Socked in Sapa

November 25^th, 2024

After an early morning bus yesterday with a 6-hour journey northwest of Hanoi, we arrived in a small city called Sapa.  Naomi booked a place that was a ten-minute drive out of the city called Laxsik Ecolodge.  We had a cute little cabin with a nice view over a rice paddy terraced valley and even had a fireplace.  You could ask to have a fire once a day.  A staff member would come in with wood and use a blowtorch to get it burning.  The wood was super dense and burned for a few hours.  It was a nice perk during our couple night stay here.

 

For our one full day in Sapa, the plan was to take the funicular and the cable car up Vietnam’s highest mountain called Fansipan in the morning and go for a hike to a few local villages in the afternoon.

 

The ascent up Fansipan started with a short ride on a funicular and then a 20-minute cable car ride, which is the longest nonstop, three-roped cable car in the world, spanning 6.3 kilometres and the greatest elevation gain of 1410 meters. 

On the funiculaire.

Starting our way up:

Heading into a tunnel:

After the funicular ride, we had to walk through some shops and restaurants before exiting the building and then passing by some “Insta-sites” as Naomi calls them (places to take photos that you can post on Instagram) in order to get to the cable car station.

Not sure what these were for...but they were pretty.

Naomi captured this little boy in a house...super cute.

It says "I ❤ Sapa" in the background.

"Run Forest Run!"  What an awesome bushy mammoth!!

Pretty good bear too.

The first five minutes of the cable car ride had good views of the valley below but then we were flying through the whiteness of the clouds.  There was a brief period when the clouds opened up and we had a gorgeous view of the mountainside causing a few of us in the cable car cabin to cheer and clap.  The clearing didn’t last long, then we were back in the thick pea soup until we reached the top. 

 

On our way up in the cable car.

We had some views at the start.

Then it got pretty cloudy.

Happiness in the cable car when we came out of the clouds and could actually see the mountain!

The infrastructure at the top of this mountain was impressive.  There was a huge Buddha, some pagodas, a bunch of other statues, monuments and pathways and stairs made from massive stones…it was impressive.  One sign read: “The construction took 800 days, using 100,000 tons of stone, 2000 meters of wood and tens of thousands restored bricks – all of which were transported through the jungle manually, in extremely harsh conditions – a miracle of Vietnamese strength and intelligence.”  Strength I agree with, but I don’t think it’s terrible smart to carry all of those bricks up a big mountain like that!

Just near the top cable car station.

Spooky pagoda.

To reach the summit of the 3143-meter-high mountain, we had to climb around 600 stairs from the cable car station, which Naomi was not too pleased about, but she did it.  The views at the top were…well, non-existent.  It reminded me of a holiday that my some of my British and American family took to see the Grand Canyon.  Sadly, it was so socked in that they couldn’t even see it!

The stairs were steep and high.

Big Buddha for being 3000 meters up a mountain!

A number of statues of monks.

Getting closer to the top.

This surprised me.  Only 15 meters from the top of a big mountain, why not buy some popcorn?!?

We made it!

3143 meters above sea level.

After snapping a bunch of photos, we headed back down as we had to be back to our ecolodge by 1 pm in order to go on what was advertised as a “soft trek”, a walk around the valley to visit a few small villages which included lunch.

On our way back down, it was socked in most of the way.

These two kids were super cute.

Almost back to the lower cable car station.

A brief stop at our accommodation.

At the reception of our hotel, we were met by a short (even shorter than Naomi!), local woman named Zo who was dressed in a baby blue, pink striped top, a dark blue skirt, black leggings and comfortable running shoes.  Zo’s English was quite good and when we asked where she had learned the language, she said just from talking to tourists…impressive.

Starting the walk with Zo.

Crafty ladies on the side of the street.

A cute girl with her mom.

We walked down into the valley bottom while another, older woman joined us.  Ten minutes later another woman also began to follow along and then we realized that they both wanted to sell us something from the bags on their backs.  Naomi said, “Maybe later” and one of them replied “Maybe sure!”.  They were friendly and not pushy.

Our first tag-along lady:

Zo pointing out a hemp plant, which is used to make clothes.

Ducks being herded off of a rice paddy:

And now they're heading home:

Zo was very informative, teaching us about the growing and harvesting of the rice crops, how hemp clothes are made (which was a super long explanation that lost me part way through) and some other local traditions.  We happened to pass near a funeral and also a post-wedding party, where men were stumbling around thanks to the effects of rice wine.

She's explaining the rice planting and harvesting.  The harvest just happened a few weeks earlier.

Since the rice was just harvested, it's a "doggy holiday" Zo explained.  The dogs are allowed to roam free when the rice is not growing in the fields.

Our entourage grew by one more, another woman hoping to sell us something.

Zo operating a rudimentary machine to spin the hemp fibers.

Trying to operate a corn grinder:

Instead of buying something from these lovely ladies, we offered to give them a bit of money to take a photo with them.

These are incense cones made from cardamom and cinnamon in order to ward off mosquitoes.

Enjoying the walk.

Climbing up the other side of the valley, we eventually ended up at Zo’s house.  It was quite rudimentary with wood and bamboo walls and a slanted roof made of corrugated metal.  We were greeted by a couple of her dogs and her livestock: chickens, geese and ducks.  She showed us her kitchen, which was super basic with just countertops and a sink, but no actual running water.  There was a huge fireplace where she said the family would gather in the wintertime.  Although it shared a wall with the rest of the house, you had to walk outside to enter the main house.

Heading towards Zo's house.

This is her home.

We entered the main house and wow, it was very primitive as it has not been completed yet.  The floor was hard packed mud and there were no individual rooms, just a big open area with an upper level on either end of the rectangular structure.  Vietnamese houses are built with the idea that it will be a multi-generational home. 

 

Zo explaining the construction of her house.

Inside her home:

Zo and her husband started building the house in 2018 but then Covid hit and that caused a stop in the construction.  Her husband is a framer, so he is doing most of the work on his own.  They have three boys who are 12, 10 and 5.  She explained that she really hoped to have a daughter for their third child, someone to take care of her when she gets old…but they ended up with a boy and she decided that was enough.  Unfortunately, her youngest son had a hole in his heart when he was a baby, and they spent most of their money on treatment and that was another reason that the house was not complete yet.

It's big, but has a long way to be finished.

Zo feeding her ducks, geese and chickens.

Vietnamese tradition is that when a male gets married, his wife moves into the family home…so with three boys, they do need a big house.  It was incredible to find out that Zo was only 30 years old too.  What a hard working, lovely, genuine woman!

Leaving her house, we continued our walk, and it was approaching 3:30.  Both Naomi and I were wondering when we would eat.  

Resuming our walk.

She was a lovely lady, and very hard working.

This man was returning from a wedding celebration so he was drunk on rice wine.  He and the little boy seemed to be stumbling around in the same fashion.

After walking through a small bamboo forest, we finally reached our lunch location.  We were also surprised and relieved that we wouldn’t be walking back to the ecolodge, which was probably about 4 kilometres away on the other side of the valley.  Instead, a car was coming to get us.  Yay!

Entering the bamboo forest.

When will we get lunch?!?

A momma dog and two of her pups.

Yay, we made it!

A well deserved lunch.

Zo came back with us in the car, and we then bid her goodbye.  We gave her a big tip as she was such a wonderful guide, and awesome person.  It felt like it was the least we could do.

Spending time with someone like Zo makes you realize that material possessions are not the key to being happy.  Yet we are also very fortunate as Westerners that we don’t have to work as hard to have a roof over our head and food in our belly.  This woman was a workhorse…she is often up at 3 or 4 in morning to prepare food for her kids before they head off to school.  Then she works as a guide during the day while taking care of the livestock and household chores in the evening.  All this with a smile on her face and a positive attitude.  This woman has my utmost respect.  Thanks Zo!  Not just for the guided tour, but a lesson on how to live life.

We went for a dip back at the lodge...do I look cold?!?

It was a Super Sapa Day!

The Water Puppet Show

November 23^rd, 2024

In the evening of this epic day in Hanoi, we met up with Gary and Karen to see the infamous Water Puppet Show, considered a must do in Hanoi.  They were kind enough to book tickets for us, so we met them at the theatre.

 

Arriving on our hotel's rooftop patio for a drink before heading out.

Lookin' good Naomi!

The rooftop pool that we never had a chance to try.

A bit about the history of this unique form of entertainment.  Starting as far back as the 12^th century, every year during the annual rice harvest, farmers in Vietnam’s Red River Delta region would gather for folk singing and dancing at village festivals.  About one thousand years ago, water puppets were added to the list of performances at these festivals.  The first shows were hosted in the harvested rice fields, which could be filled with water to create a watery stage.

Before the show, everyone except for Naomi had chosen to get an English audio guide, however, these turned out to be useless.  First off it was hard to hear, but also the narration simply set the scene but didn’t actually translate any of the dialogue that the singers spoke.  It was best just to soak it in (no pun intended) the colourful imagery and the lovely, yet at times high pitched, music.

Ready for the show.

The music was performed by 6 musicians playing some traditional instruments (a few of which I’ve never seen before) and two singers who were situated on balconies on either side of the stage.  One instrument which was integral in the songs was the đàn bầu, which only has one string and a wooden rod that would bend the notes.  The lady playing it was superb in my opinion…but since it was the first time I’ve seen this instrument, what do I know?

The opening music for the show.  I wish I knew what all of the instruments were called.

And the show begins...

A bit of action at the start:

Water puppetry is a physically demanding craft.  Puppeteers stand in water throughout the show and use the movement of the water to create drama, perfect the illusion, and tell a story.  The puppeteers’ secret lies in the material of the puppets themselves, which are made of buoyant fig wood and painted with lacquer.  The puppeteers skillfully maneuver the puppet’s arms using bamboo sticks and strings.  Supposedly it takes decades to become a master water puppeteer.

Full action.

I was perplexed at how the puppeteers were able to create some of the movements with the puppets, seeing as they are standing behind a slightly see through curtain, waving big sticks under the water to create the action.  I joked with Karen that they must be using CGI!

Two birds (perhaps phoenixes) mating:

The performers after the show.

Here's what it looks like behind the scenes (I just found this on YouTube).

The show lasted just under an hour, which seemed like an appropriate length according to everyone in our group.  It was an interesting experience, but not one any of us thought we’d need to repeat in the future.  Still glad that we went.

Afterwards, we wandered down to an area called Beer Corner where we had a dinner at a restaurant on tables out on the street.  We had to quickly move closer to the establishment when 3-4 policemen came by, forcing the waiters to fold up some tables and move some chairs.  About 5 minutes later, the tables and chairs were returned to their spot. 

 

Crazy Beer Corner.

Walking down Beer Corner:

Sitting down to eat with Gary and Karen.

Naomi's Pho that she was not impressed with.

My dinner...not bad.

Having a late evening cocktail.

Looking down from the patio at the bar.

Starting to head back to our hotel.

We finished the night with a drink at a bar before walking back to our hotel.  Naomi and I were getting up early to catch a bus to Sapa but Gary and Karen were going to sleep-in, so they escorted us back to our hotel before we said our goodbyes. 

 

What a day in Hanoi!