Sapa

"You go to Sapa? I have van I take u to Sapa" After being followed to the ATM and told it would cost me 25,000dong i agreed.. I only had 200,000dong notes and was worried about not getting the correct change.. 2 notes were taken from me and i was given 150,000 in return i knew id been massively ripped off but i was in shock.. he added another '0' to the price... WELCOME TO VIETNAM!
Sapa is a beautiful place on top of a mountain surrounded by constant mist and vietnamese hill tribes! I stayed for 3 days and 2 nights and loved it.. only downside is it is so cold!!!
I have visited many hill tribes Kat Kat was my first.. a vietnamese lady walked with me the whole way and showed me around was really cool.. then more joined and i had a little group, at the end of it the first lady gave me a friendship bracelet it was the cutest thing ever! There is so much poverty here people r always asking for money or 'you buy from me' I have been followed around the town so many times.. children carrying children on their backs, people laying in the streets begging for money.
On my last day I payed to go on a day tour.. I was contemplating an overnight stay in a village but it was too cold 4 me and im now sick ahhh.. the tour was very worth it!! It was just me Omar (my new, lawyer/israel/NY/travel guide friend) and the little Vietnamese hill tribe lady.. Its amazing how many people speak English here, I learnt so much.. the clothes they wear are made out of tobacco plants the vietnamese use their resources for all their worth.. tobacco - smoke it or wear it.. dog - a mans best friend or food (seriously there was a chopped up dog in the market)
There is a beautiful stream running through al of the villages with waterfalls, children playing, men fishing and ladies cleaning clothes. Our tour guide had alot of tribal jewellery on but what I found interesting was the Canadian clock, Israelic travel prayer and other gadgets attached to her necklace; gifts from previous travellers. I thought it was really sweet how much they meant to her! I also learnt alot about their customs, which isn't all that different from greek traditions etc. The males parents buy the female from her family to marry their son, the grooms parents pay for the wedding, there is a big celebration with lots and lots of food. The girls are usually 16 when they have their first child and 18-20 when they get married. All of the different tribes have different clothing customs and languages believe it or not.. what ever happened to simple vietnamese?? It really is an interesting place, If you're ever in Vietnam I highly recommend it!
I also worked on my bargaining skills I got a pure silk sleeping bag layer for $4.. only $60 in Oz bargain!! The key is.. if they dnt chase you You're price was way too low.. its really quite fun.
I have just arrived in Hanoi after a 9 hour train ride, which really was comfortable to sleep on.. and warm!!! And a squishy motorbike ride.. Its 6am Im using Omar's laptop while he's sleeping on the chairs waiting for the hostel to open.. true backpacking style.
I wil update you on Hanoi and Halong bay soon x