Odc Travel Hanoi

The night is cool and crisp, and we are boarding our train from Hanoi, Vietnam to the northern mountain town of Sapa. Our train is a modern sleeper night, clean, comfortable, and sparkling white. The rest of the resort is like stepping back in time. Ancient cars blackened by time, are stationed in the yard, and steam is rising in the air. People don conical hats are huddled around open fires. Some squat on small plastic stools eating noodle soup with chopsticks. When I look out the window I feel like it was 1969.

We are led to our bunks in a small, quiet woman of ODC travel. The company based in Hanoi, where we booked our four days and three nights trip. For $ 75 each, all accommodation meals and transport are included in our trip to see the beautiful rice terraces and experience the traditional life of the hill tribes of Sapa.

It is not long until I am sleeping peacefully. Rocking with the rhythm of the train, I dream of adventure to come. 4:30 comes quickly though and I wake up hungry and grateful for the free fresh bread and bottled water.

We arrived in Laos Cao, a small town on the Chinese border. As I climb onto the platform a fast, cold wind awakens my senses. Fortunately, a van is waiting to take us the rest of the way so we do not have to wait in the cold morning for a long time.

It is an arduous journey on the winding mountain road. We put our lives in the hands of our driver acceleration dodging herds of water buffalo, oncoming traffic and villagers raising cattle. Whistling around every corner, we are grateful not to have plunged from a vertical cliff in the deep valley below.

We arrived a bit shaken, but all of a piece at the hotel where we meet our guide, Xin. It is a friendly young man who grew up in the region and that we will soon learn, loves to sing and play guitar. We will spend the next two days with him as he takes us through the mountains to visit the Hmong and Dzai who live among the rice terraces.

The morning is beautiful. The sun shines in the cold is gone and the sky is full of fluffy white clouds. After some tea and a hot breakfast we shed our layers and begin our journey into the hills.

The scenery is magnificent and we venture further from the city, my breath is taken away by the incredible sight unfolding. Thousands of rice terraces filled with water glisten in the sun as far as the eye can see. Each round becomes overwhelming and I am awestruck by the Giant Mountains in terraces around me.

the barking of guard dogs on their territory that we adopt and gaggle of ducks waddle along with their chief devotion frantic. Villagers from the Hmong tribe speed before we carry heavy loads in their baskets. They walk with ease as I gasp for air climbing the steep path. As we continue to walk, Xin tell us about people and history of the earth and how it has changed.

The Hmong village we visit has come to depend on tourism and it says do not feel obliged to give money or to buy jewelry for people who are approaching us. Not wanting to contribute to a begging, I chose not to give children the "candy" that they have come to expect or give money for nothing. Instead, I'm happy to buy silver bangles of a lady who invites us into his house to get a glimpse of tribal life.

The house is dark and stuffy and a fire burns in the kitchen. We huddle around the flame Xin said that the Hmong people have two lights in their homes, cooking for one another to keep warm. Several generations live together under one roof and the house features a large open room. It's a fascinating experience, but I feel a little uncomfortable to stare at these people who risked their lives on the screen.

Hmong villages leaving behind, we c.