Station 3

Arriba! I mean xin chào...

After having my phone stolen and living with a Vietnamese family in a very wi-fi-less area, blogging can be recommence.

Today was a day to live like a queen. With my first night train under my belt and connecting bus ride, I made it to Sa Pa, a mountain town in the province of Lao Cai. Several women from a local village led me to a hostel they thought I might enjoy. I lingered in the lobby borrowing wi-fi and looking up reviews. After a few minutes, I was approached by a young Vietnamese man who took my picture and offered me sticky rice wrapped in big green leaves (and a peanut topping). The shady hostel reviews combined with the attention (although kind) led me to realize it was high time for some quiet time. Sleepy, grumpy, and the works, it was time to treat myself. I checked myself into the nicest hostel I could find and boy oh boy was it ever worth it. For $35 (about 750 Dong), the Sapa Lodge really had the works. Perched on the side of the mountain, my room had a spectacular view of the rice patties and Phan Xi Păng mountain-the tallest in Vietnam. The rest of the day consisted of meandering through the streets of Sapa, investigating the local museum, and meeting some of the local minorities. Women from these groups wander throughout the streets hoping to sell some of their handmade goods or take you to their village. With most of them speaking English, it was a delight to chat with them about their customs/etc. 

Having company can be rather delightful, but there has been scant to zero alone time in my last week and a half, hence my craving for some alone time. During the last week and a half, I was living with a Vietnamese family in a suburb of Hanoi. As I have now learned,  Vietnamese families are very much based on community living. Everything is shared. Beds, silverware, you name it. Thus, little introvert me nearly had a panic attack at day four. That being said,  this kind of communal living is actually quite beautiful. It provides family members with a very strong support group and members are rarely left wanting.

I was living with a family I met during my trip to Hạ Long Bay. Hướng (the mother) and I got along quite well. She invited me to stay with her family one night and I happily took up the offer. I jumped on a local bus when the time came with directions to get off at the last stop...which just so happened to be the airport. What an odd sensation to arrive at the airport with absolutely no intention of flying. Hướng picked me up shortly after and we ventured over to her home by scooter. We had a wonderful hot pot dinner that night...fresh shrimp, pool,  beef, tofu, class,  veggies and much more that is cooked upon request by placing the food item of interest in a boiling meat/pineapple/vegetable broth.The next day, they asked me to stay with them for one month in order to teach their son English. I was very interested in doing so, because not only would this me my first job abroad, but I would have the chance to learn a great deal about Vietnamese culture as well as (hopefully) pick up some of the language.

Alas, one week later, it came about the son found our language barrier a bit too tricky. Time to move! Here in Sapa now, it has been raining all day, but I think it's time to venture to the nearby village of Cat Cat.

Cheers!