2005. After visiting Ho Chi Ming City and Hanoi in Vietnam, I continue on to the Chinese border area of Sapa in northern Vietnam, wish to see the ethnic minorities. The plan is to join a small tour group, take night train in and out of Sapa, leave me two days to explore with one night stay in town.
The Village 山村
With the free time after arrival, I hired a local guide to take me to one of the local markets. First, he takes me for a short walk of village life in the hills. For all I can see, everything comes from earth, not factories. Even the fabrics is made locally, from hemp and vegetable dye. Pigs, chickens, and ducks running freely. My guide leads me into a house, only a boy is around, preparing cassava, a rooted vegetable. The house has only one room, with very limited and primitive handmade furniture. A huge wok on the stove is the most noticeable item, and that is not even for human consumption, but for cooking cassava for the pigs. Young children playing outside, no adult to be seen, likely all working in the field.
To see how people lives is one of the purposes of travel, especially to see people with different lifestyle from us. But seeing this family barely has anything in the house make me wonder, who am I to see their poor condition? And how would that enhance my experience? I find my curiosity toward seeing people's living quarter diminish after this.
遊過了胡志明市和河內，我繼續到越北和中國邊境的 Sapa 去看少數民族。因為偏遠，從河內只有夜車來回。我參加了一個小旅遊團，要去山區徒步。
到了之後還有時間，我就雇了一名地陪，帶我去看有名的市集。地陪帶我經過田間一些小村，感覺上真是徹底的田園生活。家畜四處亂走，放眼看去，所有的東西都是地上長出來的。連穿的麻衣都是自染的。陶淵明說的避禍桃花源，大概類似這種情形吧，完全自給自足，和外界交通中斷了也沒關係的。看到路邊一個人家，地陪就走了進去，木屋裡的家具都很簡單而粗陋，最顯眼的是一只大鑊，居然是用來煮豬食的。一個小男孩在抽木薯，就是豬的晚餐。幾個更小的小孩在屋外玩，大人們大概在田裡工作，一個也沒見。
遊過了胡志明市和河內，我繼續到越北和中國邊境的 Sapa 去看少數民族。因為偏遠，從河內只有夜車來回。我參加了一個小旅遊團，要去山區徒步。
到了之後還有時間，我就雇了一名地陪，帶我去看有名的市集。地陪帶我經過田間一些小村，感覺上真是徹底的田園生活。家畜四處亂走，放眼看去，所有的東西都是地上長出來的。連穿的麻衣都是自染的。陶淵明說的避禍桃花源，大概類似這種情形吧，完全自給自足，和外界交通中斷了也沒關係的。看到路邊一個人家，地陪就走了進去，木屋裡的家具都很簡單而粗陋，最顯眼的是一只大鑊，居然是用來煮豬食的。一個小男孩在抽木薯，就是豬的晚餐。幾個更小的小孩在屋外玩，大人們大概在田裡工作，一個也沒見。
