Bac Ha Glimpses

After only 1 day in Hanoi, an overnight train jettisoned me to the mountains on the Vietnamese side of the China border. I moved quickly through the touts and beelined straight to the local bus stand for my 2 hour ride to Bac Ha, with only 2 other people (also foreigners) and the bargain price of $1. A dusty 40 degree incline road, stops for water buffalo crossings, and goods delivery, panoramic mountain vista views and two sore buttcheeks later, I finally touched down for the day. With only 3 hours of marketing time left to spare, I was a bit like a bridezilla—throwing my bags down, running over dogs, and flipflop galloping off to the Bac Ha Sunday Market. This once-weekly market is famous for feeling local, while attracting hill tribes from all over the mountainous area sprawled along this border region, particularly the colorfully dressed Flower H'Mong. Their intricately woven dress pieces are hand made, of course. I can't imagine sitting for a year making even one piece (which is how long it would take me...they could prolly turn one out in a day). All of this blended so magically beautiful with the scenery, their kind nature, an occasional flash of a smile, and the water buffalo/puppies/goats/cows/chicken/other animals of the abyss they were trading. Like a gardened fruit smoothie, every bit was just as tasty as the last. Every inhale filled my lungs with juicy culture and left me craving more. I was in heaven.