Sapa

We took the night train to the north. We are in a first class that feels likes been in a time machine back in 1955 Italy, however the bank bed is confortable and the rocking of the train has always that feels of other times. For the kids is their first night train experience. 
At the station we get with a mini van up to Sapa, up in the mountains... Even if is raining the view is not comparable to anything I have seen before. These rices field on the mountains give the image of a wavy green ocean.
After a well deserved breakfast in our retro hotel in front of the lake, we manage to see the market which it is way too pushy and busy. You have no other way but try not to create eye contact otherwise you are the sacrifical goat of all the village women that have to sell you something. The village women would revamp any failing retailing business, they speak all languages and the present you their baby, old mother or any good reason. It is the bad side of tourism were this false expectations are in place and you can not establish any pther comunication that it is not commercial. They tell you for you it is nothing and there is really not any good response. In the village itself is even worst because they follow you and asking questions about you and at the end of the walk they ask you for money. Today this angry toutist was annoying but she end up giving the money to be left alone. Sad situation.
The village is populated by one of the 6 minorities living in this area. Everybody is dressed in traditional dresses and the women when they get married they have to pull their eyebrow and the hair in the hairline. Men seem to be in the field or sleeping, children attend big buffalos.

We are staying in a hotel with beautiful view of the lake and mountains however the atmosphere is very stalinian, pompous without substance, cleaning lady that keep on cleaning the floor but there is not much for breakfast, and the dinner was the first bad meal in Vietnam. 
Today I ask for 2 bananas, which is widely produce in Vietnam, and after some discussion they told me they were sorry but they had only one. It is like in NY a deli selling one bottle of beer.
Our guide, Tom, is pretty nice, today we walk through muddy path, through villages where women wanted to sell their craft made in china. The life up in the mountain is pretty primitive but there is this influx of tourism that make thing very artifical, one oldre man seem not to be happy at our presence and I can see his reason, an old equilibrium is clearly broken. For M & O having a house with buffalos as pets was very cool.  
A very unusual habit is for men to wear women plastic shoes. I don't think they realize there are women's shoes, they must think they are practical for the muddy path!