No. 9 : Bac Ha Market

DAY NINE: Bac Ha Market
Our last day in Sapa was spent at Bac Ha Market.  We loaded into a tour bus early morning, stopped in Lao Cai to use the restroom and to drop off our bags at a restaurant where they would be kept until we came back to go to the train station.  We drove another hour and a half after that.  It was a crowded bus ride and I spent the time listening to music, watching the beautiful scenery, and asking Ryan how many Asian friends he had (twenty four).  When we pulled into the parking lot in Bac Ha, we were released from the bus and told to be back at 1:00pm.  Our tour guide was insane.  I found him at one point by himself doing karate kicks in the air and laughing.  He was a true delight.

I enjoyed the people watching and the sights, sounds and interesting smells at the market.  I didn't end up buying anything except for a tasty little local snack that was sweet, deep fried and likely made of rice gluten flour.  Bac Ha Market is where all the different villages and tribes go to buy and sell.  Everything was beautiful.  I want to join one of these tribes.  Their outfits are incredible.  After wandering around the market for awhile, we stopped by a restaurant and ate fried tofu and fresh spring rolls.  We didn't have enough time to wait for the rest of our orders so we cancelled them and hurried back onto the bus. 

I couldn't get over this baby.

Aren't these amazing?

Here's that fried snack I was talking about

Our next stop was a little village.  We walked through the compound and saw their animals, a lot of corn and the process of making rice wine.

The last stop was the border between China and Vietnam.  I was tempted to jump in and swim across the river to the motherland but I decided against it.  If you can't tell in this picture, I was really cranky, sweaty and tired from the hot and crowded bus.  After this stop we headed back to the restaurant where our luggage was, used their wifi, drank some juices, ate a sandwich, then left to get foot massages before our train ride.  The train ride was fun, I saw a small cockroach but it disappeared and didn't bother us again, I ate a pomelo, slept well and woke up in Hanoi.