Our latest trip has been a pleasure.
Traveled with a bunch of keen and interested people, met up with many old friends and contacts along the way and found new connections.
Traveled with a bunch of keen and interested people, met up with many old friends and contacts along the way and found new connections.
Many changes since my last visit and they make me very happy to notice.
This year Praveen was along with me, it has been 12 years since we first visited the north of Vietnam together.
This year Praveen was along with me, it has been 12 years since we first visited the north of Vietnam together.
After my last visit I felt a little sad, I could see huge changes in the urban areas of Vietnam, the Asian Tiger in full development but I could see little trickle on effect for the Ethnic Minorities in the more remote areas.
This time I had a most interesting conversation with Mrs Thuan, of the White Thai Ethnic Minority. You will find this group practice wet rice cultivation in more remote valleys [this translates to a better income than dry rice cultivation groups of the mountains but not as prosperous to the delta rice cultivation of Viet people..... income indicator]
White Thai are traditionally master weavers and were famed for their cultivation of silk worms and fine damask weaving techniques.
War, post war political structure and now China pushing their cheap fabrics into Vietnam has seen a near death of this tradition. They are also well known as great entrepreneurs and so when I first met women of the Mai Chou area they were replicating H'mong motifs in embroidery for the Hanoi Tourist market. Income generation sure but but loss of contact with their traditions made me sad....
back to the conversation with Mrs Thuan, she and the women's group she started are making gorgeous bags, toys and garments utilizing their woven cotton fabrics and embroidered motifs based on their traditional weave designs
Yes!!
Even talk of starting a small museum of Traditional White Thai work for reference.
Entrepreneur with vision, we sat and stitched with her people, had a delicious lunch and then came back for dinner at her Niece's Guesthouse. Strong women, good business and very happy visitors.
Eyes all sparkly, back in Hanoi on our last night, replete after a good meal and even better trip.
We took time to spell the roses..... had to use that line.
even more impressive was the amazing flowering of orchids in the mountains. Orchids my grandmother used to have to look after so carefully grow wild up near Sapa and this year we were there are just the right time to see wonderful display.
The mountains and the people of the mountains are always a delight. Pint size, our Mrs Ge Indigo women extraordinaire doesn't even come up to my shoulder!
Again I had not seen improvements in the difficult conditions the people of the mountains live in.....poor was the only word to use. Beautiful locations, beautiful, colourful people, the ones everyone wants to see but not seeming to get a fair bite of the Asian Tiger apple.
This year wandering around in the mountains there is definitely better cemented tracks to villages, more electricity, house been ungraded with steel roofs and brick walls, a number of TV aerials. Perhaps not as picturesque for visitors but it must be so much more comfortable for people, no rain in monsoon time, warmer in winter.... means trickle down effect must be making some impact.
A lot more people using motorbikes not hiking up and down near vertical mountains
Yes as a visitor I see the simple beauty I come to see being eroded, conversations with contacts and they see hard questions arising about how to juggle tradition and modern world pressures.
But it does seem to be a question people are looking at... and it is good to see their lives improving.
Halong Bay, stunning as always.
Fun, cruising, taking time to paddle kayaks or sit and stitch, such a magical place to be.
Still a lot of a plastic floating in the Bay, but I think less than last time.
Last visit the local people who live in Floating Villages were all topsy turvey as there was pressure for them to move out not continue living in the World Heritage Area and fishing.
Now I see many small ventures creating employment for those who were once fisherman, hosting kayak adventures and such.
The altar in the Captains cabin of our boat. Important to revere the Ancestors.
We live in such a wonderful, exotic world and it is a real privilege to be able to visit people and places and share it with our guests.
Must read we came across in the lead up to this trip [thank you D- you have an eye for a good book]
is The Beauty of Humanity Movement
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