After visiting the village, we descend to Lau Cai, a very busy transshipment area for goods coming in from the very commercial Chinese side of the Red River.
Ah takes us to the overlook at the bridge to China. Ethnic groups can move across the border readily with special papers, but not a passport to anywhere else.
There are massive lineups of huge trucks with sacks of something, maybe fertilizer (not opium I'm sure). there are groups of young, strong men who come here to make more money in a day than they can make in a month in their villages. There is, of course smuggling which is lucrative too. They can earn $15 a night to haul contraband.
We are accosted by Vietnamese tourists keen to get foreigners in their photos at the overlook at the bridge. Tall white haired Ted is a big attraction and they all want their photos taken with him, me to so much!
Ah finds a seller of the ice-cream like yogurt and tucks into a dish while we take photos and look at the simple type that people like to visit here too.
You could walk over the river to China here, it's so shallow but I am sure you'd be shot on entry at the other side.
Back through scenic farmland to Lau Cai, we settle in for a long hot wait at a restaurant which is also a hotel and one Australian has rented a room for a few hours there. We is it with the other tourist and guides, who look after fetching our railway tickets and escort us to our train later.
Outside on the sidewalk one unlucky pig who has returned from market has got his head out of his bag and squeals incessantly for hours but nobody pays the lest attention, motorbikes parking right by his head, poor thing! He rolls off the curb which increases the decibel level of his squeals, but nobody tries to pull him in off the road!
We learn there is a 5 hour fast bus back to Hanoi a double decker with sleeper seat, sounds comfortable all right but you get in at 11pm and we are happier to get at least some sleep.
Ah takes us to the overlook at the bridge to China. Ethnic groups can move across the border readily with special papers, but not a passport to anywhere else.
There are massive lineups of huge trucks with sacks of something, maybe fertilizer (not opium I'm sure). there are groups of young, strong men who come here to make more money in a day than they can make in a month in their villages. There is, of course smuggling which is lucrative too. They can earn $15 a night to haul contraband.
We are accosted by Vietnamese tourists keen to get foreigners in their photos at the overlook at the bridge. Tall white haired Ted is a big attraction and they all want their photos taken with him, me to so much!
Ah finds a seller of the ice-cream like yogurt and tucks into a dish while we take photos and look at the simple type that people like to visit here too.
You could walk over the river to China here, it's so shallow but I am sure you'd be shot on entry at the other side.
Back through scenic farmland to Lau Cai, we settle in for a long hot wait at a restaurant which is also a hotel and one Australian has rented a room for a few hours there. We is it with the other tourist and guides, who look after fetching our railway tickets and escort us to our train later.
Outside on the sidewalk one unlucky pig who has returned from market has got his head out of his bag and squeals incessantly for hours but nobody pays the lest attention, motorbikes parking right by his head, poor thing! He rolls off the curb which increases the decibel level of his squeals, but nobody tries to pull him in off the road!
We learn there is a 5 hour fast bus back to Hanoi a double decker with sleeper seat, sounds comfortable all right but you get in at 11pm and we are happier to get at least some sleep.
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