On Saturday, a friend of mine arrived to travel one week together  in the north of vietnam. I want to sse the ethnicals minorities, those who leave in the mountains. Actually SAPA is a really famous place for that. Most of the travel agencies offer many tours there. I met lot of foreigners in hanoi, they told me how disapointed they was after this kind of tour. It was cheap but it s not private at all. A bus of tourist arrive in a village, you can imagine...there are more tourists than indigenous. MOreover SAPA is 1400 meter hight, so in winter it s usually rainy and foggy. So I decided to make a private tour in a different place, we rent a four while drive with driver...and a local guide. It pricey but the only mean to be independant with total self reliance. After having a night in the train, we reach lao cai (city at the chineese border). The first day we went to Si mai cai market, and we came back to Bac Ha, in the afternoon we trecked  in the mountains around the rice paddies. People there re not use to see white people.The second day we went in Coc ly market, really muddy, women wore the traditional clothes. Among the minorities, we can find 5 kinds of hmongs, thai minoroties,.... THey don t mix up, they have differents customs. Most of this minortities are from china , they moved in vietnam three centuries ago. We went to assist to a karaoke with your guide, the only entertainenent in the city, you rent a room and you can sing as loud, as long and as off key as you want. That really popular in asia to sing love songs. It s the main attraction on the top of all. On the background on the TV screen you can admire rainfall .They do it so seriously. Who say that france is the most romantic country?

The second night we stayed in homestay. We slept in the same home and same room that thai minorities. Interesting to see how they leave. 3 generations under the same roof. Actually even among them, they don t speak a lot, they don t say hello , bye bye, thanks you, its n t in their culture. They speak their own language. The third day we left Taunegdo village , we came back to hanoi by the night train.  WE left our guide ZIONG, this skimpy guide fussed over us for three days (good cooker , good cultural knowleges). We enjoyed this trip, the only place in vietnam where people approach you without materials morivations., just curious to see foreigners. Many People invited us to have a tea or a shot of happy water.

We carried on our trip by a two days tour in halong bay. Halong bay is the most touristic place in vietnam.... thoussand of stone peaks in the middle of the sea....We slept on the boat, nice athmosphere among the travelers. We made a kayak tour when sunsetting....wonderful. We played cards with the other fellows while drinking whisky. On the boat i take the opportunity to read my china guide book and to prepare my future trip. In halong bay we past a floating village. YOu can find a school in a boat.