Sa Pa aka Paddy Paradies

A slightly different intro.

To finish this post took me far more time than I had expected.
I intended to publish it within a week after my previous piece, A Traveller's Tale, which published more than seven days ago by now.

But there is a reason within a reason.
Right after releasing my last post, I began my journey from Berlin to Barcelona by van together with @llunasoul. As we travelled through Marburg, Frankfurt, Emmen, and Têche, where we made stops at each of these locations, where we stayed the nights and spent time with our friends. Close companions, in fact. The typical friend from your neighbourhood is not quite fitting. Because these friends were forged with a long tail of coincidences, which includes New Zealand, living together in Mexico and Australia, and even the creation of families.
As much as I'd like to include those tales, but I could write a few more posts about the large cosmic coincidences, and what all of this has to do with the places and towns that I mentioned before.
This is one reason.
But then…
While on that trip, Berlin to Barcelona, I received a phone call from one of my principals. They inquired whether I would be able to take part in one of the upcoming training sessions for wind power plants (GWO). In a real impromptu manner!
The prob is that the training is in Rostock, Germany. After a brief enquiry, a lengthy strategy, we came to an agreement, and I started arrangements to get over there. Flights from Barna to Berlin booked, a friend is going too, and I can hop on his car. Well, the story did not end here, however. For whatever issue, the dates for the training were not accurate, and something went wrong. After another phone conversation and another round of brainstorm, with some slightly changed arrangements, it was still feasible for me to keep the flights. The only bigger change was the alignment with my friend. So I had to get a car somewhere else.
The entire affair kept me occupied for a few days at a time.
This is the reason this post comes with an intro and took me longer to publish. Written and published during the flight and in Rostock. After having travelled from Berlin to Barcelona over a period of seven days. Just entered Barcelona, had some lunch with Lluna and her Mama, hopped on a train and aeroplane, getting a rental car, and driving to Rostock. The training will continue until Friday and I shall be returning to Barna on the same day.
Until the Hive Creator Days in Graz, I will spend the time I have back in Catalunya.

“And so, let us embark upon the tale that lies before us. A tale that yearns to unfold further.”

While I was combing through my images, my journey memories, and seeking for the greatest high-quality material for you, I faced obstacles. One difficulty chased another. The deeper I searched in my folders, the more I sank into the photographs that I began to dream. Daydreaming. Or was it soul wandering?
I was able to recall the adventures. Vivid visions of terraces climbing tall mountains.
The damp ground beneath my soles became increasingly real, and I could almost smell it.

Welcome to Sa PA

While I was winding my way through the misty mountains of Sa Pa, I found myself immersed in a world that was so different from my own. It was a place where time seemed to move more slowly, where traditions were woven into every fabric, and where the land itself told stories of resilience. This was the land of the H’Mong people, one of the largest ethnic minority groups in northern Vietnam, who had made these rugged highlands their home for about two centuries.

The H'Mong are believed to have migrated to Vietnam from China around the 18th and 19th centuries.
They are divided into several subgroups, including Black H’Mong, Green H’Mong, and Flower H’Mong, distinguished by their traditional clothing and customs.

They practise shamanism and animism, believing in spirits and ancestors. Known for their colourful, hand-embroidered textiles made with traditional batik and indigo dyeing techniques.
It is common for women to wear leggings, embroidered jackets, and skirts that are either black or dark blue. Tourists are drawn to their handcrafted items, which include embroidered scarves, skirts, and purses, among other things. By cultivating maize, rice, and vegetables on terraced fields, the H'Mong can sustain themselves via subsistence farming. A significant number of peeps are employed in the tourist and handicrafts industries, either as tour guides for hiking excursions near Sa Pa or as sellers of handcrafted products. Additionally, some have adopted homestay enterprises, which provide tourists with the opportunity to experience the genuine way of life in H'Mong villages.

A hike in this area gives a sense of what travelling is. Equipped with the best hiking boots, travel pants with extra pockets sewn in, and a fine windbreaker from the typical brand that everyone wears. None of that helps on the ridge walk along the terraces of the fields. We all slip off the slippery edges. Understandable. It's not easy. But frustrating when you observe the locals. Children barefoot, field workers in sandals or rubber boots, and even the water buffalo seem more delicate.

If animals are calm, it must be a friendly environment.

This one looked friendly. Though, I wondered if I crossed paths with a wolf. This encounter left me speechless.

The silent wolf.

”And thus it began, as I plunged into the depths of the experience, surrendering myself entirely to its bright allure. Soaring high like a majestic eagle, surveying the vast expanse of the land below. As I gazed upon the ever-shifting silhouettes of the mountains, I felt the weight of their ancient stories whispering through the winds, each peak a testament to the passage of time.
In the midst of a great dilemma, I found myself torn between two images, each vying for the title of the finest. Behold, the moment has arrived where my choice for the title picture stands revealed.”

Ask yourself which of my photographs of the rice paddy terraces would you have chosen as a title photo?

And those you see here are only a fraction of my collection.

Every time after putting my attention to something else, like writing or choosing photos for another part of this post, and coming back to this part with the terraces, I discovered another beauty in it.

Back then, I learned what very useful equipment to have with you. Underestimated and, mostly, mistakenly interpreted for one purpose only. It's the umbrella.
Many know the umbrella as protection on rainy days. But it protects just as well in the sunshine and provides shade. It is also perfectly suited as a walking stick. Or for defence, to keep unfriendly humans, or animals at a distance.
Just a little side story.

What is the scariest plant on planet Earth?

Bam-BOO!!!

^_^

After a long trip, exploring the area of Northern Vietnam, we all deserve a nice meal.

Do you recognise this? Ah, well, that's the taste of Vietnam.

Phở