You buy from me!?

We took the red-eye (over-night train) from Hanoi to Sapa, up in the north-east highlands. Beautiful mountain scenery and very colourful inhabitants. The indigenous (and ingenious) native people are living the way they have been for generations except they now have satellite tv and sell handicrafts to tourists. The women have black hands from dyeing hemp material in indigo dye that they make from local flowers. The young girls are the best at it, they follow you for up to an hour, looking cute and asking the same questions over and over until you cave in.
- Where are you from?
- What's your name?
- How old are you?
- How many brothers and sisters?
- You buy from me?

One trio of girls followed us through town to our hotel. The next morning they were staked out again, waiting for us. We managed to sneak out using a van that was parked outside the hotel as cover.

Someone is going to get an indigo pillow case for their birthday...

Paul