Trekking around the neighborhood for the past two days exposed us to the wonders of a farming community, very similar to what I imagine in Vermont's past and also St.Vincent. Rural communities are really not all that different. People in the community hang out together passing time doing chores and getting through the day. Smaller areas are where we feel the most at home and really enjoy the people we meet. Farming is done primarily by hand, water buffaloes, or modern equipment where possible. Kids, mostly boys, are always out picking berries, collecting leaves (they eat a lot of different plants leaves here), catching crabs, eels, and snails from the paddies.
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| Preparing their rice paddy plots |
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| A kid looking for snails, crabs, and eels in the paddies. |
Lots of the hillsides are decorated with stonewalls like those that were once famous in Vermont.
We saw some beautiful wooden houses and places of business catering to the many hiking tourists.
In these parts, while the boys play in the fields looking for food, the girls follow their moms selling crafts to tourist. We encountered 3 wonderful young ladies who proceeded to follow us and engaged us in conversation. They all spoke good English being taught in primary and secondary schools. Their objective is to follow and talk and answer questions, in hopes that at the end of the journey, you will buy something. Of course, we were not able to resist buying from them. We learned a lot about the culture.
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| Lee, Su Su, and Lan |
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| Prov getting a low high-five |
The mountain paths are narrow and sometimes very rough. But they are merely a small challenge to the fearless motorbikers navigating them frequently. Some bridges the cross will not even be considered functionally worthy for foot traffic.
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| Hauling lumber, a frequent site in the villages in Sapa |
Next up: Back to Hanoi...
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