Sapa - part 2

There are 5 ethnic minorities in Sapa, but three main ones. I think the people partly wear the tribal gear for the benefits of the tourists. It looks very hot.
I slapped on the suntan cream and the sun hat and we began our first trek through the unimaginably beautiful countryside of Sapa. Children and women tried to sell us things virtually during the whole trek - that's a long working day. Quite a few women and children had red circle marks on their foreheads. Apparently this is as a result of a treatment for headaches where the head is sucked with air trapped in a glass. I don't know how scientific this is, of whether it is complete superstition.
We stopped along the way and met some families who live in the hills and among the many, many stunning rice terraces. We listened to a man playing some kind of pipe, which appeared to me to be like an old fashioned bag pipe - not on its actual appearance but in the way it was played and the way it sounded. In the same house, the women made bags etc. to sell, and had dye stains all over their faces and hands.
You are not supposed to take any photos of children without first asking the permission of the parents as the people there believe that the soul is at the top of the head and that it will be stolen. I asked permission when the children or parents were looking but I have to admit to some soul stealing as well.
It was sometimes a little hard to suppress the Greedy Westerner feeling, particularly when you hear some of the ignorant and patronising comments from other westerners. My lifestyle is so far removed from the people I met in Sapa, I had to constantly question my own sensitivity as well.
The next day we trekked to a village called Ta Van to stay overnight with a family. The scenery was even more amazing today! We stopped about half way before we arrived at the village and had lunch. Lots of children were hanging around us and we took loads of photos. The boys were all carefree and having the time of their life goofing around with one another and posing for our photos. The girls, on the other hand, all appeared very sad and sombre. They did not play but just tried to sell us things or watched on from a distance, which was really sad. Eventually, our tour leader spoke to them and they smiled a bit but the did not stop trying to sell. The boys said they went to school in the morning.
A little girl called Chi befriended me when we arrived in the village. Although I knew that her aim was to get me to buy something eventually - a whistle, a keyring, a bracelet, a cushion cover, a blanket, etc. - I went along with it because she was so charming and spoke such good English (learns it in school as well), I enjoyed speaking to her. She made me a crown and a bunch of flowers made up out of woven grass and other materials, in remarkably quick time. They were incredibly intricate and I was taken aback by this girl's talent! I caved in this time and bought a bracelet - it was very nice anyway and only cost 10 000D (about 30p) - it wasn't exactly going to break me. It's just such a shame that she has to spend her energies and talents selling to tourists. It's a 2 hour trip to get to school in the morning, and then selling all afternoon and evening before going home. She was only about ten years of age. Another girl who had walked up to the home stay with us would not go home until she had sold something. She was crying and guilt tripping, and all sorts. It was horrible to watch. It seemed that she probably wasn't allowed to go home perhaps, until she had sold something.
Even though the town was so remote, there was phone signal and internet in the house!
In the evening we played cards. One of the local people living in the house came to play with us and taught us some of his language while he played, although he was very pissed on the 'Rice Wine', which is a very strong alcohol that you should take in shots. Deadly stuff. He had this 'happy water' in a water bottle and was getting through it at a worrying pace.