In and around Sapa

We have now been in Sapa for three days and have had some very good luck weather wise. We have met numerous people who had been here in Sapa over the last few weeks and they all reported that the fog was so thick that they never saw the mountains. Some said it was hard to see beyond a few meters. Since we got here the days have been getting warmer and warmer and the visibility has been great. Of course, the reason for all the cloud and fog is that the elevation here is really high.

Geographically we are literally a few kilometers from the border with China. These mountainous regions stretch across China, Laos, Thailand, Myamar and Vietnam -- and all the regions are inhabited by indigenous hill tribes. All of the countries mentioned have a history of not treating the hill tribe people very well. In fact, since we have been here we have heard many complaints about how the local minorities feel poorly treated by the Vietnamese. The main complaints are that the Vietnamese shut the hill tribes out of economic opportunities. For example, all the local businesses are owned by the Vietnamese and there are many ways in which money is taken from tourists (to be in this region) but none of it gets funneled back to the minority population. They clearly are much more impoverished than the Vietnamese. Schooling seems to be another issue. Most minority children get little to no schooling (most are illiterate) whereas education is a major priority for Vietnamese children. When I went to China over 20 years ago the issues were very similar there in the hill tribe regions.
One of the things that really strikes one as a tourist here is how different the personalities are of the minorities relative to the Vietnamese. As we have mentioned many times in our blogs, the Vietnamese are very guarded and maybe at times one feels like they really are not that interested in outsiders (of course this likely stems from their history with meddling foreign countries). This is in stark contrast to the minority groups here. They literally gush all over tourists and are almost on the other side of the spectrum. Personally I have been loving the interactions, but like Skye previously said it can at times be a little overwhelming.
Many of the locals have hands that are permanently dyed from all the clothing they are making. One sees the plants (indigo for one) being grown in the country side for use in making the clothing different colours. Beans, as seen in this picture below, are a big part of the local diet. It is fun watching them trade all the different beans in the markets. They seem to discuss and inspect each variety for hours before making their purchase.
Yesterday we all went on a lovely walk into the countryside. We will likely be doing that for the days ahead until we go back to Sapa. Kai and Pippin really seemed to enjoy the experience and never complained once about the steep ups and downs. I think that the constant stream of locals interacting with us and all the animals were a major source of fascination for them. There were many baby chicks, piglets and calfs to observe. Kai and Pippin also have never really seen people living so close to the land before. Kai in particular loves the country side and struggles more in the big bustling cities. He is a boy after his grandpa's heart. Maybe a life in the Kootenays does lie in his future. The picture below reflects quite well what the landscapes look like over here.
One of my struggles right now is choosing pictures for the blog. It is so incredibly ideal here for a photographer that I could post a million pictures. I am sure that a small taste will be just fine. I am really loving the fact that the locals are quite okay about being photographed. They must know how beautiful they all are. Note that most of the pictures are of women. Men seem to be out in the fields most of the time tending the crops and animals.
The jewelry worn is also stunning to look at, especially those worn by the older generation. Most of it is silver. The stuff they try sell to tourists is mostly from other less appealing metals. Some locals even try sell their old jewelry (for much needed cash) but I have resisted since I think it is not ethical. Their heritage will be stripped away from them in no time if unscrupulous tourists buy all their old wares.
This is a picture of a little girl at the Saturday market. It seems that only the girls are dressed in the elaborate ethnic dress style.
Well I will leave it there for now. We are going on another long hike again today with one of the local women we have befriended. It could be an interesting experience for us all. Maybe I will add some images of our day later on.
We hope this finds you all well.