Sapa and tribal homestay

From a wonderful trek through tiger leaping gorge we were thrown into another enchanting green hilly country side.

Sapa is one of the most beautiful landscapes I have seen. With rice fields, free roaming live stock and rolling hills. It was quite soon before we knew we definitely wanted to live among the tribal people and do a homestay.

One night in Sapa town we were pleasantly surprised to see cheap

cheap cocktails on the menue and a group of sociable boys (I can ssafely say will stay good friends after our first encounter). One night of silliness and unknown to many more. We danced, plaid pool and met an interesting character from England called Mandem (most probably not his real name) he was a lost soul for sure.

The boys weren't just pretty faces but gave us a number to help us along our way onto our homestay and one of the best parts of our trip. A homestay with Sumi. Unlike most home stays in Sapa this was the real deal. The boys explained how they got to kill a pig and stay in sumis home like they were part of the family.....The next day we got on the phone to Sumi.

After a treacherous yet exciting journey to Sumis house we were warmly welcomed. Shown how to make Vietnamese Spring roles, and given marijuana tea to drink......as the curious little cretins we are, we

were given a big bag to do what we pleased with (for free) the equivalent to us as giving someone tea bags.

We slept in the kids beds (keep in mind the kids were shifted into sharing with there siblings) and were woken by the roosters at 3am. Fed and refreshed sumi took us on a trek round her village.

The village was the first real and old commune I had seen. Everyone was in and out of sumi's home to use the oven (as she was one of a rare few who had one). We were invited to drink rice wine with the young men of the tribe, to celebrate the fact one of the boys had left his perents home and they had all completed the task to go and cut the timbre they would use to build his new home together. It accured to me everyone got stuck in to help there fellow tribal family or neighbour. Any child on their own was watched by everyone. Everyone was brother, sister, father or mother regardless if they were

blood related or not (this is in most of Asia) it made me realise just how far away us westerners are from our roots and unity.