Finally we had the chance to do our laundry as well, which was about time as we were running low on clean cloths. For roughly 1$ per Kilo we gave a big pile of cloths to the next door guesthouse, as our guest house asked for 30 cents more.
After a refreshing shower we met with Pato, our Argentinian friend we met on the bus for breakfast. Whilst sitting there on the porch of a restaurant facing the street, we got visited several times by a crowd of Hmong girls who wanted to sell some of their handicraft.
After the breakfast Brit joint us and together we wanted to go for a walk into one of the valleys of Cat Cat (entry 40.000 Dong = US$ 2) to a waterfall and a Hmong market. The views were stunning and mystical, as the clouds were in the peaks of the surrounding mountains, the valley was clear. The rice paddy terraces are carved into the mountains and every inch is used to grow the crops.
On our way through the valley we passed Indigo plants. The Hmong's use the plants to dye their cloths. After leaving the plants in big pots and dissolving them in water, the color comes out of the plants and a thick settlement is created at the bottom of the barrels. The Hmong's then pour the water on top away again and just have the settlement left. This is what they use to dye their hemp, which they also grow themselves and weave their textiles from. As the textile will turn black, these Hmong's are also called "the Black Hmong's".
We also became eyewitnesses of a local slaughter of a wild goat. Were the goat was already dead and the men just pulled it out of the fire to burn the hair away and now sat half on the street and half in front of their house to scrape the remaining hair off with their all around knives and washing it off with the water of the little channel flowing next to the steps going through the settlement. The little children were most curious hovering around the adults who first took the guts out and then started to take the goat apart.
The children are all very curious about visitors and good fun to have around.
Also the big kids had their good time and were playing whenever they could!
On our way back up the mountain, we encountered two ladies which were happy to talk to us and we had a chance to ask some questions about their daily routine and culture. They also helped us to get up the slippery steep hills. It is amazing how strong they can be.
All the local minority groups wear on a daily basis their traditional self-made cloths. Every year for new year they will get a new set of cloths.
For the next day we followed a recommendation from Joe and Louis, a Canadian couple to go with a tour for a 2 day and 1 night trip around Sapa with www.hmongtrekkingadventures.com for 550.000 Dong.
This is a tour where the guides and the local communities get all the money and not the hotels or the agencies who would keep most of the money and only give a small amount to the people who need it or do the work.
Zao, a 16 1/2 year old girl was the guide for our trip. With us was Pato and Brit. We all were keen to go hiking and see some beautiful spots and hear some insides from this small Hmong girl.
In the morning when we waited for Zao to arrive at the meeting point, the Family Guesthouse, we had an amazing view into the valley, or better into the clouds in the valley.
As you can't walk a meter in Sapa without being followed by a deligation of the Black Hmong sales representatives, we even had on our trip the entire time some with us.
We walked through rice paddies on top of the dividing walls.
The girls would give us some fruits they would find in the bushes and trees on the way. This specific one turns your tongue, teeth and mouth into a deep blue color! But it tasted delicious!
Water buffalos were grassing on the fields, sometimes accompanied by small children who were looking after the big animals.
This little boy was already very skilled in the use of the big knife and chopping wood or anything else he would find.
Here is some of the Indigo plant extract for coloring the hemp which they first spinning and then weave before dying. After that they would stitch their very time consuming patterns on the textile to create their unique traditional cloths.
The village live is very exhausting and you need to take a rest when and wherever you can!
The views are amazing and breathtaking in and around Sapa.
Everywhere are the Hmong ladies doing their handicraft and hope to be able to sell some of their products to support their families.
On our hike through the paddies we had many beautiful encounters and views. Spectacular!
The girls look until the mid twenties as if they were 15 years old, after that this dramatically changes and they look a lot older. Their faces are marked by the weather and being outside
We saw the Hmong ladies following their daily work and dying hemp with their black color.
As soon as you have so a Falange (foreigner) you will find a crowed of locals accumulate around them. Then they will wait until you sit down somewhere and they will start to get out their products and the shopping is opened!
When we arrived in our home stay for the evening we left our dirt covered shoes to get a rest outside.
Our dinner was prepared by Zao's sister, her brother and husband we all sat down together to enjoy a variety of different local dishes which all tasted very good. We especially enjoyed the tofu dish. We had a chance to ask some questions and have a good laugh together. After a few rounds of "Happy Water" we all felt tiered and went to sleep.
Next morning we enjoyed pancakes in front of the house with a beautiful view.
We started our hike and walked through the rice plantations through the valley.
Today we also passed through young bambus forests. The vibrant colors and density of the growing plants made it very mystical.
We stopped at this very energetic waterfall for a break to soak in the thundering of the water.
After a few hours of hiking through the valley we had lunch at a small places, surrounded by eager sales ladies trying to bring their merchandise to us. It is heart breaking to see this small kids with little wristbands in their hand and a pitiful face on in the hope you would take one. We didn't buy anything and got picked up by motor bikes to have a 30min ride back to town. The sun came out and we had great views into the valley.
Back at the "Family Guesthouse" we said thank you and beybey... Actually that's not true, as we ended up to go for a couple of bia hoy with Pato, Brit, Zao, her sister and some of friends and their western boy friends. It seems to be a trend that Hmong girls have western boyfriends... We had a good afternoon and enjoyed the time with them.
A little present from one of our escorting Hmong ladies we got made of grass.
Here are more pictures of Sapa.
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