Last Night in Vietnam

I was sitting alone as the Chilean girl I had met in Halong Bay went back to Hanoi.  Drinking my beer I began pondering China. I am as nervous as hell - communication I feel is going to be a big issue for the next 2 months. I feel tired and queasy at the thought of this daunting leg of my journey, but happy. I am progressing well without too  many mishaps and have met a lot of interesting people on the way. On my 14th night in Vietnam I spent the day recovering after yet another episode with my poor belly. I ended up on the floor of the bathroom having passed out from the pain and fell off the loo. The toilets in Vietnam are not the prettiest of sights and so this was not a good position to be in.  I awoke some time later, but unsure of how long, feeling disorientated, feeling the cold from the tiled floor. I crawled back to bed and woke at 8 feeling like death warmed up, dazed and confused, head pounding.  I spent an hour cleaning the cut on my head with hot soapy water and lots of betadine, which is an antiseptic wipe I use for pretty much any wound, to protect against the grime of the streets. Oh the joys of sole travel and fending for oneself. Freedom of exploring the world and making decisions easily comes with a sole responsibility and the lack of anyone to turn to or look after you in times of need- an extra challenge for sure! I've got heaps of new information for China, collected from the Internet and other people who have made a similar trip- the best way to find out about what is possible and I have decided I will try to get to the town of Yuang Yang tomorrow night, but who knows how it'll turn out. Things have an uncanny way of changing and redirecting your path, so who knows.  All I know is that I have to get back down to Lao Cai and then am going to walk the few kilometers to Hekou and then in to China. This is the safest and official route from northern Vietnam.  Let's see how it goes! Sapa was fun. The town was totally unrecognizable from 2000 and has been developed massively with new guesthouses and restaurants etc. that cater for the huge increase in people that are visiting this "remote" area, reputed as the best place to experience the minority villages and cultures of northern Vietnam. It is funny to watch the locals still chase around after tourists dressed in local costume, knowing they go back to their villages and dress like a Vietnamese person, which is almost identical to how we dress.  The people are friendly though and speak great English but it is a shame to know they have become walking souvenir shops. You cannot blame them though, what would you do- keep your culture and be hungry, or capitalise on the interest in your culture's history and make some money so that your village can have a better life? The dichotomies at work when you are travelling are stark and more apparent when you have travelled around for more time than a tourist who comes out on an extended holiday of a few weeks.  It is beautiful in the mountains, calm and intense in its natural existence. Yet human progress is changing things here more than the scenery is letting on. -  Trevor Warman Read more Posts from other Around the World Travellers