electricity, TV and hot and cold water and a shower. The waste from the sink went straight on to the floor, and cooking was done over an open fire. Our beds were mattresses on the floor with mosquito nets. The village had some electricity about 17 years ago, probably from generators, but about 2 years ago they were provided with electricity from Sa Pa, for which they have to pay. There are about 25 Homestay houses in the area, some provided by other countries, and they provide an additional income to the villages. A young married couple ran our Homestay on behalf of a local man who owned the house. Ta Van has a population of about 3,000 including the outlying farms, and the scenery is beautiful. I asked Shosho if she liked living there but she said she didn’t like the mountains – there were mountains in front of her and mountains behind her.
The rain stopped just as we arrived, after walking 12 kilometers in the rain! After a rest, we had a walk around the village and saw workers coming back from the fields, children looking after the buffalo, and men carrying cement on their backs to take to a building project.
We had an excellent supper – the best spring rolls I have tasted and then Jason went back to Sa Pa by motorbike, as his girlfriend was still ill. The rest of us played cards and drank the very strong rice wine which Shosho called ‘Happy Water’.
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| Shosha's House |
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