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1. A horse cuts it way through the busy Bac Ha market, Vietnam.

2. A lone woman stands deep in thought.

3. A horse and cart arrive to carry the heavy stuff back into the hills.

4. Colourful women selling chilli's and gossiping.

5. The pigs try to make a run for it at the livestock section

6. Puppies and pigs all packed up and ready to go home.

7. Woman selling ducklings...

8. Hill tribe women shopping for fabric... The louder the better.

9. A boy and his mother enjoy some Melon while waiting for a bus.

10. Two men get ready for the off, There's 20 pigs on each bike!

(Next Photo Essay: Bangkok, Thailand>>

If you’ve been to the Market at Bac Ha and have a picture you’d like to share please add the link in the comments section and it will magically appear, I’ll link back to you also… Mucho Mucho Love…

Settled amongst the mountains in the far north of Vietnam is Bac Ha, a small and relatively untouched  hillside town that for most of the week is quiet and sleepy. On Sunday however it’s all change, the surrounding hills are home to something like 10 different hilltribes: the Flower H’mong are the most vibrant, but other groups include Dzao, Giay (Nhang), Han (Hoa), Xa Fang, Lachi, Nung, Phula, Thai and Thulao and come Sunday morning the hills are alive with the sound of markets.
We headed there from Sapa another larger hillside town but it wasn’t easy, first we had to get a very early bus to Lao Cai and then from there a local bus to Bac Ha, which takes all day. There are tour buses that do the trip but because of the distance they charge a small fortune and this puts many tourists off. Anyway the local buses are always much more interesting and the road is very scenic if not a little rough!

The Sunday morning market starts early and it’s impossible to miss, what was a dusty, quiet town square turns into a car park for local buses and throngs of Flower H’mong people stroll past the few guest houses in town on their way to sell their wares. With their baskets strapped to their backs full of fruit, vegetables and textiles it makes for a wonderful scene and we didn’t see a single piece of tourist tat anywhere. Georgie loves a market and generally I do NOT but once your there it’s such an attack on the senses that I couldn’t help myself, I sat and smoked with some serious looking men what I hoped to be tobacco… A few coughs on my part soon had them laughing and within minutes I’d managed to reduce a whole crowd of serious tobacco buyers to a fit of coughing and giggling… Time to move on!
It is a real market in every sense of the word, it has wet parts and textile parts, livestock arrives and leaves on the back of motorbikes and the buzz about the place is almost overwhelming. Everything can be bought here from puppies to rice wine and if I recommend one thing it’s to sit down and try some home made hooch… It will certainly wake you up! I tried to chat with some men about which pig was best and which ones they were after but they were busy men and I probably stank a little too much of homemade moonshine from another stall.

The market lasts all day and unless your planning on staying in Bac Ha longer to explore the mountains around it then you will have to wander around to find a local bus with spare seats going your way. For some people this may be a bit hardcore because if your not on these buses the next ones will be a week later but to be honest the locals won’t see you stranded.
What struck me most about Bac Ha was it’s authenticity, even getting there was only possible the same way the locals do and once there we were in at the deep end. It’s not a market for tourists as such although there are bargains to be had but its a great way to spend a day and really get to see how some of Vietnam’s hilltribe people live…

Back in August 2008 my fiance and I (Georgina) were traveling through northern Vietnam and stopped in the beautiful mountain town of Sapa. Our $7 room had the feel of an old alpine cottage and unparalleled views of the infinite mountain scenery. We knew instantly we had stumbled over something special, surely one of the most romantic places we’d been on our travels to date.

Whilst drinking in morning coffees and that million dollar view (or seven as the case may be) the chat turned to how we should fill our time in such a beautiful place, that’s when the cracks started to show.

Georgina wanted to make a brutal seven hour bus trip to a remote and rural weekend market in a town called Bac Ha, filled with visions of Flower H’mong hill-tribe people selling everything from dried shrimps to dogs – the “real” Vietnam maybe, she was keen as mustard. I however was not.

Having been dragged around every market we’d passed since we left home, all I could focus on were the practicalities of getting there, the poor roads and sweaty buses for seven long hours.

Things between us came to a head and at that point, in our idyllic mountain cabin, we realised the underlying issue had nothing to do with the market, in fact it was a problem which had been simmering beneath the surface for weeks or maybe even months. Somehow we had managed to grow apart as lovers, regularly finding ourselves in intense situations and constantly being around each other, we had become better friends than we could have ever hoped but with all the highs and lows that come with traveling foreign, unfamiliar countries we had forgotten to set aside time for just us.

It’s not as if we forgot or were too busy to love each other, rather that we didn’t adapt our relationship the same way we had to adapt every other aspect of our lives. Strolling hand in hand down perfect beaches with breathtaking sunsets as a backdrop, going out for candle lit dinners and lazy Sunday’s (well everyday) soon became the norm. More than that, they became part of our daily routine. I suppose it was naive to think a whole new way of life wasn’t going to change our relationship, that everything would take care of itself while we took care of having the time of our lives.

The problem we found with traveling as a couple is that there are three agendas, not two. Mine, Georgina’s and our relationship’s. The solution: We needed to treat it like a third person that has a third set of needs, not get an extra bed put in the room or carry a third backpack but actually make time for it during the day. The very environment conspires to come between any relationship while traveling – grubby rooms, diarrhea, tropical heat, single beds, intense situations, cultural taboos and the often unavailability of personal hygiene all redefine a relationship but it’s ignorance to all this which causes friction.

All was not lost though, once emotions had settled and feelings were out in the open we swiftly realised that it wasn’t a problem we had intentionally created, neither of us had meant any harm or lost any love, it was just something we simply hadn’t prepared for that got carried away. We’d managed to fit everything we might need for our trip into our backpacks and assumed our relationship would slot neatly in there too.

For the record I gave in, we went to Bac Ha market and I loved it. That’s how we do things now, if one of us wants to go somewhere or do something then we do it, no questions, no compromises, no moaning we just get on with it. Everyone needs a little push to do something they wouldn’t normally do sometimes, after all aren’t new places, new people and new experiences what traveling is all about.

We have been traveling southeast Asia for over a year now, we’ve seen things that neither of us will ever forget and done things that would make people back home green with envy. We have lived our dream! It’s been a constant learning curve but traveling as a couple has only enriched both our experiences. It means we don’t just have pictures of beaches and temples, but of each other – in these amazing places, we have the luxury of being able to talk our way to a solution rather than worry about a problem and look after each other if one of us gets sick. We’ve seen each others true colours shine through the amplified situations and shared everything… Nothing gives meaning to a moment or a place like being able to share it with someone you love.

Back in August 2008 my fiance and I (Georgina) were traveling through northern Vietnam and stopped in the beautiful mountain town of Sapa. Our $7 room had the feel of an old alpine cottage and unparalleled views of the infinite mountain scenery. We knew instantly we had stumbled over something special, surely one of the most romantic places we’d been on our travels to date.

Whilst drinking in morning coffees and that million dollar view (or seven as the case may be) the chat turned to how we should fill our time in such a beautiful place, that’s when the cracks started to show.

Georgina wanted to make a brutal seven hour bus trip to a remote and rural weekend market in a town called Bac Ha, filled with visions of Flower H’mong hill-tribe people selling everything from dried shrimps to dogs – the “real” Vietnam maybe, she was keen as mustard. I however was not.

Having been dragged around every market we’d passed since we left home, all I could focus on were the practicalities of getting there, the poor roads and sweaty buses for seven long hours.

Things between us came to a head and at that point, in our idyllic mountain cabin, we realised the underlying issue had nothing to do with the market, in fact it was a problem which had been simmering beneath the surface for weeks or maybe even months. Somehow we had managed to grow apart as lovers, regularly finding ourselves in intense situations and constantly being around each other, we had become better friends than we could have ever hoped but with all the highs and lows that come with traveling foreign, unfamiliar countries we had forgotten to set aside time for just us.

It’s not as if we forgot or were too busy to love each other, rather that we didn’t adapt our relationship the same way we had to adapt every other aspect of our lives. Strolling hand in hand down perfect beaches with breathtaking sunsets as a backdrop, going out for candle lit dinners and lazy Sunday’s (well everyday) soon became the norm. More than that, they became part of our daily routine. I suppose it was naive to think a whole new way of life wasn’t going to change our relationship, that everything would take care of itself while we took care of having the time of our lives.

The problem we found with traveling as a couple is that there are three agendas, not two. Mine, Georgina’s and our relationship’s. The solution: We needed to treat it like a third person that has a third set of needs, not get an extra bed put in the room or carry a third backpack but actually make time for it during the day. The very environment conspires to come between any relationship while traveling – grubby rooms, diarrhea, tropical heat, single beds, intense situations, cultural taboos and the often unavailability of personal hygiene all redefine a relationship but it’s ignorance to all this which causes friction.

All was not lost though, once emotions had settled and feelings were out in the open we swiftly realised that it wasn’t a problem we had intentionally created, neither of us had meant any harm or lost any love, it was just something we simply hadn’t prepared for that got carried away. We’d managed to fit everything we might need for our trip into our backpacks and assumed our relationship would slot neatly in there too.

For the record I gave in, we went to Bac Ha market and I loved it. That’s how we do things now, if one of us wants to go somewhere or do something then we do it, no questions, no compromises, no moaning we just get on with it. Everyone needs a little push to do something they wouldn’t normally do sometimes, after all aren’t new places, new people and new experiences what traveling is all about.

We have been traveling southeast Asia for over a year now, we’ve seen things that neither of us will ever forget and done things that would make people back home green with envy. We have lived our dream! It’s been a constant learning curve but traveling as a couple has only enriched both our experiences. It means we don’t just have pictures of beaches and temples, but of each other – in these amazing places, we have the luxury of being able to talk our way to a solution rather than worry about a problem and look after each other if one of us gets sick. We’ve seen each others true colours shine through the amplified situations and shared everything… Nothing gives meaning to a moment or a place like being able to share it with someone you love.

“Things between us came to a head and at that point, in our idyllic mountain cabin, we realised the underlying issue had nothing to do with the market, infact it was a problem which had been simmering beneath the surface for weeks or maybe even months. Somehow we had managed to grow apart as lovers, regularly finding ourselves in intense situations and constantly being around each other, we had become better friends than we could have ever hoped but with all the highs and lows that come with traveling foreign, unfamiliar countries we had forgotten to set aside time for just us.”

]]> http://happytimeblog.co.uk/in-the-press/it-takes-two-featured-in-hip-compass-escapes/feed/ 0 http://happytimeblog.co.uk/in-the-press/it-takes-two-featured-in-hip-compass-escapes-2/ http://happytimeblog.co.uk/in-the-press/it-takes-two-featured-in-hip-compass-escapes-2/#comments Mon, 13 Jul 2009 15:55:56 +0000 Aaron Bradford | HappytimeBlog.co.uk http://happytimeblog.co.uk/2009/07/13/it-takes-two-aaron-georgie-featured-in-hip-compass-escapades/ Hello everybody, just a quick update to let you know that our super duper article featured in the online travel magazine HipCompass Escapades – “It takes two” is now available for your viewing pleasure. It’s a feature packed travel magazine with lots of useful info and interesting articles (especially mine!!!) so click the cover below to take a look-see… Thanks you beautiful people.

“Things between us came to a head and at that point, in our idyllic mountain cabin, we realised the underlying issue had nothing to do with the market, infact it was a problem which had been simmering beneath the surface for weeks or maybe even months. Somehow we had managed to grow apart as lovers, regularly finding ourselves in intense situations and constantly being around each other, we had become better friends than we could have ever hoped but with all the highs and lows that come with traveling foreign, unfamiliar countries we had forgotten to set aside time for just us.”

]]> http://happytimeblog.co.uk/in-the-press/it-takes-two-featured-in-hip-compass-escapes-2/feed/ 0 http://happytimeblog.co.uk/picture-of-the-day/todays-picture-of-the-day-2/ http://happytimeblog.co.uk/picture-of-the-day/todays-picture-of-the-day-2/#comments Tue, 17 Feb 2009 00:23:17 +0000 Aaron Bradford | HappytimeBlog.co.uk http://happytimeblog.co.uk/2009/02/17/todays-picture-of-the-day-2/ On today’s menu is a picture taken in Sapa, northern Vietnam, of some Black H’Mong hilltibe children fresh out of school and going for a swim in the river… Enjoy

6:00am we woke up for the Bac Ha market… Far too early for any kind of market cultural or otherwise if you ask me but we had made it all the way there and we weren’t about to sleep through it just to get back on the bone shaker bus without at least buying something useless.
A few Vietnamese coffee’s good and strong later and we were ready for anything! By this time the market had started to get rolling and loads of hill tribe people were strolling past the window with their wicker back baskets full of all sorts of stuff so we just followed them up the hill, into the main square where tourist tour buses had already started to turn up and down into the market. It was pretty spectacular how the sleepy little town had suddenly filled with life and colour overnight and even though at this point it had barely began there were ponies running about the shop and livestock being ferried in on the back of mopeds including the odd basket of dogs… We wandered past the tourist stalls which of course Georgie looked at every item on every one then took a turn into the fray, where the real market was beginning to get lively. It was a complete assault on the senses almost too much, the smell of sun dried fish and pigs squealing, the colourful hill tribe women all gossiping and the mopeds squeezing through the crowds, the overwhelming smell of rice wine and tobacco smoke from the men sitting having a toot on their bongs. It was pretty intense so we ducked out to a coffee shop on the main square for some refreshment and watched it unfold from a safer distance but it didn’t last long because Georgie had her heart set on some authentic hill tribe clobber and for that we had to go deep…
And deep we went, with no regard for the heat or the confusion we made our way to some stalls where Georgie was nothing short of accosted into a full hill tribe outfit and sold not one but two handbags, by this time it was getting more manic by the second and filling with tourists and locals alike to the point that there was barely enough room to stand still and take in what was going on around us. Georgie got her hill tribe clothes all sorted while I stood and watched a bunch of men poking and feeling up a couple of pigs before giving a nod and having them stuffed into sacks and lashed to their mopeds… Amazing.
We went for more refreshments and then had to head back to our hotel because we had alot of ground to cover if we wanted to get back to Hanoi to meet our bank card in time, we stuffed the new clothes in our bags which turned Georgie’s bag from massive to unbelievable then headed out for the short but gruelling hike up the hill to the main square to try and find a seat on a local bus. We were sent the wrong way a few times which to be honest almost had us keeling over then by chance we found a bus that didn’t look too bad, of course after it had driven around the town for an hour until it was actually full to bursting point and we were all squeezed in like sardines it didn’t seem quite as appealing but to be honest even if we had wanted to get out there wasn’t a prayer. About 10minutes into the journey one of the locals was obviously feeling a little rough (probably too much market hooch) and threw up which gave a new dimension to an already unbearable bus ride… It slowly thinned out as people got to their stops but it was as bad and hot as the ride there and even though the market had been pretty damn good as far as markets go it all started to seem not worth the trouble of getting there, maybe had we have been passing through or even spending a few days there then yes, it would have been magic but the way we did it it was just a killer and by the time we rolled into Lao Cai to try and wrestle some train tickets off the oaf at the office we were well and truly beat. What’s more we had a 5 hour wait for the train so we just hung out at a really nice Vietnamese cafe where Georgie played with the little baby that lived there and I purchased some mucky playing cards and played a fine game of solitaire… and I actually mean solitaire the card game.
We finally got some sense from the ticket man and tickets for the train at 5pm but still the train wasn’t due to board until 8pm so we just hung about some more until then, and as soon as we could we boarded the sleeper train and were out like lights…

After all the adventure and exploration of the past few days we decided to take a day off, sleep in till whenever we fancy and decide on what to do next and when to move on etc… We figured that we are quickly running out of time to try and fit in everything we want but we hadn’t quite finished with northern Vietnam and all its hilly wonders, amazing rural life and stunning views so we decided to head north east to Bac Ha the next day for the Bac Ha Sunday hill tribe market, the biggest market in the area… Now I think I’ve suffered my fair share of south east Asian markets recently but this one promised not only tat and trinkets but also a good helping of culture, and based on that presumption we packed up and booked a bus for the next morning. We didn’t really do anything else with our day except eat but it was a good day none the less. Our bus arrived at 7:30 so we were up and packed and of course had time to squeeze a super sweet super strong Vietnamese coffee down our necks before hopping aboard our mini bus and hitting the road for Lao Cai the main transport hub to the far north where we wandered to a restaurant and waited for a while for a local bus, while a small child from the shop next door stood about 6 feet away and stared at me for the entire time, the lad bareley blinked! I think it was probably the nose ring…This is where the fun began, we had been told it was about a 2 hour trip and I had deduced from the map that the roads weren’t going to be the best roads we have ever been on, what’s more it was local bus for less than $3 or private tour bus for $40 so in the interest of budgeting we went with the non air-con local bus… 4 of the most gruelling, hot and cramped hours later we arrived at Bac Ha, the ride was less like a bus ride and more like a really bad Thai massage by the world strongest man in a sauna! At times the bus actually drove along a train track, and at others along roads that couldn’t be any worse if they had recently been bombed but we were there and a short stomp found us nicely in a coll clean hotel room. It had taken us 8 hardcore hours to get there and we were exhausted but determined not to let that stop us we rented a moped for a few hours and went for an explore. Bac Ha is a small town set in similar if not as spectacular surroundings as Sapa, but it has a lot more of a rural feel to it even in the town centre there was the occasional pony and trap plodding by and lots of the houses where of wattle and daub type construction with wooden frames and cracked mud walls. Time was getting on and the light was fading so we didn’t go too far, just far enough to get a feel for the place and see the beautiful surrounding country side then back to town for a… Hot chocolate, its not as cool in Bac Ha as it was in Sapa but come the evening its just cool enough. We didn’t much further than that because we were both hot, tired and smelly also we wanted to be up early for the market in the morning…