Northern Tour 2014 05

I’ve cut the photos from this day into two albums: the market in the morning and going through Đèo Mã Pí Lèng - Mã Pí Lèng Pass, for the afternoon photos see Northern Tour 2014 - 06

After breakfast in one shop and a great coffee opposite we headed to the market at Sà Phìn, Đồng Văn; the most manic rural market I've ever seen. It stretched out along the narrow road for about two kilometres through the village and climbed up the hill, there was very little free space on either side although there was a small off road area of stalls selling fabrics, clothing and a little bit of produce most of the action, however, takes place along the road.

Awnings are stretched across from side to side, tethered by ropes lashed to whatever was handy. In one area there where several long low benches with individually set places with cans of Red Bull, bottles of beer and a bong; ready for when people needed some soothing after trading. Vendors seemed to situate themselves wherever they could fit; while the road was thick with people moving from stall to stall while others on motor scooters pushed their way past while honking their horns.

Once through the thickest part of the melee there were sections where people sold dogs, squealing pigs and cattle. We spent several hours in the market before going through the famous and adjacent house of the former H'mong King and opium lord. 

The two story, 50 meter long house took eight years to build and has four long houses and six wide houses with 64 rooms for the king’s wives, children and soldiers. All the walls are 50-60 centimetres thick and are surrounded by a stone wall 2 meters high by 80 centimetres thick, with defensive slits for guns at several points. Deep in the compound, cut into solid stone was an opium storage vault, measuring about 6 by 3 metres.