![20170427_130139-_D5A9865 20170427_130139-_D5A9865](https://media.walkandalie.com/images/0f82faae005ad8d1138fca5445c0d085/20170427_130139-_D5A9865-900x900.jpg)
After a morning hiking up and over hill upon hill of remote villages near Hoang Lien my legs were actually a bit noodley and I was so glad when our guide pointed out we'd arrived in Nam Cang. When I was researching where to stay in the northern mountains of Vietnam, I'd read about a special Riverside Lodge--and that was were we were headed for lunch.
![20170427_130549-700_6034 20170427_130549-700_6034](https://media.walkandalie.com/images/fb906ee37343575093b3c34e26c659d4/20170427_130549-700_6034-900x900.jpg)
Our welcome to the village included the usual menagerie of chickens, ducks, fish ponds, as well as the above!
Here are some of the ponds for breading fish, below,
![20170427_130746-_D5A9881 20170427_130746-_D5A9881](https://media.walkandalie.com/images/c6511edfce4c45b34a24e471a295a141/20170427_130746-_D5A9881-900x900.jpg)
as well as some baby chicks, which fluttered and scampered everywhere we walked. The village was a whole, and so the animals seems part of the fabric of the town in a way I'd never experienced in the U.S. They seemed to belong to no one and everyone.
![20170427_130859-_D5A9884 20170427_130859-_D5A9884](https://media.walkandalie.com/images/813b794a318c55b87be9b84c08c507ae/20170427_130859-_D5A9884-900x900.jpg)
![20170427_131443-700_6047 20170427_131443-700_6047](https://media.walkandalie.com/images/e3a63b85f0ae793ff05d0dc154ffb59a/20170427_131443-700_6047-900x900.jpg)
Babies everywhere! I couldn't believe what beautiful clothes the villagers wore in such a remote place, where there are few roads and cars. Yet the hand-stitched embroidery was not only on skirts, but hats and purses. I love the care they put to make their world beautiful; it was breathtaking.
We passed a few of the local houses, this village a bit larger than either of the previous ones, as well as a homemade water transportation system, the bamboo 'pipes' bobbing furiously from the gush of Spring's water.
![20170427_131602-_D5A9889 20170427_131602-_D5A9889](https://media.walkandalie.com/images/f68f93c5023d3c23bc79064147b13b8c/20170427_131602-_D5A9889-900x900.jpg)
![20170427_130833-700_6041 20170427_130833-700_6041](https://media.walkandalie.com/images/34fe105a64358ed5272215c71f548c34/20170427_130833-700_6041-900x900.jpg)
We crossed a rope bridge with tight legs and hungry bellies,
![20170427_131822-_D5A9897 20170427_131822-_D5A9897](https://media.walkandalie.com/images/2140dfdf4b53e6d9d50f41b5f11d2a22/20170427_131822-_D5A9897-900x900.jpg)
![20170427_141255-_D5A9906 20170427_141255-_D5A9906](https://media.walkandalie.com/images/28a754a029e10cc47b922301aa5c83fe/20170427_141255-_D5A9906-900x900.jpg)
and there she was: the Lodge where we'd get food!
![20170427_141315-_D5A9907 20170427_141315-_D5A9907](https://media.walkandalie.com/images/4a7b90f2a6a53311a034f74609e2b467/20170427_141315-_D5A9907-900x900.jpg)
Oh, the food--it was so incredibly flavor-packed--and some of the best we had in the entire country. One of our constant challenges was that MSG is not only pervasive, but goes by several different words in Northern Vietnam--so it was very hard for me to communicate what I couldn't have. Did I mean seasoning? Salt? Sugar? They sometimes weren't sure, despite my hotel notes I pulled out written in Vietnamese. But here, they knew, and everything was Alie-safe!
![20170427_132743-_D5A9901 20170427_132743-_D5A9901](https://media.walkandalie.com/images/9bffa510964d06047fe4989f8ce05c24/20170427_132743-_D5A9901-900x900.jpg)
At the door, we were asked to remove our shoes and put on shared plastic 'slippers', which instantly made us feel at ease. And the food! I don't remember all the food, but the warm cabbage and crispy mushroom spring rolls were beyond heavenly. They also served raw guava slices, which were like a dry, not-sweet apple. We couldn't stop eating and smiling, and wiping our fingers with the mini pack of Kleenex they gave us as a napkin.
Leaving lunch, we headed back into the town to meet the friendly hosts of our hike. The rain was misting and it feel wet every step we took.
![20170427_141437-_D5A9909 20170427_141437-_D5A9909](https://media.walkandalie.com/images/dfff3dc782f5ad3671327dcd89f07a45/20170427_141437-_D5A9909-900x900.jpg)
![20170427_141708-_D5A9919 20170427_141708-_D5A9919](https://media.walkandalie.com/images/c08f0d55341bd48b0e34755443c64bac/20170427_141708-_D5A9919-900x900.jpg)
In this local house, we met a grandfather who had traditional papers hundreds of years old. He held them up to the dim light proudly, and I was surprised how well preserved they were in a house that was in no way sealed or sanitary.
![20170427_142115-_D5A9936 20170427_142115-_D5A9936](https://media.walkandalie.com/images/4dac17f83e77c69ab64d1f6da069a79a/20170427_142115-_D5A9936-900x900.jpg)
He also showed how he melted down ancient coins from China into jewelry; we were both kindof like . . . 'wouldn't the coins be more valuable?' in our heads, but didn't say that, of course! :)
![20170427_142726-_D5A9943 20170427_142726-_D5A9943](https://media.walkandalie.com/images/f23bb3ffc3a6f2ca952b6da6a396eda0/20170427_142726-_D5A9943-900x900.jpg)
Throughout our conversation, a variety of his relatives walked in and out, of all generations. And then he showed us, proudly, his bong.
Experiencing village life in a place with no cell phones or electricity, where everything was hewn and sewn and placed by hand, was humbling. Taking the subway to work seems a breeze in comparison.
![20170427_143455-_D5A9959 20170427_143455-_D5A9959](https://media.walkandalie.com/images/a502ba18d1e813dd4cd9aa0eccd649ff/20170427_143455-_D5A9959-900x900.jpg)
![20170427_143939-_D5A9979 20170427_143939-_D5A9979](https://media.walkandalie.com/images/d463c0c1ed63eb3e5be423b3ded99979/20170427_143939-_D5A9979-900x900.jpg)
We can't wait to visit Sapa and her surrounds again someday, maybe during a different season.
![20170427_143330-700_6063 20170427_143330-700_6063](https://media.walkandalie.com/images/f5f359cdc144c27f810324df8b0ea76c/20170427_143330-700_6063-900x900.jpg)
Such a stunning area of the world, and so lucky we could visit!
![20170427_145422-_D5A9985 20170427_145422-_D5A9985](https://media.walkandalie.com/images/3fac9c3d57b9f98b591bda61ac47f727/20170427_145422-_D5A9985-900x900.jpg)