BLURB: A cultural trail through Sapa based on a personal experience as a young traveller. A series of subjective images, clues and thoughts to help you focus on what cultural lessons a trail through Sapa can truly provide by simply stepping away from the cliché tourist activities.
A lot of people travel to escape reality and the daily grind. Instead of losing direction, use this time to clear your head, refresh and return more motivated than before. Chase your life dreams and achieve everything you are capable of.
Serenity – the state of being calm, peaceful, and untroubled.
Happy – feeling or showing pleasure or contentment.
Inner Peace – deliberate state of psychological or spiritual calm despite the potential presence of stressors.
“Peace of mind is not the absence of conflict from life, but the ability to cope with it”
-Unknown
Experience. Reflect. Learn.
Experience
Interest. Guidance. Learning.
Take the time to talk, share and enjoy.
Vibrant atmosphere
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Hmong are famous for their silverwork, spinning, weaving, and embroidering hemp and cotton.
Sapa can open your eyes.
Sapa can open your mind.
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Walk with the local tribes and let them guide you.
Do not be afraid to get dirty.
Embrace the unknown.
Look around you.
Ask questions.
Tell stories.
Reflect
As a solo traveller in Sapa, focus on the cultural teachings that can be brought home with you into this harsh and advanced Western world. Allow the lessons to influence your everyday thoughts, activities and perceptions. It is the point of travelling, you are bettering your ways of thinking, opening your mind and allowing yourself a chance for reflection.
The silence. The vast terrain. The changing weather.
Sapa is known to have the most spectacular views overlooking the valleys.
Which tribe focuses on living for the moment?
Why only have this mentality when travelling?
How could you bring this into your Western life?
How could it make it better?
Use this moment of serenity to answer these questions
Learn
As a culture there is a large focus on respect for each other and there are certain behaviours that imply certain messages or levels of respect, often based upon age.
The art of drinking rice wine with the locals:
Invite someone, say why.
Accept the drink, drink it all.
At the end, shake hands.
If they are older, two hand handshake to represent it coming from your heart.
The children are taught from a young age to navigate around, look after siblings and sell the traditional products.
Ask them about school.
Ask them how they are.
Learn from each other.
The strong family values. The selfless people. The make the best of everything mentalities.
If your main focus in life was to create a big family, would this change who you are as a person?
Would it work in the Western world?
Would it set you back or bring you forward as a person?
Would there be more or less love?
Be brave and step away from the trodden paths.
Stay with the locals, look for hidden gems and wander.
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