Sunny Sapa view from balcony
Walked from hotel through Sapa town. Many sights new to us: water buffalo alongside tennis courts, and the large market with both exotic local foods e.g piles very fresh ginger root drying in sun, local clothes & household goods. Saw people in vibrant coloured tribal outfits: the Black H’mong wear all black with bright multi-coloured trims, and the Red Dao have red headscarves folded in different ways, though we didn’t like to intrude on their daily lives to take photos. More familiar were many outdoor shops, mainly North Face though reputedly fake.
I was finally glad I had brought boots & poles for paths, where we were soon joined & helped by women, children of the Red Dao tribal village who hoped to sell us items from their back baskets, like hand embroidered bags.
We passed through an area where a group were sewing (which they do from a very early age), & then where hand-dyed indigo cloth was blowing on a line.
indigo cloth drying
Walkers in front of terraces
Red Dao woman with baby joins us
If you were a live hen, looking at those roast chicken ...?
Women & girls sewing
We began to see mist over the terraces, & by the time we got back into Sapa there had been a distinct change in weather – from superb visibility in bright sunshine to thick, cool mist.
