Sapa and surrounds

Second day at Sapa we visited a local minority people village. Was a bit tourist oreintated but still interesting to see how some in the world still live. Funny to see how some of the 'local' handcrafts are now made in China. Great talking with the villagers - they seemd to be such happy people. They are tiny, we felt a bit like Gulliver in Lilliput, but have the most amazingly expressive faces. Considering their primitative living conditions they are so happy. One young woman we spoke to was 22 (looked about 14) and already had two babies. It is not uncommon for them to get married at 16 or 17 even though the legal age for marriage is 18. Traditionally the marriages were arranged, but things are changing. Can't help but feel that they are being exploited for tourism, and that they will become more and more discontented with their way of life, as they see how 'wealthy' the western world is.