Comments on: Don’t be Fooled in Sapa: It’s Fake! http://www.inmyallstars.com/2007/04/sapa-is-fake/ Experiences the Globe Round Wed, 20 Aug 2008 20:01:12 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.1 By: TravMonkey http://www.inmyallstars.com/2007/04/sapa-is-fake/#comment-160 TravMonkey Mon, 09 Apr 2007 00:47:32 +0000 http://www.inmyallstars.com/2007/04/sapa-is-fake/#comment-160 I was in Sapa not long ago, the problem is that these people have left their village life in search of the tourist cash. I mean who really wants to see locals dressed in so called traditional dress if they aren't being traditional at all? Sapa is a beautiful place but has the local's culture is being eroded by the influx of tourists. I have a policy of not buying anything from these people as if just feeds the habbit more and more.... but it seems to late from Sapa and many other places around the world. There was a time when these people weren't reliant on the tourists cash, they could live off the land. I was in Sapa not long ago, the problem is that these people have left their village life in search of the tourist cash.

I mean who really wants to see locals dressed in so called traditional dress if they aren’t being traditional at all?

Sapa is a beautiful place but has the local’s culture is being eroded by the influx of tourists.

I have a policy of not buying anything from these people as if just feeds the habbit more and more…. but it seems to late from Sapa and many other places around the world.

There was a time when these people weren’t reliant on the tourists cash, they could live off the land.

]]> By: Timen http://www.inmyallstars.com/2007/04/sapa-is-fake/#comment-163 Timen Mon, 09 Apr 2007 08:40:25 +0000 http://www.inmyallstars.com/2007/04/sapa-is-fake/#comment-163 Hey Paul, That might indeed be the best policy. I remember leaving Sapa early because of my disgust. I felt betrayed and unhappy. I took a bus to a place 100 kilometers away. Similar place as Sapa. Rice paddies carved into the mountains. Minorities in beautiful clothing. But this time, unspoiled. Hey Paul,

That might indeed be the best policy. I remember leaving Sapa early because of my disgust. I felt betrayed and unhappy.

I took a bus to a place 100 kilometers away. Similar place as Sapa. Rice paddies carved into the mountains. Minorities in beautiful clothing. But this time, unspoiled.

]]> By: Christopher Skinner http://www.inmyallstars.com/2007/04/sapa-is-fake/#comment-169 Christopher Skinner Tue, 10 Apr 2007 06:10:03 +0000 http://www.inmyallstars.com/2007/04/sapa-is-fake/#comment-169 Great to hear another take on Sapa. I did find that Sapa, like many other hill tribe communities in SE Asia, had an artificial front for the sake of making money. The only people who wore traditional clothing were people selling blankets and silver plated bracelets. The local people, off the beaten path (in local neighbourhoods in the villages), look more like city people than hill tribe people. I was aware that most souvenirs were made in china, but I also know that many are made in factories in Sapa town. Other trinkets, in more remote areas, seemed very original. This was a typical tailored SE Asia experience. On my blog you mentioned that the people can survive on $1 a day instead of the $20 that it takes for us to survive. I think that anyone can survive on a dollar a day but, in my opinion, all people deserve more. I gave a man some medicine from my backpack (cost of $3). On a budget of 1 dollar a day, this man would have only been able to buy food, and therefore his infection would have spread, leaving him in a poor state of survival. I do agree that many people in SE Asian countries are far less poor than they seem, as the make so much from tourists, but there is an obvious imbalance between us and the general population, which is just as obvious. I always assess someone's level of need and how much I have to give before I do. For me, giving makes me feel better about being in a country and so it's not entirely altruistic. Great Blog! I'll keep checking in. :) TravelingChris Great to hear another take on Sapa. I did find that Sapa, like many other hill tribe communities in SE Asia, had an artificial front for the sake of making money. The only people who wore traditional clothing were people selling blankets and silver plated bracelets. The local people, off the beaten path (in local neighbourhoods in the villages), look more like city people than hill tribe people. I was aware that most souvenirs were made in china, but I also know that many are made in factories in Sapa town. Other trinkets, in more remote areas, seemed very original. This was a typical tailored SE Asia experience.

On my blog you mentioned that the people can survive on $1 a day instead of the $20 that it takes for us to survive. I think that anyone can survive on a dollar a day but, in my opinion, all people deserve more. I gave a man some medicine from my backpack (cost of $3). On a budget of 1 dollar a day, this man would have only been able to buy food, and therefore his infection would have spread, leaving him in a poor state of survival. I do agree that many people in SE Asian countries are far less poor than they seem, as the make so much from tourists, but there is an obvious imbalance between us and the general population, which is just as obvious. I always assess someone’s level of need and how much I have to give before I do. For me, giving makes me feel better about being in a country and so it’s not entirely altruistic.

Great Blog! I’ll keep checking in. :)

TravelingChris

]]> By: Olivier http://www.inmyallstars.com/2007/04/sapa-is-fake/#comment-1304 Olivier Sun, 17 Feb 2008 12:36:41 +0000 http://www.inmyallstars.com/2007/04/sapa-is-fake/#comment-1304 Hello, I am living in Sapa and the story you tell us about the blankets is, of course, totally wrong. Blankets are made with skirts, usually old ones. They break the skirts in order to get the most beautifuls parts of it and then put several of them together before dying them. The originals skirts were made by hand. They made blankets by hand : cutting skirts then sewing them together and dying them. The "crap" which isn't made by hand is usually sold by the red zao : giant tapistry-like to put on the walls and some of the pillows. Everything that lose color (you need to fix it) is made by hand. Of course minorities need money to survive and most of the people that you can trust sell in the market rather than in the streets (except the ones selling near the big park.) Hello,

I am living in Sapa and the story you tell us about the blankets is, of course, totally wrong. Blankets are made with skirts, usually old ones. They break the skirts in order to get the most beautifuls parts of it and then put several of them together before dying them.

The originals skirts were made by hand. They made blankets by hand : cutting skirts then sewing them together and dying them.

The “crap” which isn’t made by hand is usually sold by the red zao : giant tapistry-like to put on the walls and some of the pillows.

Everything that lose color (you need to fix it) is made by hand.

Of course minorities need money to survive and most of the people that you can trust sell in the market rather than in the streets (except the ones selling near the big park.)

]]>