After looking at the weather report for the coming days, we decided to leave Hanoi a day early and head for the north of Vietnam before the oncoming rains. So we packed our backpacks and set off to the bus stop at 5am the next morning (22.04.). The bus itself turned out to be quite an experience. Everyone had their own little sleeping cabin with a blanket and giant cuddly toy. The cabins were spacious enough to lie down properly and stretch out our legs. That meant we were able to catch up on some much-needed sleep during the 6-hour bus ride.
Around noon, we reached the mountain town of Sapa (Sa pa) in the Hoàng Liên Sơn National Park, close to the Chinese border. The town centre itself is dominated by a variety of restaurants, grand hotels and small shops, and the increasing tourism in the region is very noticeable here.
As we headed for our accommodation, we slowly moved away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Passing through the city, we walked down several narrow alleys with numerous steps and steep inclines, eventually coming to a small dirt road that wound its way down the side of the mountain. A small sign at the beginning of the road told us that this was the way to our homestay.
Homestay is a common description for accommodation in Vietnam. The term originates from thee possibility for travellers to stay with local families. These were often small houses in rural areas that gave you the opportunity to engage in a cultural exchange with the family you are staying with. It should be noted, however, that the term "homestay" has become very popular and is now often used to market a family-run hotel which offers little of the cultural exchange originally intended.
Slightly hesitant, we followed the signs to "Mintu's Homestay" down the path. As we were walking down the step decline, we were suddenly faced with two water buffalo that had emerged from a hidden field to our left and now stood just a few centimetres opposite us! Fascinated and slightly apprehensive of how to navigate around these large animals, we tried to avoid them on the narrow path. Fortunately, a local woman soon followed the buffalo from the field and herded them past us. Just a few metres down the road, we reached our homestay. Mintu Homestay is a small multi-storey house directly on the slope of the mountain with a gorgeous view of the landscape. From our room and the small balcony, we were able to see the highest mountain, Fansipan in good weather.
On the day of our arrival, we embarked on a self-guided hike to the Cat Cat Village of the Hmong community. Although the 2.5 km long path seemed manageable, we soon realised that the badly paved and slippery roads with no sidewalk along with the downhill serpentine roads required more effort than expected. After a short hike, the entrance to Cat Cat Village was revealed to us by the countless groups of Vietnamese tourists who were just as interested in taking a look at the local Hmong culture and heritage as we were. In all honesty, the short walk through the village didn't quite meet our expectations, as we spent much of the time thankfully declining the countless vendors and sales-people vying for our attention and selling the same touristy goods in repetition. However, as we came to the heart of the village it opened up to an enchanting valley filled with small bridges crossing over a central river, backed by the sound of rushing water winding its way down numerous waterfalls. As we sat down to enjoy the scenic views, we were soon serenaded by a performance of traditional Hmong music and dance. We were also introduced to the sounds of the traditional bamboo flute set, which produced an enticing low bass sound and accompanied the dancers. Afterward the performance, we headed out of the village for the long trek back up the steep, winding roads to our accommodation. We ended the day at the nearby "Yummy"-restaurant before falling into bed, exhausted.
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