Its been a long time!
My scars are healing (cut the stitches out myself in Dien Bien Phu), not as rugged as it sounds.
Crossed over the border from Laos which was slightly surreal (misty mountains, erie quiet, friendly Lao, Super Tense Vietnamese border guards
The visit to DBP was awesome, a very quiet town with a fairly interesting history. Met lots of locals, bought the T-shirt, etc etc
One of the knocked out tanks from the battle at Dien Bien phu
So after a few days there i travelled down to Sapa
Sapa is a hill town that looks like something out out of the Alps
It is populated by a heap of hill tribes who come to the town to sell their cloting, jewellery, and meet the tourists.
The first you usually meet are the Hmong, the Black Hmong are the most forward, the kids (usually girls in their early teens come up and give you grief unless you buy one of their trinkets)
It is a very funny experience watching new tourists blown away by these kids but not so funny if they set their sights on you!
The most ornate are the Red Dao (pronounced Zao), the headresses are amazing and the whole town square is filled with up to 6 tribes all dressed traditionally (the funny thing is t see the younger kids at the end of the day, they are often changed into modern clothes)
Ok, you might be asking why these images look kinda like i went to Google and typed in Sapa, well my clever viewers it is because i did!
Having no camera other than my phone meant my photo memories of the last month hhavent been great, but wait it gets worse!
All te images, videos etc that i did have on my phone are now the property of the person who pick pocketed me in Hanoi today! Oh yeah!!
It was on a crowded bus, blah blah blah, never felt a thing.
Im gutted cos of the pics ive lost but....... and now having to email Vodaphone to see just how they might "help" a loyal customer in these circumstances.
You can just see it now, i have to go to the local police, get a form they cant read to then be scanned or mailed! to NZ, damn thieves.
So, to sum up.
Back streets Hanoi- The Old Quarter
Im happy in Hanoi, i have got a new camera! (evidence to follow) my visa is being sorted and i will soon be off to Halong Bay, oh and i met a French man who has marred a Vietnamese girl who i saw in Sapa in the street today and i went to visit his new home village, very cool.
So now here are the pics i took today, it feels weird having a camera again but it is great to be collecting images.
Images from the Military Museum
If it feels weird seeing a huey in Hanoi, try seeing it with a class of Vietnamese kids (yep it was field trip day today!)
I had a giggle watching the kids do what kids do, play tag on the machines, chat to each other during the video sessions etc etc (same same but same)
The long arm of the law doesnt allow Dad and Junior to climb the trees for a photo op in Hanoi!
I will post more pics tomorrow, im off to email Voadfone now :(
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