The Big Indochina Trip: Foggy Sapa

We had hoped to do a bit of trekking today but when we woke up it was really foggy. Thinking it might clear up later in the day we headed up to Sapa town and the market which was supposed to be good. The owner of our homestay told us the market used to be in a different place but it’s recently been moved to a big concrete building. Apparently the rent is too high because the place was rather empty.  The vendors were basically selling the same kind of things, some had dried fruits and herbs, some had outdoors kind of stuff like flashlights and folding shovels while others sold clothes. In a corner there were some tribal women selling batik fabric and embroidered bags and hats.

Just outside the market building were some stalls selling fresh fruits, vegetables, meat and fish. Coming from a land of supermarkets, these kind of open air markets always fascinate me. What I had heard about but didn’t expect to see was someone selling dog meat but they covered it with a cloth before I could take a photo.

When we had seen the market it was almost noon and the weather still hadn’t cleared up so we had some lunch then headed back down to our homestay. When we got to lower a altitude we came down under the fog so it was actually possible to see something so we parked the bike and went for a walk in the village.

Both in Sapa town and our little village there were plenty of women in tribal clothes walking around selling embroidered bags, bracelets and little trinlets. They would be friendly and talkative but if you talk to them too much they almost insist you buy something. If you want to take photos of them (their clothes are very beautiful) you either have to be sneaky or buy something so they will pose with you.

I wish we would have been able to see more, I feel Sapa must be very beautiful at the right time of year. The homestay was so nice and the landscape  so (potentially) photogenic I think I might go back in the future.