R & R

Ahhhh...we're back in Hanoi once again. After a night train to Sapa, a couple days worth of hiking, another night train (but a dreadful one) we have a couple days of rest and relaxation (and laundry!) before heading to Cambodia on Wednesday.

Sapa is a mountainous region in the northwest part of Vietnam, very near to the Chinese border. It is an area that is just filled with terraced lands used for the farming of rice (lots and lots of rice), corn, and even marijuana.

There are several indigenous groups that live in the area, and we were fortunate to meet some very kind Black H'mong and the Red Dzao people.

Although they each have their own native dialect, they are able to speak some Vietnamese and have learned some English phrases to help sell their goods to tourists. Sean was able to get some great shots of the Black H'mong people as we trekked through the crops and through some villages. We interrupted a classroom of young H'mong children learning math. I think they were thrilled to get a break and meet us...all except for this young man.