I'll be home for Christmas. If only in my Dreams....Just a short messag home today wishing everyone a Merry Christmas. Last night a small mountain villiage of Bac Ha was the stop for a Christmas Eve celebration. A tour group from Check Republic had brought a tree branch and decorated it with 2 ornaments, they sung Christmas carols and exchanged presents. Traveleing with Elena, just the 2 of us, we exchanged stories of our family traditions. It was like piecin...

Christmas Eve at the Bac Ha Market.This was the place to be on Sundays. Bac Ha. It's a 3 hour drive from Sapa, and the place that everyone goes on Sundays. The market draws in crowds of locals who set out on foot well before dawn, in order to sell and buy the household items they need for the week. This market has everything.Wandering through the droves of fresh fruits and vegetables, my eyes roamed the strange foods, like a kid in a candy shop. Dragon fruit-...

Among the Hmong!During the day, we rose early to meet up with a local Hmong tribe girl who would take us trekking through the mountains and past a couple Hmong villages. It was the best way to see Sapa. From the side of the mountain, off the road, in the middle of the rice fields that were carved into the mountainside like steps. And every inch of my almost 40 year old body was feeling those steap climbs. Winded, Mai Mai stopped frequently to ask me if I was okay...

Dirt Dirt and More Dirt Not much else to say today other than the road not much traveled, may not be traveled for a good reason. It's not constructed yet. Arriving in Sapa, Elena and I were glad to be off the road for a few days. The bumps and dirt roads had worn our patience thin. 2 nights in Sapa would prove to be a good respice for us. And with our very comfortable accomodations for $5/night at the Lotus Guesthouse, we were happy to have hot water and and...

The Long and Winding Road Day 2 held in store an accension into the mountains. The terraine became rougher and the tourists non-existant. This is exactly what we bargined for. The road conditions were getting worse and after a loud noise and a bump, our driver pulled to the side of the road. At that moment you could look at the glass half full or half empty. We had an unexpected stop. Our driver calmly got out of the car, walked once around looking at the car,...