Our experience in the mountains around Sapa was quite out of this world... staying with a family of the Green Zai tribe, watching DVD's we didn't understand, and eating wonderful food. Life seems almost medieval - water channelled through bamboo pipes and packed dirt floors, everything cooked over the fire in the centre of the living area. But very comfortable mattresses with mosquito nets for tourists and a fridge full of cold beer and soft drinks.
The people are poor, and probably becoming increasingly dependant on tourists for income. We were followed every step of the way by women in the traditional dress of their tribes selling hand embroidered cushions, blankets, belts as well as bracelets in earrings, which sometimes got annoying, but they were also very friendly, always asking the same questions - where were we from, how old, how many brothers and sisters, were we married, etc etc. Some of them even held my hand as we went down slippery paths to make sure we didn't slip, and I spent half an hour catching tiny fish with a couple of the ladies which their sons found very amusing... an experience to treasure really.
Our guide lost interest in us a bit, after she'd told us her stories about which boys she didn't like and their girlfriends who liked to fight with her... but she was a real character and gave us a different kind of insight.
The people are poor, and probably becoming increasingly dependant on tourists for income. We were followed every step of the way by women in the traditional dress of their tribes selling hand embroidered cushions, blankets, belts as well as bracelets in earrings, which sometimes got annoying, but they were also very friendly, always asking the same questions - where were we from, how old, how many brothers and sisters, were we married, etc etc. Some of them even held my hand as we went down slippery paths to make sure we didn't slip, and I spent half an hour catching tiny fish with a couple of the ladies which their sons found very amusing... an experience to treasure really.
Our guide lost interest in us a bit, after she'd told us her stories about which boys she didn't like and their girlfriends who liked to fight with her... but she was a real character and gave us a different kind of insight.
No comments:
Post a Comment