Motorcycle Diary

We had an earlier start in Sapa today, and woke up to sunshine and a nice breeze. The fog still sits on top of the surrounding mountains, but the sun poured in this morning and it was warm enough to just wear a t-shirt. We decided to rent motorcycles and ride them to some surrounding mountain villages. The other guys I am with had all rented bikes in Lao, or Saigon, but for Sam and I, it was a first. As I have not had the most positive experience with motorbikes so far in Vietnam (motorbike traffic in the city are the most insane thing in the world), I was a bit apprehensive. I didn't learn how to ride a regular bike until I was 10, I've gotten in 2 car accidents since I was 16, and riding on the edges of cliffs didn't sound like a sure thing in the safety column. I decided to grow some nuts, and fork over the 5 dollars to rent a bike for the day. We started by riding through the city and going to a place called Baguette et Chocolate, a french restaurant which doubles as a culinary school for under privileged Vietnamese students. After finishing a delicious meal, we headed out on the road. There are a couple roads leading out of Sapa, and we heard that there were some cool villages back towards Lao Cai, where we took the train into, and headed in that direction. I don't think it really mattered which direction we went in, everywhere we looked, we were surrounded by massive green mountains, with little villages sparsely placed at lower altitudes. However, the coolest part about Sapa are the agricultural steps that are built into the hills to allow for cultivating plants and also feeding animals. Looking out from the road we rode on, it looked as if millions of these little, perfectly erected steps climbed up the mountains.


We arrived at a nearby village about 30 minutes away, had some drinks, and met an older Dutch couple who recommended we head into the valley to check out the hot springs and waterfalls. This sounded amazing. So we hopped on our bikes and rode off down the beat, narrow, dirt and rock road. We descended all the way down into the valley, another 45 minutes, and reached a rushing river that we were able to see all the way from the top. We drove around for a couple more minutes, confused, as there was no sign of waterfalls or hot springs, or anything besides piles of dirt and a river. It was going to be a long ride back, one that we definitely didn't want to make in the dark, so we decided to give up on our search for the hot springs and head back. Riding back, it occurred to me that if this had happened to me back home, if I had spent a total of 3 hours driving for something that I couldn't find, I'd be pretty pissed. But on my motorbike, passing the same terrain and people that I had passed earlier in the day, I felt super content with my day. On the road, I had little mountain children stick their tongues out at me, and I stuck it right back. I saw a naked toddler capture a chicken, and drag him through the street as his father watched proudly. I saw cows, bulls, wild pigs, all living harmoniously with each other, with the people, and with the road. I saw a young Vietnamese couple getting married at a waterfall, with an entourage of photographers, friends, and local villagers looking on in excitement. I saw the beauty of Sapa which makes it, according to some book Sam read, one of the 1000 places to visit before you die. And, I learned how to ride a motorbike!

Through my interactions in the villages, and in the touristy town of Sapa, I am still and forever will be bizared by one thing: the female villagers. All girls and women in surrounding villages wear the same, exact dress: a dark purple or black hooded sweater and dress, made of a thin fabric, with colored lacing at the forearms, shoulders, chest, and upper back. They also wear knee high socks that begin at their ankles, and either sandals or sneakers at the feet. Their faces have a different complexion than regular Vietnamese, and their most distinctive physical characteristic: they look like oompa loompas. They waddle around in packs, trying to sell purses, bracelets, occasionally opium, and like I talked about last post, sometimes other things. The most shocking thing about these girls however, is that they are absolutely brilliant. Most of them don't go to school, they wander the streets all day talking with tourists, and are extremely street smart and savy. They all speak fluent conversational English, and also very excellent Hebrew, due to the high volume of Israeli backpackers in Vietnam. I literally had to pick my jaw up off the floor the first time I heard these young girls singing "shalosh pinot, hakovah sheli". The New Yorker put it best, these girls have major "chutzpah". You ask them how old they are, they say 5 or 100, and you don't know what age they're closer to. You ask them where they live, they say just outside New York, in California. You ask them where they learned English, they call you stupid, and tell you to talk to the hand cuz the face don't wanna listen anymore. And, the most amazing thing about them, they are absolutely amazing at pool.
Last night, we spent a lot of time talking with a girl who claims she's 18, a claim which we actually believe. However, she could pass as 10, because she is so small, or could be 30, just because. It was nice to actually speak to one of these girls, all bullshit aside, and just find out what her life is really like. It was refreshing to learn about her familial values, that she went to school until 17, and that she has a real job as a tour guide, with a real income (we saw her pay for her drink). Most villagers are probably not like this one. However, we never would have known what she was really like had we not spent the time, playing pool, drinking Saigon beer and just hanging out with her like 19 year olds would do. You walk past these girls in the street, and they all look the same, same hassles and bullshit when you talk to them. However, they each have a story to tell, and when you can get it out of them, it's really refreshing.
So we didn't end up finding the hot springs, but the road we're on is pretty nice. We're about to go to a different French cafe for Breakfast, and we'll talk to people and decide what to do today. And if we have to go searching for that waterfall and hot springs again, we'll do it. And if we don't find it, we'll still have enjoyed the ride there:)