Heading back to Sapa was an incredible experience. Nestled in the mountains near the Chinese border, this hill town offers incredible views of cascading rice terraces and mountain tops, but you have to be patient as it is often covered in dense mist and you can't see further than your hand!!! It reminds me of my stay in Darjeeling when I only saw the beautiful view of the Himalayas once!!!
Here you are quickly targeted by the local H'mong or Red Zao women, who become your shadow when you walk through town. "You buy from me" is the mantra here, as the selling is gentle but with some persistence.
Wanting to make the most if my last few days and the subsiding mist revealing incredible scenery, I headed out with a guide to a couple of villages, attracting two Red Zao women as my walking shadows and making great foregrounds for my landscape shots!
It's so interesting to see where all of these women live and then descend on town every day. One of the Zao women showed me round her house, which she shared with three sons, daughters in law and grandchildren. The fire is the centre of the wooden house, but there is no chimney for the smoke to disperse, so the wood is blackened. The dirt floor must be freezing at night but the warmth of the fire and the family must see them through.
Although education is free the tourist pull of Sapa is huge and this ensures that the grandmothers, mothers and grandchildren maintain their traditional dress and head into town to sell their handicrafts. But tourism brings income and a more sustainable way of life. My guide had left school at 14 and at 21 was married with a small child, living in Sapa with her chef husband. She was able to make an independent life and see a brighter future, which is great. There's a trekking company here set up by three sisters, so the independence of women here has progressed, but they still work harder, longer and have to support the family in every aspect.
Here you are quickly targeted by the local H'mong or Red Zao women, who become your shadow when you walk through town. "You buy from me" is the mantra here, as the selling is gentle but with some persistence.
Wanting to make the most if my last few days and the subsiding mist revealing incredible scenery, I headed out with a guide to a couple of villages, attracting two Red Zao women as my walking shadows and making great foregrounds for my landscape shots!
It's so interesting to see where all of these women live and then descend on town every day. One of the Zao women showed me round her house, which she shared with three sons, daughters in law and grandchildren. The fire is the centre of the wooden house, but there is no chimney for the smoke to disperse, so the wood is blackened. The dirt floor must be freezing at night but the warmth of the fire and the family must see them through.
Although education is free the tourist pull of Sapa is huge and this ensures that the grandmothers, mothers and grandchildren maintain their traditional dress and head into town to sell their handicrafts. But tourism brings income and a more sustainable way of life. My guide had left school at 14 and at 21 was married with a small child, living in Sapa with her chef husband. She was able to make an independent life and see a brighter future, which is great. There's a trekking company here set up by three sisters, so the independence of women here has progressed, but they still work harder, longer and have to support the family in every aspect.
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