Unforgettable Sapa: Hill Tribes & Homestays

Day #7

There must be a mistake, I thought. I went to the front desk of Emotion Hotel (aka Trekker’s Central) and asked why I would have another overnight stay in Sapa. While I really enjoyed Sapa, I was eager to experience the trekker’s high and unadulterated mountain-village life…

When push comes to shove and I fear I might not get my just way,  I pull out “the New Yorker” in me (8 years in NYC taught me the degrees of “firm” to “jerk” I could be).  I couldn’t claim a printed itinerary for proof (I was never given one), but I knew I signed up for a more intensive trek. After ten minutes of sorting things, I was in a scramble; I was given a group home stay, a Hmong guide and my new trekking group was now waiting on me. Shoving my power cords and my newly laundered clothes from the hotel into my pack with no attempt to organize things, I flew through a mental checklist: power cords, toothbrush, passport…  money…(gasp)  money?!

I hate disorganization and last-minute scrambles.
Sometimes I’m the leader of disorganization, but I try not to be. I hate panicking and feeling like I’m holding people up. Like my experience on the train over to Sapa, last-minute scrambles test how disorganized I feel at times, because I can either, a) never find the things I’m looking for or b) worsen this feeling by cramming everything into one jumbled bundle.

I eventually found my money…. after dumping the entire contents of my pack onto the hotel lobby floor!  It was at the bottom of my pack. Hate last-minute scrambles…

My intimate trekking group consisted of a French couple and Kuh, a guide from the Black Hmong minority group. At about 4 feet tall, Kuh was only 16 years old, had a fluid command of English and this was her first summer job. Having learned English from tourists and at school;  she was now, three months into summer and one of her family’s major breadwinners. This isn’t unnatural for girls in her tribe, though. Hmong girls can start working and selling crafts from the early age of 5 years old!

Stepping into it
The day was hot and some of the land was still wet from the rains. Making our way out-of-town, we were gathering a small entourage of Hmong along the way. Engrossed in my conversation with Kuh, I accidentally leaped directly in the middle of a huge pile of fresh water buffalo poop! Nice. There went the right shoe… This created giggles and laughter among the Hmong women; yet, we continued to press on. One hour later, my left shoe joined my right, when I accidentally sunk my foot into a swampy patch of mud. The mud’s suction was thick and I required help getting out. Perhaps this wasn’t my day…

Bringing good hiking shoes during monsoon season is strongly advised. That advice however, is only for tourists. The mountain terrain challenges you to steep rocky inclines with uneven slopes, muddy patches and slippery gravel; sometimes, you’ll even come across narrow cliffs where false footing might lead to a dangerous drop. I totally ate it crossing a rocky slope at one point (thankfully, I wasn’t the only one)! But the Hmong women and girls have trekking down to an art. For them, it’s like a day at a shopping mall, texting or talking on their cellphones while sashaying along narrow gorges, holding a parasol and laughing. Furthermore, they can do this in footwear, which consists of either  plastic waffle-looking bath sandals or rubber rain boots!

Mountain Village clichés
It’s really inspiring and yet, kinda weird when you actually see storybook clichés up close. Villages set in terracing rice fields, little boys riding water buffaloes, colorful tribes children playing on cliffs, a mother duck leading a line of baby ducklings along a stream and horses grazing high in the mountains against a gorgeous backdrop of a majestic valley vista. At some point, you want to say– No way, this doesn’t really happen! But here in Sapa valley, those idyllic fantasies naturally abound as if to defy modern skepticism.

Not just another teenage love story
Kuh is just 16 years old but doesn’t feel she’s ready to enter marriage yet, like her peers. In Hmong culture, 14 years old is the ripe age to get married (though girls can start as early as 10 years old). By the age of 20, many have already established family of at least two children. For some, the marriage is by choice; for others, marriage is arranged by family. If you’re still single by the age of 20, you’re considered a spinster!

Kuh and her mother

Kuh’s grandmother

Kuh however, once had a boyfriend; they were both the same age. A year ago, his family arranged his marriage to a 19-year-old girl. He had no choice but concede to his family’s wishes, despite being unhappy with this arrangement. He and his wife just had a baby this past spring.

What can you say to a 16-year old with that kind of story?…

My home stay in Ta’van village
When entering the village of Ta’van, we saw a sign reminding foreigners of conduct they should be mindful of, as there are several homestays which populate this village. “No public displays of affection” or “Always ask permission before photographing people” were the only two I could remember off-hand, but there was a tight list!

Located in the Muong Hoa valley, flanked between a mountain and a river, Ta’van is home to the Tay and Giay people. Aside from farming, many local farm family houses are set up to operate as legitimate homestays for trekkers looking to learn more about the culture (here is some great info if you’re interested in homestays). The homestays are community run and helps the village to sustain a livelihood.

I went to lounge (and wash my shoes!) at the Muong Hoa river, explored the village and then, returned to my homestay to take a piping hot shower and settle in for dinner. In the meanwhile, two more groups- a French group (an older retired couple, two french teachers) and a U.K. couple-  led by other guides, joined our homestay; it was a wonderfully international bunch, though the French obviously held up the count! The house prepared a heaping Vietnamese meal for us (really, they must think foreigners eat more than they do) of at least 5 different dishes- vegetarian included! Delicious! We drank some of the house rice wine (our house makes their own rice water moonshine), spent the night sharing travel tales and itineraries and then went upstairs to crash on our mosquito net protected bedding.

(to be continued)