A Day to Remember in Sim Sam Village

photo by Zoom

We were on our way driving to Sim Sam village which is about 13km away from Y Ty. The road was in very bad condition with big rocks and chicken holes. It was obvious why we hardly saw people traveling on the way. On our way to the village, the roads continually twisted and turned languidly along the mountains. Clouds hung over our head coming and going constantly. Colors of the sky and the clouds, yellow ripened paddy fields, and young green trees – the stunning landscape painted with youthful abandon.

While driving and taking in the incredibly scenery, I saw two Red Dao women walking on the road. I passed by them, but I stopped and offered them a ride. Hannah and Seb my friends were driving behind. I could see the women were very happy and wanted to hop on my bike but they made sure to ask whether I really would charge them any money and said if I wanted the money, they didn’t have any. At the end, my friend, Sed took another woman and I took So. So and her friend are very short women. So’s Vietnamese wasn’t too good and her friend didn’t speak the language at all. Our conversation went slowly from the beginning of our ride. The road got harder and harder when we drove further. So told me that her friend and she walked to A Lù outside of Y Tý to visit her friend’s daughter’s family the day before.

Photo by Zoom

A Lù is about 20km away from Sim Sam. The daughter gave the mother a small bag of raw peanuts as a gift. I asked So many questions. I learned that So is a widow. She lives further up the top of the mountain in Sim Sam village. She has a daughter who is 16 years old and will get married early next year. She also adopted a boy who is 14 years old who lives in the same village.

We finally arrived at So’s house on the top of the mountain after one hour driving in an extremely hard condition road. So invited us to go inside her house. Did not wait any second, we felt honored to go inside. So’s house is about 20 square meters. The house is made out of mud and dried rice trunks. The mud is daubed directly onto the plaited bamboo to form the walls. At the entrance door, there was a mother pig nursing her 6 babies. When I stepped inside the house, it was so empty from my first impression. There was absolutely no electricity in the part of the village. We stepped out to the front yard and sat on the ground looking at the incredible terrace rice fields and massive mountains view in front of us. I met her adopted son there.

So and Her Son - Photo by Zoom

I asked him why he was not at school. He said there was no man in the house so he wanted to stay home to help his mother to harvest the rice. I also learned he has to walk 14km to school in Y Ty and another 14km back home in that kind of horrible road condition every Monday – Saturday.

So apologized she didn’t have anything to offer us. They just had their old huge yellow cucumber they save the seeds for the next crop to offer us. So cut the cucumber to few different slices and offered 3 of us. They ate as well. It was so simple but so special and meaningful moment. I had the slice of cucumber in my hand, got silence. Looking at the incredible view in front of me, many thoughts were running through my mind. My throat felt choked. The tears just came out naturally that I couldn’t help it. I thought of myself that how lucky I am to be in a better position than a lot of people to have opportunities to go to places, to live a life that I have. I thought how spoil I am. A lot of times I complain on small things without thinking how hard so many other people like So and her son have to live in this world. I did not know how I could help them. I mean I barely take care of myself. Normally, I do not give money to people when I travel because I don’t think it would be a good way of helping. But again, these people were suffering. it seems like this was meant to be, that I met So and I was at her house. In this case, money may help. Hannah had the same thought. We each put 300,000 dong in. It was hard to hand the money to them. I told them we were just travelers and we felt really special visiting their home and we do not have much to give but we hope this tiny amount of money would help them tiny bit to buy something necessary for the daily living.

Photo by Zoom

Time to say good bye. We left the house in a mixed feeling. The sky for some reason was so deeply blue that day. Driving my bike, I felt the cool blue sky breeze stirring my hair. I could smell the scent of the young rice filling the air. The image of the boy and the sadness in So’s eyes stayed in my mind , more than anything I just wish them the best harvest season this year.

Wednesday, August 28th, 2013

What Happiness Really Means

I met the Grandmom in this photo on my way traveling to the countryside the other days. I saw her going through all the trash cans on the side of the road. She looked very old as her wrinkly skin sagged under the skinny bone and muscle. I immediately felt sorry for her and asked myself many questions about her life like if she was homeless, if she had mental health problems, what her age was...

My friend and I stopped for a short break and a cold tea at a small tea shop by the road. The image of the Grandmom got stuck in my head. A few minutes later, she passed by us. She looked like she was very thirsty so we offered her some cold tea and some small đồng Our short conversation begun from there. She is a 86 year old woman. She lives around the area. Her husband passed away quite a few years ago and so did her good friends her age. Her children are growing up people now and they do have a good living in this area. She always feels bored and lonely when she just stays around the house. She finds the real pleasure when she spends her time at temples and pagodas.

She said, " I find the real pleasure when I spend my time in pagodas."

She collects all of this recycle items from trash cans to sell and all the money she earns would go to the donation at the temples. This makes her happy. I listened to her like I could shallow every word coming out of her. I felt touched and non of my thoughts before about her life was incorrect. Looking deeply inside of her eyes, listening carefully her tone of voice and feeling from the bottom of my heart the way she expressed her feeling, I indeed knew she was truly happy. This made me happy.

So, what is really happiness? According to the Word definitions, the word "happiness" is a state of mind or the personal feeling characterized by pleasure, delight, love, contentment, enjoyment, joy, satisfaction and entertainment all together. Our life has so many meaningful things. Every one of us constantly searches for happiness in our life, so they can be happy. We all have different ways/ideas describing our happiness. Or, some may have unique ways/ideas to make them happy.

I have to say the Grandmom I met today indeed has an unique way to reach and achieve her happiness.  Then, I wonder happiness means to me. One of the things that makes me truly and simply happy can be a little odd to many people who I know, but I love just being close to nature.

H'mong Hemp vs. Marijuana

A H'mong woman holding a Hemp leave

All H'mong clothes are made from hemp.  The H'mong are proud of their handmade clothes. The most beautiful clothes are worn for the new year, festivals, weddings or weekly markets. Beautiful clothing shows a woman's good skill and hard work.

Hemp is one of several varieties of cannabis sativa plants. Most people are familiar with the rasta and indica varieties which are known universally as marijuana, derived from the Mexican slang. Both these varieties are high in THC Tetrahydrocannabinol), the active ingredient needed to get high in marijuana. Cannabis varieties that contain THC are illegal in Vietnam and many other countries.

Hemp does not contain THC. It has been cultivated the world over for more than 12,000 years. The latin name for hemp, sativa, means useful. Hemp can be used as fuel, cloth, paper, food, oil, rope, sail canvas and many other useful things. It is widely regarded as the crop for the future as it has such a low environmental impact. It can be grown and processed without the chemical treatments needed for other plant materials and gives three times as much raw fibre as cotton. Oil made from the hemp’s seeds can be burned as fuel and has fewer emissions than petroleum. 

For H’mong people, making hemp cloth requires about 7 months (from raising the hemp crop to weaving the cloth) and a lot of manual labor. Often in late March and early April when it is the rainy season, the Hmong began sowing hemp.  A piece of fertile land is kept free for growing hemp. Hemp seeds are usually saved from the last crop. The best seeds are beaten and husked. They are sown close together, so that the hemp plants will grow straight and thin with no branches. Thin plants produce a better quality of hemp cloth.

According to H'mong farmers, when sowing seeds, one should not respond to any passerby, or else the seed's soul will travel away with the passerby and the plant will be unable to grow.  Two and a half months after sowing, the hemp reaches about two meters and is ready to be harvested. After harvesting, all leaves and small branches are removed, and the hemp stalk is dried in sunlight from 10 to 14 days until it is completed dry. Then it is separated into bunches according to length. Each stalk is broken at the middle and the bark peeled away from the core. One hemp plant produces 8-12 strips of fiber, and the longest strips can be about 1.6 meters. Hemp strips are tied in a bunch and pounded to remove the hard part of the bark.

Connecting hemp fiber is a long process. A hemp strip is split 10cm from one end and another strip is inserted into the split. The two ends are twisted together tightly so that the knot is not visible. Hmong women often have hemp fiber wound around their waits and hands, and use any spare time to connect strips.  To make the fiber stronger, it is spun on a wooden spinning wheel with a 70cm diameter frame. The wheel (che tu) which is turned by pedaling, draws and twist the fiber from four balls of wet hemp onto four wooden chopsticks which serve as spools. The thread of one spool is attached to one arm of a four-armed horizontal bamboo frame (khau ly). The thread winds around the four arms as the khau ly is rotated, and then the next spool is attached. Next the thread is put in a hole in the ground with cooking ash for one night, and then boiled three times until the fiber turns white. In the final boiling, beeswax is added to make hemp smooth. The khau ly is used once more to stretch the hemp fiber and organize it into skeins.

Finally, the hemp fiber is wound onto a short bamboo stick and then a warp is strung. Traditionally the H'mong weave on a back strap loom and use only one foot to pull a single heddle. The width of the cloth is about 30 to 35cm, which is the length from a skirt waistband to the hem. When taken off the loom, hemp cloth must be washed repeatedly for one month until it becomes as white as possible. Finally, hemp cloth is pressed between a stone and a log to make the cloth smooth and flat. 

Cycling in the Urban Hanoi (1D)

The one-day outdoor adventure tour takes you to the urban of Hanoi. You begin the tour with a short walk from your hotel to our bike store, at about half hour walking from the old quarter. You then cycle the Hanoi back roads going through small lanes and busy streets where you can experience the other side of Vietnam’s capital. Opportunity to meet up with Hanoian peoples, bonsai gardens, peach garden, ceramic shops, local church, temple and pagodas…The day cycling tour is available all year round and the most recommended for those looking for something active and different.

Cycling in the Urban Hanoi

Destinations

Hanoi, the 1000 year-old capital rich with color, history, and cuisine

Highlights

• Local life: tourists shall get a good grasp of how local people’s lives unfold – from farmers working on their fields and gardens (wet rice cultivation) to children riding a bicycle to school (education system) and even daily chores such as shopping for grocery or communal gathering

Local life near Long Bien Bridge

• West Lake

• Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum
• Tran Quoc Pagoda, the oldest pagoda in Vietnam
• The Temple of Literature
• Diverse array of city attractions
• Tasty Hanoi cuisine

Local interaction with Zoom Zoom

A tailor-made program just for you!

ITINERARY

You will be met up with Zoom at your hotel in Hanoi. The one-day cycling tour begins with a short walk through the Old Quarter of Hanoi. You will walk through the Dong Xuan market, the ancient gate of the citadel of Hanoi and the Long Bien Bridge before arriving at the departure point.

After a brief introduction to the use of our bicycles and the biking road, we begin our adventure by cycling along the Red River. Visit the market of ceramics, located by the riverside. Then continue cycling until we reach the village of Nghi Tam.  Then we cross the street which is also the dam to reach the West Lake. We cycle a little more along West Lake shores where lead us to a restaurant for our lovely lunch with the fresh air by the lake.  We will the opportunity to taste the fried shrimp cake, a specialty of Hanoi.

After lunch, we continue to ride along the shores of West Lake. We stop at the Tran Quoc Pagoda for the visit of the pagoda. Located on an islet connected to the eastern shore of West Lake (Ho Tay, Tran Quoc Pagoda is the oldest pagoda in Vietnam. Its construction dates back to 514 and its restoration in the fifteenth century according to a stele placed on the pagoda in 1639).

After visiting the pagoda, we have the opportunity to visit some other sites such as the mausoleum of Ho Chi Minh (outside), the flag tower, the north gate of the ancient citadel in Hanoi. From here, we continue cycling to the Temple of Literate for a visit.  We reach the hotel around late afternoon. End of our adventure.

For more information about Zoom Zoom, please, visit Zoom Zoom at http://zoomzoomtravelvn.com/ and send me an email for a customized trip. 

Or if you would like to check out Zoom Zoom's photos of the scenery from countryside trips, please, visithttps://www.facebook.com/pages/Zoom-Zoom-Lets-Go-to-the-Countrysides/154400977929254?ref=hl

About Zoom Zoom

Zoom Zoom on Lan Hạ Bay

 Zoom Zoom started out of a passion for travel, I have been lucky to travel to quite a few places outside my beautiful home country. When I came home to settle I realized that there was a lot more exploring to do, so Zoom Zoom was born. My idea was that people would get together and travel to the countryside around Hanoi once a month by motorbikes. I thought it would be a great way to reduce stress after a long work week, make new friends and enjoy the scenery in northern Vietnam. Think of it as another way to learn about Vietnamese culture and life, a chance to get out of the city and take photographs and an opportunity to get some good exercise while hiking around rural areas.

Now, as a customized tour organizer, Zoom Zoom wants to give you a real personalized Vietnamese cultural and travel experience, you get to decide where you go, how long you go for and what you do when you get there!

Travel to the countryside in Northern Vietnam. Think of it as an unique way to learn about Vietnamese culture and life. For more information about Zoom Zoom, please, visit Zoom Zoom at  http://zoomzoomtravelvn.com/ and send me an email for a customized trip. Or if you would like to check out Zoom Zoom's photos of the scenery from countryside trips, please, visit https://www.facebook.com/pages/Zoom-Zoom-Lets-Go-to-the-Countrysides/154400977929254?ref=hl