feldmanlarry

In every trip I’ve had there’s been a day where I was almost scarily far away from home. I was truly out of my comfort zone and in another world today. In my April 2015 trip to Europe, that day was when I was on the road to Mostar in Bosnia-Hersogovina. There were bullet holes everywhere and signs of ethnic clashing around, such as the cyrillic (Russian) alphabet being scribbled off by anti- Serbian Muslims. In my trip to Korea, China, and India in 2011, it was when I was at the De-Militarized Zone between North and South Korea. I was in a hut that straddled the line and was able to go into the North Korea side of the hut. In my trip to the Middle East, it was when I was in the Golan Heights (which is often closed to tourists) at a base used in the 6-day war on a mountain with a sign saying Damascus, Syria was just 60 kilometers away.

Today was that day for this trip. There was very little I experienced today that was similar to home. The transportation, the dress, the foods, and the scenery were not at all familiar. Maybe there will be another day this trip as wild as today but I doubt it.

I have three pictures of unusual and potentially disturbing foods that I will put at the end of today’s blog entry so that people who are squeamish can skip that part. The day began at 8 AM from the Victoria Spa and Resort in Sapa, way up in Northern Vietnam. We had a several hour drive to get to the Cao Sun market, which only happens once a week. The scenery was beautiful.

The road was outrageously primitive although sort of paved. There were massive potholes and it was very windy with cars and motorcycles weaving around people walking. Occasionally, we encountered animals such as these water buffalo fighting.

The people were the ethnic Hmong and Dao. Here are some women taking a breather.

There were times we had to go so slow that my app called Moves, which is always keeping track of where I have gone, thought we were cycling. I got exercise credit for those times. My honesty got in the way and I changed it.

After a couple of hours, the guide got a call from his office that the road was blocked by a mudslide. He considered an alternative route but decided that the market would be finished by the time we got there.

Here’s where we had to stop. It turned out a truck carrying tea had gotten stuck. They used the bags filled with tea to shore up the walls. Many people were milling around watching.

Motorcycles could get around the truck so my guide tried to negotiate with young motorcyclists to borrow their motorcycles for a fee. They insisted on charging what he through was an exorbitant price. They wanted 200,000 dong (about $9) to take one of us on the back of their motorcycle to the market, which was 6 kilometers away (about 4 miles).

We found this boy who agreed to let the three of us ride his motorcycle for 400,000 dong ($18), which was the same price. The guide didn’t like the other people’s attitude and really liked the boy. He also felt I would be safer riding with him than with the young kids.

It was scary riding three on a motorcycle with no helmets through this unpredictably torn up road. When I told Margaret that I had agreed to this she was not happy. I should have shown better common sense. However, it was an unforgettable experience.

My guide took this selfie of the three of us on the motorcycle. We would have been instantly arrested in the US for no helmets and three on a motorcycle.

The guide did drive very carefully and as slowly as he could. I was not relaxed and the thought did come up to bail. The 4 miles took about 25 minutes and needless to say I was glad when we got to the market.

The market was wonderful. I’d like to just show some scenes without commentary.

I love this shot oaf the mother and baby sleeping.

I bought the first item that will weigh down my suitcase too much but I got swept up in the moment.

Here are some boys shooting pool.

Even in the remote highlands of northern Vietnam, cell phones are important.

I ate a fried sweet bean cake which may not have been a good idea. Fortunately it didn’t bother me.

It was explained to me that the market is not just for selling clothes and food. It’s also the weekly socializing point for people who may live in even more remote villages. Boys and girls strut their stuff. Families and friends get a chance to catch up. I loved every minute of being here.

I believe I was the only non-Vietnamese there since the sane people turned around at the mudslide / truck barricade. The people were not overly friendly to me but I never felt in danger.

I was quite a bit less nervous on the 25 minute return on the motorcycle. It was good to see the truck again and know I would have an inside seat with a seat belt.

The road had been cleared out some with the bags of tea used as fodder.

We stopped for the beautiful views a couple of times.

Here was a soccer match along the road at a larger village.

Another wonderful part of this day is that my guide had us stop the car and go for a 45 minute walk through a village and farm area. First step was to go over this shaky bridge. I got the guide to go in front so I could hold on. If I was at home, I wouldn’t have felt the need but here in the wilds of Vietnam, I wanted to be extra careful.

I got a brief lesson in picking rice grass for use by the animals.

Water lilies in a small pond.

A banana tree.

Lemon tree.

Even way out here people can afford a satellite dish.

A small school.

We ended the tour in Lao Chi, the bigger city where the train is. It’s right on the border of China.

Here is the border crossing. The rectangular arch in front is in Vietnam while the triangular building behind it is in China. The high rises are also in China.

I had to wait for several hours for the overnight train that left around 9 PM for a 5:15 AM arrival back in Hanoi. This was an exhausting and exhilarating day. I wasn’t going to have a comfortable night’s sleep but I have always loved to be on a train so I can’t complain. My guide was amazed that I had a cabin meant for two people all to myself. On the one hand, I fee like I’m pushing myself to make it through these days but I’m also traveling in ridiculous luxury compared to locals and to how I travelled when I was in my 20’s.

I promised to have the questionable food section at the end so here it is. First off, in the Lao Chi market, the sign here has the word “Cho” in the middle of it , which the guide said means dog meat. He said they don’t sell dog meat in the restaurants but they do eat it at home.

Here is a pork head.

Finally, chicken feet. There, that wasn’t so bad after all.