Sapa: Where Heaven Meets Earth

Cencia Balderama
28 Jan 2011
RD1

A year and a half ago, I embarked on a solo backpacking adventure in Southeast Asia and ended up traveling to Northern Vietnam on a whim. It's pretty reckless in retrospect but somehow it lead me to the town known to be "where heaven meets Earth." The high elevated town of Sapa. It's been a while since that trip but I still dream of the time I spent there. There were beautifully terraced rice paddies on the mountain side, cascading waterfalls spilling onto paved roads, and friendly locals in their ethnic dress. [THESIS] Although the start of my journey was rough, the adventure that lay ahead was well worth it and I will never forget the sleepy town of Sapa as well as the new friendships made. [THESIS]

I was running as fast as I could, trying to keep up with the man in front of me. He was carrying my Element backpack and I was carrying my medium-sized bag. The train was moving already and we were trying to find my assigned sleeping cabin. I would have been on time to catch my train if my moto-bike driver didn't drop me off at the wrong train station. I was heading for the town of Sapa that I heard good things about from other travelers. I met two girls, Elise (Belgium) and Soniya (England), from my Ha Long Bay adventure days before. They invited me to travel with them to Sapa. I was lucky to have travel buddies. Finally jumping on my train and grabbing my backpack from the man, I was on my journey to the north, near the border of China.

Upon arriving to the Lao Cai train station at five o'clock in the morning, it began raining. I sat on the stairs for three hours waiting for my friends' train to arrive. The moto-bike and mini-bus drivers were crowding near the exit of the station and offering their services to Sapa. A few of them approached me but I acted like I didn't care for them. It was the mentality I had to have because if they saw a sign of weakness, I would be fed to ferocious sharks. It was a relief to finally see my friends arrive. We quickly walked into the parking lot and negotiated with a mini-bus driver. The fare was about ten U.S. dollars and we shared the bus with four other girl backpackers.

It was an excruciating and scary one hour drive up a steep and winding road but we finally reached our destination. I was so excited and happy. The weather was crisp and chilly, a relief from the hot and thick humid monsoon climate in Hanoi. Our mini bus began ascending up a street. At the top of the road, six Hmong women dressed in their traditional indigo clothing spotted our vehicle. They looked as if they were waiting for us all day. The mini bus turned left past them and began descending down another street. The group of Hmong women began chase behind our van, literally running after us, as the car descended even more onto another street. I was a bit unsettled and somewhat terrified. But my only concern was to jump out of the vehicle and run away before the driver had the chance to hassle us to stay at "their hotel." From what I understand, there's a pseudo transportation cartel prevalent in Northern Vietnam.

Just imagine a posse of relatively short ethnically dressed women chasing your vehicle, it's a funny memory I have. Upon arriving at the hotel, the van doors swung open. I absolutely didn't know what to expect. The first one up to the door was Lam. She locked her eyes with mine and I swear, chose me to be her new friend. I jumped out of the van with my friends and began swiftly walking back up to the road to avoid being forced to stay at the over-priced accommodation we were dropped off at. Lam kept up with me and was engaging a conversation with me. She was curious of where I was from. I was surprised at how well she spoke English. The large metal ear rings clung to her and swung up and down, pulling at the ear holes. I couldn't help but stare because they seemed too heavy for anyone to wear.

After ascending back up the two roads, we stopped at the spot where we first saw the women standing. I stood there watching them string the hemp strands in their hands. They had the color of indigo stained to their fingertips. I've read a book about the Hmong people for an anthropology class I took a few semesters prior and was excited to be talking to them. They were selling their handmade items of bags, headbands, and jewelry. I was overwhelmed at the six women before me trying to get my attention and buy from them. I didn't have the heart to turn them away. After about twenty minutes of standing there surrounded, we had to figure out where we were going to stay. There was a hotel directly in front of us. Elise volunteered to go inside to talk and negotiate with the hotel. She came back and announced to me and Soniya that we'd be paying three U.S. dollars a night per person. It was a great deal.

I told the women that I'd be right back. I had to put my belongings in our room and I didn't want them to leave. Surprisingly, Lam was still there with her group. She kept reassuring me that she was my friend and tied a brightly pink bracelet around my wrist. The other women followed suit and tied their colorful friendship bracelets around the same wrist. I think they were appreciative that I bought at least one item from everyone. Lam mentioned that she could take us trekking to her village and have lunch with her family. We agreed to go with her the next day. This was the very beginning of my experience in Sapa and it ended as an adventure of a lifetime.

I ate the best pho I've ever had in my life and it only cost me seventy U.S. cents equivalent. I crossed a raging river, which was one of the most terrifying things I've done, with the help of my Hmong friends. I was driven on a moto-bike up the sketchiest steep dirt road and through waterfalls spilling on to the road. I walked the stairs from hell in Catba Village. I was offered to buy "hashish" from a Dao ethnic women when was walking back to the hotel one night. But most importantly, I made a dear friend in Lam and I still think about her from time to time. My time spent in Sapa ended with new friendships and a different outlook on life. I have so much more to learn about the world and the people who inhabit it.