Flower Hmong and Saturday Can Cau Market Day

This area of Can Cau is inhabited primarily by the Flower Hmong ethnic group .... aptly called when you observe their colorful clothing! How can you just not love someone called the "Flower Hmong" ... :)

Animals for sale at market
Some of the scrawniest cows I have ever seen!

Enjoying a sticky rice cake :)

Munching on sugar cane ... lots of that for sale at the market

Dinner anyone???

Quyen grabbed a festive hat to try on ..... couldn't resist a picture .... she was just such a sweet young lady ..... a delight to share this beautiful part of Vietnam with ..

Some of the beautiful children at Can Cau Saturday Market

Sugar cane snacks are popular on market day ....

Explosions of color greeted us as we made our way to the Can Cau Saturday market, where everything and anything is for sale ..... weavings, hats, pants, shirts, socks, sugar cane, food of every description and of every color imaginable, pigs, water buffalo, goats, horses, birds, snakes .... oh just anything edible really! ..... I chose to enjoy a snack of sticky rice cake over the pickled scorpions :) ...... everywhere around us, locals were eating all manner of delicacies for lunch .... everything had such a celebratory feel to it, as we walked along exploring the various stalls ...... I was in an alternate universe, senses fully engaged .... loved every moment of the experience and was loathe to leave .... but Quyen had us on a timetable .... it has taken us hours of steady climbing, (via four wheel drive vehicle for us today) ...... we passed many walking to the market from nearby villages .... some had started hours before arrival and had of course, the same walk back later that day ...... but now with baskets laden with goodies to take home!! .... It is where everyone buys produce and meats to sustain them until next Saturday's market day!! .......... Nam drove us on questionable roads in our trusty little jeep. I finally got him to smile when I said I would buy him a very strong coffee before we hit this same high mountain road back to Bac Ha .... I said it was probably a good idea if he was fully awake for the mud and curves ahead!! ...... actually, after Quyen translated, I got better than a smile .... a full belly laugh!! It is just so awesome to hear laughter from someone who normally does not laugh often .... it is just so delightful to see the transformation! Nam navigated us through admirably and we passed many walking back, baskets heavy with goods, after the market closed in the early afternoon ..... also, a handful of motorbikes, a few cars here and there or rusty old trucks, but primarily, the majority minorities (as they are called in Vietnam) walked .... will post a few pictures of the road conditions on next posting :) It truly was like stepping back in time a few hundred years ..... only tourists arrive at this market in big vehicles or worse, vans and buses ..... there were a few of those as well!! As I type this here in Siem Reap, where I am currently hanging my hat, and as I review my pictures, it feels like a dream that I was there! Sapa and area, is the kind of place that draws you in, especially for a nature buff like me! The excitement of new foreign cities has it's own allure, but ultimately, it is the quiet, nature based places that capture my heart and soul ....