Travelled: October 16 – 18, 2015

Sa Pa is one of those dream like places you see on Pinterest under “Bucket List” or “Wanderlust” and decide if you ever make it to Vietnam, you will go there. Now that I have lived here for nearly five months, I finally made it to the beautiful northern mountain town. Many people in Hà Nội say how it is over priced and a tourist trap. If that is how your trip to Sa Pa ends up being, you are doing it ALL WRONG.

Getting from Hà Nội  to Sa Pa, my friends and I chose to take the Camel overnight bus. Round trip tickets are $24 USD. Each person has their own “bed” which is really more like a glorified lounge chair accompanied by a pillow, blanket and cup holder. Comfort wise, it wasn’t too bad. Heading up there on Friday at 10:00pm, we knew we would be sleeping, but first, wine. At the very back of the bus there were three conjoined beds with a low ceiling. One of my friends and I snagged that area for our slumber, claiming it as our fort for the night. Four of us crammed back there, with our heads at a 45 degree tilt (due to the low ceiling) or slouching back, to drink wine, talk and ultimately laugh until tears dripped down our cheeks. After killing two bottles of wine, we all separated to our designated bunkers to go to sleep. Laying down, looking out the window with head phones in, listening to whatever came on shuffle next, I couldn’t help but smile to myself for the sheer happiness I felt. The places we go… Here I was, travelling by a sleeper bus taking impressive curves through the mountains half way across the world, going to a place I had yet to see.

I was woken numerous times by questionable turns and bumps, abrupt stops and music I had left on blaring in my ears. Arriving a few hours after the scheduled time (which actually worked out for the better), the sun was newly shining for the day and we were on foot going towards Sapa O’Chau to check in for our Handicraft day tour and book a homestay. After getting everything situated, we went to eat breakfast before getting picked up by a van to take us (most of the way) up to the Handicraft studio.

The Handicraft studio is in a village called Tả Phìn. It is in a valley with a view that could best be explained visually. (See below)

We spent the whole day learning and creating our own traditional crafts. Starting off, we all sat on tiny plastic stools in a circle. In the center was beeswax heated by coals. Each of us had a square of hand made hemp fabric. We used different tools, dipping it in the hot wax and tracing patterns on to the hemp. With the help of our lovely guide Sue and another woman, we created individualized cloths.

When the wax and design process was finished, we went around to the side of the house to find a barrel of indigo dye, made from indigo leaves. The cloths were to be left to soak for the extension of our stay at the Handicraft studio. In order to get a deep indigo color (kind of like a dark denim) fabric is left in for several days.

Giving our hands a break, we took some time to take in the view, drink some coffee, take a walk and eat a delicious fresh cooked lunch. After lunch, we began to embroider small squares using the cross stitch and different colors of silk string. Some of us enjoyed it and the detail that went in to it and some did not take a general liking to the craft. When finished, we chose fabric to be turned in to a purse. The small embroidered squares were sown on to the fabric, making each of us our individualized bag.

While the bags were being made, we learned how to weave using the large loom contraption made of wood. As we were contributing to the extensively long hemp cloth, another woman was washing out the indigo from the cloths we designed. It went from going in the barrel of indigo, to hot water, to being rinsed with cold water and hung to dry. Once dried the light blue denim color came to life with the designs in an off white.

We spent pretty much the whole day up in the wooden studio. When it was time to leave, Sue lead the way through the valley and mountains to our homestay about an hour trek away. Being amongst the scenery and passing through the villages was a really neat experience. All the children and numerous kinds of livestock came out to say hello. Smoke was filtering through the sky from the bonfires of trash being burnt and food being cooked for dinner in the coming hour. By the time we arrived to our homestay it was dark out. We settled in with some beers and water. Our host family is part of the Red Dao hill tribe, with Mrs Chao Man May wearing the traditional clothing and her family wearing Westernized clothes. They cooked us dinner (all included in the cost). We sat at the long bench tables with the family communicating through minimal words, just smiles and motions. They noticed how we inhaled the spring rolls (typical) and filled our plate with more from theirs with nods and laughter. The husband poured us all multiple shots of rice wine, in which he calls”happy water.” All of us raised our shot glasses to the center, cheering in Vietnamese. After the delicious meal, we went back to the round table for more beer and to digest before going into the herbal medicine tea bath.

The herbal medicine tea bath could only be described as pure magic. Stripping down to your purest form, you climb into a wooden barrel full of hot water, black tea and herbs picked from the hillside by Chao. Relaxation soaks in right away and leaves you on cloud nine when getting out. It was a perfect way to end the day and have an amazing nights sleep.

Waking up in the morning and knowing what scenery and environment we were in was pretty much a mystery. We knew we were tucked away amongst the mountains, but that was all we were able to sense when arriving at night. We drank coffee and ate pancakes (crepes) with sugar, honey, bananas and pears. While signing the guest book, Sue included us in on something she keeps very close to herself, her letters from pen pals all over the world. She pulled one of the letters out and had us read it to her and write a response.
With no formal education, she taught herself English over the years while raising a family and working. Although she can speak English, she isn’t able (yet) to read or write. The interaction of so many people, coming together to help communicate globally through language and cultural barriers, is absolutely incredible.

It was a fairly clear, beautiful day with the perfect temperature to go for a trek without freezing or breaking in to an uncomfortable sweat. After breakfast we set out for our trek through the mountains and back down to Sa Pa’s center. Sue led us through the locals way where the only few people we came across was the husband from the homestay who was picking and chopping wood and another local. The views were spectacular. Jaw dropping. Surreal. We stopped a few times to drink water and take in the serene landscape we were entangled in. And to take some obligatory pictures using none other than my shameless selfie stick. Along the way Sue picked us all flowers. At one point of rest, we sat on our bags looking out at the valley full of perfectly staggered rice fields. Sue pulled out more of her acquired letters and I had the pleasure of reading one to her. This one had enclosed money for Sue to give to a neighbor for mosquito nets for the children. Her kind words and charity warmed my heart by the genuine love strangers are capable of withholding.

Heading back down, we stopped at an abandoned old church where we came across bride-to-be’s having photoshoots with their fiancés. We waited out front for our driver to pick us up and take us to the day market for shopping and eventually lunch. After bargaining and purchasing a few hand crafted embroidered goods, we grabbed lunch and coffee’s before heading back on the bus home.

Sa Pa was everything I imagined and more. It was truly an incredible girls weekend full of art, trekking, culture and commonality within diversities.