Our walk to Lau Chai village

Well, all I can say is that we had a stunning day! Our guided walk with the two young Mong women was a 10 out of 10 experience. The total loop we did must have been about 16 kilometers and we enjoyed very minute of it. The views were spectacular, making me think a lot about my trekking days in Nepal, with stunning terraced mountain sides and wonderful villages dotted around the landscapes. Pippin and Kai were nothing short of miraculous in how they embraced the challenge of the long walk. There was just so much to take in and admire that there was little time to complain. The best part of all were our two wonderul guides, Ma and Bla (don't ask me for the correct spelling) who spoke great English and filled our day with all kinds of interesting anecdotes about the valley. They were so warm with the kids that both Kai and Pippin stayed engaged for the whole time. They also learnt a lot about what life is like for the locals. Ma took us to her mother's house and it was a real experience of how people live in the developing world. I am sure the kids will remember it for a long time. It made me proud to see that Kai and Pippin could handle themselves so well. They never seemed to look down at the impoverished circumstances of the locals. They just go right in there!
I will leave it there for now, in terms of the writing, and let you take the rest of the experience in through the pictures.

Bla showing off the stunning rural scenery with orchards and bamboo in the backround.
The local terraced landscapes speak for themselves. I kept wondering how many generations had to work to create all these amazing terraces. Having done some gardening myself over the years I know what it takes to build just one retaining wall...
Finally a picture of one of the local Mong men with his baby. Men are more easily seen in the countryside rather than in the town of Sapa itself.
More terraced hillsides!
It is amazing to see the constant variety in head dress... Sometimes from fabric, other times from natural materials.
Kai and Pippin would have watched this scene for hours. A water buffalo at work in a rice paddy is better than any show one could ask to see. Of course, Pippin loves mud and would have liked nothing more than to jump into one of those paddies -- too bad her parents are so uptight!
Pippin with Ma (who was full of hugs and affection for the kids all day).
Villagers at work in the fields, getting the very muddy soil broken up for the up and coming rice planting about a month away. Ma told me it is still too cold to plant the rice.

And finally... one of the local women showing off her hands from all the clothes dying. She enjoyed learning that Pippin's middle name is Indigo.
Until our next post...