Except that my food supply was running out. I'm down to my last pack of Tiger biscuits and Campbell soup. Ahh, might as well finish them, I thought, as I brought them out while everyone was drinking coffee and tea to get their morning warmth. Campbell soup never tasted that good before - it was the perfect solution for having a growling stomach before breakfast was served.
Finally, the people got smarter - they didn't know there was a campfire the night before.
Don't mess with the bamboo for firewood - I saw firsthand the bamboo bursting and popping against the fire. May burn someone's butt if it flies in a certain direction. Pressure build-up due to water in the bamboo stem boiling under the heat. Something to take note - when you're down and out, with no water, consider bamboo for survival. Just cut the stem and drink the water inside it, even if it means diarrhoea or something more serious than that.
Well anyways, we moved on from there, to where we first began our trek up Mt Fansipan. Towards the end of the journey, there was a flatland campsite, where we could take off our extra layers due to the heat building up along the way as we went down back to Heaven Gate.
Almost there... The clothes are soon turning us into steamed buns already!
Reached the empty campsite. Picture time! And this is where Yao Yang shot his "terrorist" video...
An unforgettable moment. We've been through the worst together - now's the time to commemorate the time we spent up the mountains, having rare moments of reflection time to be honest with each other about what we learned from Mt Fansipan, small things and big things alike. I mean, the moment is there, why not just take a few pictures to commemorate our brotherhood and sisterhood?
Camaraderie that transcends beyond the flow of time itself... *sniff*
Survivor shot! From left to right: Me, Jeremy and Shan Ying
Many thanks to our porters - who carry an average of 25kg of provisions and tents, as well as things like live chickens and dried fruit snacks!
Our camaraderie, again. From left: Khnah, me, Tania, Shan Ying, Jeremy, Joel and Feng
With the end of our trek, we went down to Ban Ho Village while passing by Sapa Town again. It's a beautiful sight from start to end - there's so many opportunities for photos but most of them became blurred due to the rocky movement of the coaches we were in. Guess you couldn't have everything good all at once...
Halfway during the journey, we came across a path that cut across a waterfall, of which our coach was really damned near the edge of the road. The coach was almost falling towards one side, but the sight was so beautiful, I took a gung-ho shot at it. It was the most daring one I ever took in my entire life.
Most daring shot I ever took, as mentioned previously.
After reaching Ban Ho Village homestay, the first pleasant thing that rings in my ear to this day was the question whether we wanted a dip in the hot spring. Let's be honest - where the hell in Singapore can you get a friggin' hot spring? The majority raised hands, so we split in 2 groups, one to go right after the other was done.
Of course, we couldn't expect 100% cleanliness in the hot spring, but at least after the hot spring bath we felt many times fresher. C'mon, man - how couldn't we, after 4 days and 3 nights of powder bath and without a change in clothes in that kind of freezing weather?
After seeing this picture I quickly knew why they told me to get a camera to the hot springs. Beautiful horses, walking along the opposite path to the hot springs.
It was a reward. "Oh my God, I love Vietnam," I said, as I dipped my entire head down the hot spring pool to wash off the soap in my hair.
And I still do. The people, their hospitality, the children's innocence, actions and emotions, really can hit people's hearts really deep. Which I'll come to that in the later chapters of the trip.
And I still do. The people, their hospitality, the children's innocence, actions and emotions, really can hit people's hearts really deep. Which I'll come to that in the later chapters of the trip.
In the hot springs, something happening really did happen. Joel was enjoying the goodness of the hot spring in its entirety when he got attacked by the soccer boys who were with us and got stripped stark naked inside the pool. Oh yeah, men of big balls' idea of fun.
Anyways, what they didn't realise was that there were women around the pool observing what was going on, so Mr Anuar went on to scold the entire group - Jia Xian and myself included. "You all seriously need a kick in the balls for this." I totally agree, considering how the villagers value personal privacy.
After that, we went back to the village homestay for our much-awaited campfire dinner. It was a village celebration of sorts, and the campfire brightened up our spirits after that treacherous climb at Mt Fansipan. There was this much-deserved aura of pride over this group achievement going around - I don't know if the rest felt it.
It felt good.
After that, we went back to the village homestay for our much-awaited campfire dinner. It was a village celebration of sorts, and the campfire brightened up our spirits after that treacherous climb at Mt Fansipan. There was this much-deserved aura of pride over this group achievement going around - I don't know if the rest felt it.
It felt good.
What's there to see? A campfire is only a campfire - the village dance is more interesting.
They sure were so damned welcoming - we had a spread ready for us. Talk about beef, pork, chicken, fish, and even prawns. Oh wait - fish and prawns! How the hell did they get the prawns from around that area, and succulent and juicy ones at that?
And the pork was different too, not the way you'd see it in Singapore - chopped up in bits and pieces, in soup or stir-fried. They roasted that stupid little porker on a charcoal spit, and after it's done, they simply carve the pieces out for us, according to the amount we want. Mmm... Delicious!
And oh, bamboo rice. They came up with a way to put in rice inside bamboo. After seeing how the bamboo leaked water, I figured they cooked the rice using that same water found inside the bamboo stalk. "It's kinda popular around here - so easy to cook! Put the rice inside bamboo and just cook," I was told by one of the villagers around. Haha, when people are put into high-stress situations, they always come up with creative ways to get around things, huh. Nice and enterprising one at that, I have to admit!
It was a night of celebration, no doubt. And oh, the chocolate cake they served was fantastic. After digging out some information on where those food came from, it seemed that the cream they used for the cake was made locally in the village using fresh milk. Explains the richness of the cake despite its small size!
An air of glory accompanies the welcoming committee from the village, that celebrates our achievement much better than how our Singaporean parents would have done so. How marvellous.
And the pork was different too, not the way you'd see it in Singapore - chopped up in bits and pieces, in soup or stir-fried. They roasted that stupid little porker on a charcoal spit, and after it's done, they simply carve the pieces out for us, according to the amount we want. Mmm... Delicious!
And oh, bamboo rice. They came up with a way to put in rice inside bamboo. After seeing how the bamboo leaked water, I figured they cooked the rice using that same water found inside the bamboo stalk. "It's kinda popular around here - so easy to cook! Put the rice inside bamboo and just cook," I was told by one of the villagers around. Haha, when people are put into high-stress situations, they always come up with creative ways to get around things, huh. Nice and enterprising one at that, I have to admit!
It was a night of celebration, no doubt. And oh, the chocolate cake they served was fantastic. After digging out some information on where those food came from, it seemed that the cream they used for the cake was made locally in the village using fresh milk. Explains the richness of the cake despite its small size!
An air of glory accompanies the welcoming committee from the village, that celebrates our achievement much better than how our Singaporean parents would have done so. How marvellous.
No comments:
Post a Comment