I landed in Hanoi with eight others from the Outdoor Club. We cycled, bused & trained from the capital to the southern city of Saigon. It was truly an unforgettable journey. Along the way, we were continually in awe of the spectacular scenery, and highly cultured, friendly people.
After an all night train ride from Hanoi, we arrived in Lau Caui in the early morning. Surrounded by curious onlookers, we assembled our bikes in front of the train station. Behind us, villagers were crushing rocks with hammers and to our left, women were squatting behind their goods for sale. The misty morning created an eerie atmosphere as we set off on our first day of cycling. We weren't too optimistic after we chatted with an Australian traveler who thought we "we out of our minds" to cycle to Sapa. It was a strenuous climb and it took us the entire day to reach our hotel, but the scenery was gorgeous and it was by no means too difficult.
The scenery was spectacular as we cycled up, up and up!
We stopped frequently to admire the valleys, mountains, and endless rice paddies. Everyone we passed waved frantically or yelled "helloooo" from their tiny bamboo houses.
While cycling in the high country down into the Lau Chou valley near Sapa, I stopped to admire the view and a beautiful H'mong woman appeared out of nowhere. Intent on selling me her handmade bag, I bought one and she allowed me to take her photo. Wearing the traditional clothes from hundreds of years ago, this Montagnard woman comes from one of the 60 distinct "minority" groups in Vietnam. They regularly sell their deep indigo blue clothes to tourists and at the market in Sapa.
H'mong mother and child. She belongs to one of the most colorful hill tribes located in the plush mountain territory near the north western city of Sapa. It wasn't uncommon to see children as young as two or three carrying their baby siblings on their backs while their parents worked in the rice fields.
I was thrilled to come across the rural school in Lau Chou where this cute little boy was happy to pose for me. Sadly, despite improvements in rural schooling, many minorities marry young, have children and die early.
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