From Vietnam to Peru in
I have no idea how it happened, but I swear, we went to bed on a train that left Hanoi on Friday night, and woke up 8 hours later in the Sacred Valley, Peru. Seriously, we CANNOT get over the similarities between Sapa and the Sacred Valley. Or some of the ethnic minorities here and the Quechua people in the Andes - their textiles, their communities, their physical features, their bright clothing and hats, and sadly, their recent dependence on tourism. Obviously, the resemblances I’m noting are very surface, as these are vastly different cultures with different belief systems and histories. But on the surface, looking at ethnic minorities struggling to survive in rapidly modernizing countries, there are commonalities that are easy to see.
Friday night was a little scary, as we bought the cheapie tickets for a local train that left a VERY seedy, dark train station. Several drunk men approached us to “assist” with our bags, and one grabbed my backpack, which had my laptop inside, and was so drunk he stumbled and dropped it. We grabbed it and raced onward. I had Shane in my sling while I pushed Jack in the stroller, and Travis carried a huge duffel, 2 backpacks, and some other bags with all our crap shoved inside. So our hands were full, and I was feeling VERY protective of my cubs. We were approached a few other times and I just couldn’t help but scream out “don’t touch us!!” I guess I yelled it loudly enough that it caught everyone else off-guard (including myself and Travis!) and they stopped dead in their tracks.
We finally boarded our train, got in our private little (as in, freakin miniature!) cabin, and locked the door. There were 4 beds, but each one was roughly the size of a twin bed cut in half. So Travis teetered on the edge of one, with Jack on the inside, and I balanced my belly on the other, with Shane against the wall. We’re pretty used to being crammed, since the 4 of us (+ Belly Baby) having been sharing a queen, but the train was tight even for us!
The boys did great - they slept just about the whole way! After they passed out (before the train had even left the station), Travis and I stayed up late talking and having fun. For a few minutes, I think we both forgot we’re late 20’s going on mid-40’s (no offense anyway, it’s just that we’ve felt a little beyond our years lately…ever since we joined the circus). It felt like we were 2 kids, without a care in the world, on a backpacking adventure through SE Asia again…until Shane stirred and we both panicked and pounced - me on Shane, to pat him and keep him quiet, and Travis on Jack, to reassure him and keep him from being woken-up by Shane! Hahaha, good times. Good times.
We arrived into Lao Cai, a border town with Southern China, at 5am and hopped in a car our hotel sent to meet us that drove us up windy mountain roads, amidst SO MUCH fog, and we arrived at our hotel in Sapa at 6am. Thankfully, we got a sweet deal on our hotel and the trip has been absolutely refreshing ever since! This is the view from the rooftop at our hotel at sunset yesterday:
Sapa is very different from what I expected. I had envisioned a Vang Viang, Laos type of small, rural town with only a few dirt roads and no real development. Instead, we discovered a mini-Cusco, with tall buildings, bustling streets, honking motorbikes, and lots of Vietnamese and international tourists. It’s still breathtaking up here, and obviously MUCH less populated than other cities in Vietnam (Sapa’s population is ~40,000), with really clean air, and a very pleasant temperature. As I said before, the similarities between this area of Vietnam and the region of Peru in which we spend a lot of time are just striking. The biggest difference is how fertile the land here is - Sapa is very wet. The mountains are greener, and the terraces much more moist. Contrast that with the very arid Andes, where access to water is a huge issue, and the altitude is much higher.
We met a few really sweet Hmong women yesterday who were so interested in Shane and Jackson. The history of the Hmong people is so fascinating, and, in many ways, so tragic. Travis and I have been wondering how much the Hmong here in Sapa identify as Vietnamese, since their people have been displaced and remain scattered throughout so many Asian countries. When we told them our boys were Vietnamese, they said “oh, you bought them?” Scary as hell, and not the first time we’ve gotten that response in Vietnam, btw! Makes you wonder…but that’s for a separate post. Anyway, we explained that they were living in orphanages and that we adopted them. They were interested, but in a very different way than most Vietnamese when they find that out. It seems that when we tell most people in Vietnam that Jackson is Vietnamese, there is a sense of entitlement over him. It’s something we’ve become very used to here, and we have done our best to try and understand that mentality and be patient with it, rather than being offended by it. It warrants a lot of parenting advice, and sometimes criticism, but I know it is all well-intentioned and that people here are doing it out of a genuine love and interest. But I did notice my parents didn’t get any of that when they were here with my blond headed little brother and sister, although everyone that saw them wanted to come and touch their hair and gawk at them (that was funny stuff!)! But back to what I was saying, the Hmong women’s reactions have so far just been different. I wonder how much of that might be due to the possibility that they don’t identify as Vietnamese as much as they do as Hmong.
Last night, Travis and I both passed out right when we put the babies down to bed at 7:30pm, so I think we’re caught up on sleep now too! We’re really looking forward to tomorrow, when we have a local Hmong guide whose name we got from some friends we met at our hotel. She’s ~20, speaks incredible English, and is really proud of her people.
Here’s a picture of Jackson and Shane having a little dance party in the hotel room:
Remember this outfit?
I’m sorry we’ve been really out of touch here. We are without internet in our room. We’ll check email periodically if anyone needs to get ahold of us. I’ll try and post again before we head back to Hanoi! As always, thanks for following our adventures and for all the kind comments (including the sweet ones from the “new” commentors!). Although I read all of them, I haven’t been good about responding to comments lately , but to really quickly answer a few of the questions from the last post: Lorri - like Joy, we got Shane’s blankie from BabysRus, and we love it! And Dawn - the swaddle takes some time for them to get used to, but we used one for Jack until he was 1 year and plan to do the same for Shane, who already seems to calm when he’s in it. I think it enhances the feeling of safety and security, and also keeps Shane from waking himself up by rubbing his eyes or nervously scratching his face. We are big swaddle fans! And Thao - both our boys are from Vietnam, and we’ve been here almost 6 weeks now but currently live in the US. And Thanh - thank you SO much for the info on where to get the Vietnamese lullaby CDs! For those who haven’t seen, check the comments b/c Thanh put links up to help us find more of that type of music.
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19 comments
Your adventures always amaze me!
Thank you for bringing our attention to the links for lullabies. I can’t wait to purchase a CD for our baby.
How cool to read my name in yor post ~ THANKS!! I will have to find me some swaddle wraps!
I too will check out the VN lullabye links.
Wow. Sapa looks and sounds beautiful. Scary situation at the train station! I want to go back to VN sooo badly - I can’t get enough of your blog. Enjoy the rest of your weekend.
You are way more adventurous than we are!!! It sounds like it was definitely the right thing to do, to go to Sapa. Have a great time, and stay safe on the way back to Hanoi.
Wow that train story is a little scary–WTG mama bear! Sapa sounds so pretty–if our trip extends we will head up there too! It is nice to know we will have something positive to do if that happens.
Funny how life has changed for you two in just over a year…definately no longer the carefree backpackers!
Interesting about the swaddle–I am an expert swaddler thanks to the NICU nurses, I guess we will try it with the ladybug and see how she likes it.
Love the nakey pic dancing pic…
I can’t check my e-mail…but dh can
(full first name).(last name) @ (name of company he works for without the “the” no spaces).com
So excited to see you!
Beautiful pix. Thanks for sharing them!
We’re big fans of swaddling too. We ‘discovered’ it by accident when we adopted our second baby last year in Vung Tau. He developed eczema immediately after we adopted him and we started swaddling him on the second or third day that we had him to keep from scratching and it turned out that it made him feel secure and he slept much better. We kept it up until about 11.5 months when he began busting out on his own. I was worried that he wouldn’t be able to sleep without the swaddling since he had been swaddled every night since he was 3.5 months old, but it was no problem. I HIGHLY recommend swaddling too.
Sounds like you’re having a great time! I love the last photo of Shane in that cute little outfit handed down from Jackson. He looks SO happy!
I read an amazing book about the Hmong people and their history and what it was like for them to immigrate to the US where people did not understand them. It was amazing but at the moment the name is escaping me, when I remember it I will post it. Anyway, I would love to hear more about your visit to where many of them are. I am glad that you are relaxing and enjoying your trip! Have a great time and the boys are adorable!
Wow, Sapa must be breathtaking! We had hoped to do some traveling within Vietnam last year, but when you have a 3 year old who pukes everytime she steps foot inside a car…well, it’s just not much fun. lol So, I’ve been living vicariously through your adventures.
I’m glad you got on the train OK…what a scary situation to be in. I’m usually a pretty quiet, easy going person but I probably would have screamed as well! Enjoy the rest of your adventure. 
We, too, were in Vietnam last October and stayed for 4 weeks. During our time, we were dying to go to Sapa (we were in Hanoi the entire time!), but felt like we might not be up for the challenge. Now I am wishing we would have!! Thanks for your pictures and stories…I love reading your blog! Your boys are adorable…you have the cutest little family!
glad your train ride was good!! beautiful photos! have fun!
I love the photos of Sapa. Although I was surprised by the first one, apart from the buildings it could have been by one of our southern lakes and mountains here in NZ.
Laurie- You all are amazing….of course, I too was adventurous in my “youth”. Anyway- this is going to sound like a crazy question but in one of your pics of Shane he is wearing what looks like a fleece (white w/ polka dots) sleep gown that ties at the bottom. I have searched via google for these and all I can find are the blanket type ” sleep sacks”. Where did you get this one? I e-mailed you previously about the carriers and Life Books- I am waiting for a travel date for my 5 month old daughter who is special needs. She has bilateral clubfoot and I think these gowns would be perfect for her.
Know you all have a lot going on and hope you are still enjoying your time in Sapa. Be safe- Kathryn
Congratulations!!! I haven’t read your blog in a few weeks and was so excited that you had your G&R ceremony. What a beautiful family! The pics really touched me… We adopted our daughter Sophie from the same orphanage as Jackson last year. I know you are going to so busy now with 2 little boys and a new baby on the way, but would appreciate if you have a moment to email me at rotoole@trans-form.com. We would love to learn more about this adoption experience compared to your previous. Thanks in advance. And cheers to some sleep
Your story is wonderful! My husband and I are in the process of selecting an agency. I noticed that both of your adoptions seemed to go fast (less than a year) and somewhat smooth. Can you tell me what agency you used? Was it a big one or smaller? We are really torn in making our selection. The pictures are beautiful! Congratulations, you seem like such a wonderful family.
Oh wow! It looks so beautiful.
Hi Laurie,
Since you’ll go back to Hanoi I’ve just found out a CD boutique in Hanoi where you can get the CD I mentionned in an earlier post.
http://www.thanglong.pro.vn/vi-vn/albumsearch//all.hoguom
Thang Long Audio-Visual, JSC
Add: 58 Kim Ma Str. Ba Dinh Dist. Hanoi
Tel: +84 (04) 2662649 Fax: +84 (04) 2662651
Website: http://www.thanglong.pro.vn
Email : thanglongav@fpt.vn
Hey Lou! Looks awesome there in Sapa. It does remind me a little of Peru too from the pictures, especially the 2nd one with the terraced mountainside. When are you guys making it home? I’m hoping to get out to see you and the little ones in March… we’ll have to work something out. Anyway, I hope you guys have an awesome time in Sapa and a safe trip back. Love you.
-Uncle Al
Your post answered one question I had - you’ve been over there SO many weeks now, and I’d almost swear that aside from the outfit Shane’s nannies dressed in him every time you came (ha), no one seems to be wearing the same thing twice in a photo! So, I am thinking to myself, how on EARTH did they pack/buy/lug this much stuff around this whole time???
Now that I know Travis is half pack mule, it explains a lot….
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