Sapa!

Hello my friends!
I am still here! if not very regular! I have sooo many things to tell you, again, so many adventures!!! I was in Sapa trekking for three days, and it was very exciting, we took the train up, for 10 hours!!! it was a night sleeper and we travelled through the night to arrive there just in time to go trekking!!! very sudden but that is what happens when you are on a tight schedule! and now, we only have over amonth left so we have to be quick! nevermind, as soon as we got of the minibus there was a crowd of women and girls waiting for us, with a smiley face, asking us our name and lots more questions... and they came trekking with us!! they were much more agile and fit than us and sometimes helped us in the difficult passages... walking through rice paddies!!! all surrounded by them... how exciting is that?! it was all green, of course, and there was lots of water everywhere, rivers, streams, ... and the water buffalo where there too!! they are funny animals, no furr, and very very long horns!! Our guide was a girl from one of the little villages, she even took us to her parents house, where she lives (when she is not working!), a hut made of hay and mud, where things are cooked on a fire on the floor and all the smoke flies around the house, and there are pigs and chicken everywhere,... and we met her granma, 95 years old and as fit as one can be!! still sewing and selling her merchandise around.... that is something I found a little bit sad, although understandable, that after a whole morning chatting with the girls, having fun, thinking how nice they are... they take out their merchandise (pillowcases, scarves, jewelry, that their family makes) and their faces change, the only thing that matters is selling them to you!!! I was a bit disappointed but still made very good friends with one little girl, who I want to think liked me too... of course, I bought from her, how couldn't I?

The homestay was very nice too! In another little village, a big new hut, with mattresses on the floor with moskito nets! (I still miss that bed, I don't think I have slept as well since!) and it was cold at night!!! I could barely believe it! and the food this woman cooked for us was heaven! and we swam in the river... (of course, I swim whenever I have the opportunity)... The next morning I woke up a bit tired and hangover... playing cards with happy water (rice wine) till late at night and trying to talk to the villagers (no english, only sign language!!)... so when it was raining I kind of hoped we would cancel the trekking and stay a bit longer.... no chance!! we got wet with rain and sweat, climbing up and down the muddy paths... it was so slippery!!! I fell on my bum!!! thank goodness this old lady (yes! an old lady with slippers on, rescued me!!), saved me from slidding all the way down the mountain! (ok, I may be exagerating a little, but it was steep!) so at the end of the trek (she held my hand for most of it, telling me where to step!) ... guess what! I had to buy from her!! of course I did, she saved my life! I haven't bought so much crap in a long time, pillow cases, and jewelry that I don't even like! But nevermind, it was cheap and it was for a good cause!

And at the end I was happy because our girls came to say goodbye to us, and not only did they not sell us anything but they bathed us with presents!!! I got literally 5 bracelets (one from each girl!!), they were genuinely nice, really, believeme!! (0r at least I want to believe it!)

After that train back another 10 hour journey, this time not so lucky! harder berths, crammed, and with noisy people who snored but I slept anyway! And back to crazy Hanoi at 6 in the morning, life never seems to stop in that place! we got a motorbike ride to the hotel, how cool is that? too sleepy to argue the price, they overcharged us, one thing is sure, these people know when and how to make business!! it was exhausting....
but there is more! after recovering we went to the beautiful Halong Bay! more tomorrow (really, I promess!)