Through the rice fields of Sa Pa accompanied by amazing local women

Tourism and Community Development

Who is a traveller? Is it someone who passionately collects memories and photos from distant places? Or is it someone who passionately collects travel miles...

But what are the consequences of travelling? Not for your soul, your wallet or your hard drive exploding with photographs. For the people, the ones who live there, yes, in the country, region or village you visited. I am wondering what impact tourism has on local people.

There must be examples of a good impact. I can think of one. When I visited Vietnam, I was amazed by the beauty of the people and the landscape in Sa Pa in the very north of the country. The region is home to numerous ethnic minorities who still live in a very traditional way. Do not be bothered if they have mobile phones or Facebook profiles. They are still dressed in traditional clothes, they speak their own languages and have their own beliefs.

The faces of Sa Pa women.

I went for an organised trekking around the rice fields and our guide was one of these women. With colourful clothes and long black hair, I found her really beautiful. The scenery we walked through was breathtaking. Green rice fields, hildren running around barefoot, riding water buffalos... And the whole time while walking we were accompanied by a dozen of women who spoke English surprisingly well and were telling us stories from their lives.

The nature in Sa Pa.

And I started thinking. This is such a wonderful way of including locals into the tourism business. They can be such an inspiration. We can learn from them and hopefully, they can learn something good from us.

Women have an important role there. Many tribes are matriarchal and often, it is women who ask the man in marriage and children take on the surname of the mother. They seem so strong and full of energy and they all have these amazing smiles on their faces. All. The. Time. With the rising flow of tourists visiting Sa Pa, they very quickly learn English and start making scarves, pillowcases, bags, clothes and jewellery with traditional patterns that they try to sell. They work from dawn to dusk and they never complain. THEY are the very example of powerful women.

Those women!

At the end of the day these women offered us the products they made and I couldn’t find a better way to thank them and encourage them to keep going than buying some things. Which, by the way, I really liked and still use today. Buying original products directly from the ones who produce them makes you avoid potential scammers whose only goal is to exploit these people and make money for themselves. I will never forget these women and I am happy I was able to contribute a tiny little bit so they can go on with their lives. But the impact they had on me was even bigger. If nothing else, I now think twice before I complain about anything.

Laughter is their everyday companion.

*This is a blog post for the WTD Blogger Competition on this year’s WTD theme “Tourism and Community Development”. Feel free to comment and share!

Nekega dne na Bledu. One day in Bled.

S projektom 365 fotografij v 365 dneh sem v takem zaostanku, da bom potrebovala veliko, ampak res veliko navdiha naenkrat, če bom želela to poletje zamudo nadoknaditi. Ampak bom! Vmes pa tale fotografija, ki mi jo je uspelo posneti nekega večera, kje drugje kot na Bledu! Poletje je v zraku (čeprav vreme nekaj štrajka ...).

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I am so extremely behind schedule for my '365 photos in 365 days' project that I'm going to need A LOT of inspiration at once if I want to catch up before the end of summer. But I will! In the mean time, here's a photo I managed to take during a lovely evening in Bled, Slovenia. Summer is in the air (even though the weather doesn't seem to admit it...).

Memorie a Ravenna

(English below)

Zdaj je končno prišel čas, da na tem blogu zapišem še kaj o tem, čemur je bil prvotno namenjen - mojim potepanjem po svetu. Odkar sem se vrnila iz Vietnama in tukaj začela delati, še nisem imela priložnosti odleteti kam dlje od doma. Prvomajski prazniki so bili kot nalašč za to. Štirje dnevi so dovolj za kratek skok v Italijo. In kot nalašč za urjenje moje že zakrnele italijanščine. In še bolj nalašč za prvo pravo preizkušnjo moje nove najljubše igrače, Nikona D5100!

Prvi postanek je bila Ravenna, priložnost za obujanje spominov z začetka srednješolskih let. Ravenna je odlično mesto za krajši postanek, narejeno po meri pešca in/ali kolesarja, ki za čisto navadnimi opečnatimi zidovi cerkva in mavzolejev skriva neprecenljive dragocenosti iz bizantinskih časov. Kogar umetnost in zgodovina zanimata, si mora brez dvoma omisliti skupno vstopnico v sedem ravenskih znamenitosti, za katero je treba odšteti nekaj manj kot 10 evrov. Vključuje pa: baziliko San Vitale, mavzolej Gale Placidije, Neonov baptisterij, baziliko S. Apollinare Nuovo ter nadškofijski muzej in kapelo (Cappella e Museo Arcivescovile).

Seveda se tudi tu ni moč izogniti številnim turistom, sploh v času prvomajskih praznikov. Najbolj vas zna znervirati čakanje na vstop v mavzolej Gale Placidije, ki je po mojem okusu najlepša ravenska znamenitost. Njegova slabost pa je v tem, da je tudi najmanjša ravenska znamenitost in si ga očitno prav vsi želijo ogledati. Obiskovalce zato v notranjost spuščajo po 5-minutnih intervalih. To pomeni, da skupaj z ostalimi 50 turisti (število je ocena) vstopiš, se razgledaš na vse štiri strani in že moraš ven. Škoda.

Literarni navdušenci v Ravenni ne bi smeli zamuditi obiska groba Danteja Alighierija, vendar pozor! Lasciate ogni speranza, voi ch'intrate...

Ravenna pa niso samo zgodovinske in umetniške znamenitosti. So tudi prijetni sprehodi po pisanih ulicah, majhni butiki in druge trgovine (opomba: ne pozabite na italijansko siesto, med 12. in 16. uro skorajda nobena trgovina ni odprta), dišeč caffelatte (ali espresso, cappuccino ... karkoli že pijete) in okusen gelato. In seveda vino. Giulia in Riccardo, gostitelja, ki smo jih našle preko portala Airbnb, sta nam priporočala obisk restavracije oz. vinske kleti Ca' de Ven in pokušino lokalnega vina sangiovese. Odločile smo se, da si najprej ogledamo znamenitosti, okoli treh popoldne pa smo se, lačne kot volkovi, odpravile tja. In seveda, tudi tam se niso izneverili popoldanski siesti. Lokal okoli enih popoldne zaprejo in ga spet odprejo šele ob šestih. Prevelika lahkota je zmagala in žal nismo uspele okusiti lokalnih znamenitosti, čeprav je bila restavracija videti več kot odlično. Tudi ljudje so iz nje odhajali široko nasmejani in zadovoljnih obrazov.

Nekje drugje smo pojedle kosilo in se potem, ker je tako ali tako deževalo, odpravile še v nek drug lokal, ki sta ga priporočila G & R, Fargo. Tam nam je tudi uspelo degustirati sangiovese. Sama sem že sploh ljubiteljica rdečega vina in to resnično ni bilo slabo!

It's finally time to dedicate some writing to the topic this blog was initially intended for - my wanderings around the world. Since I came from Vietnam and started working here in Slovenia, I haven't had the chance to fly somewhere far from home. The holidays around the 1st May were perfect for this. Four days are enough for a short escapade to our neighbour country Italy. And perfect for improving my almost forgotten knowledge of Italian. And even more perfect for the first real test of my new favourite toy, Nikon D5100!

We first stopped in Ravenna, the opportunity to reminiscence about my high school years. Ravenna is small enough for a short stop, yet it hides unbelievable treasures from the Byzantine times behind very simple brick walls of churches and mausoleums. It's also perfect for pedestrians and/or cyclists. Whoever is interested in history and art must absolutely buy the joint ticket for seven attractions in Ravenna which costs a bit less than €10. It includes: basilica San Vitale, Galla Placidia mausoleum, battisterio neoniano, basilica San Apollinare Nuovo and Capella & Museo Arcivescovile.

Of course it's quite impossible to avoid tourist crowds, especially around 1st May. You will probably be most stressed while waiting to enter the Galla Placidia mausoleum which is my favourite attraction in Ravenna. But it is also the smallest and apparently everyone wants to see it. The staff let the visitors inside for 5 minutes – this means that when you get to enter (after waiting for who-knows-how-much-time outside), you are squeezed among 50 or so other tourists, you look left and right and you have to go out.

If you like literature you won’t want to miss Dante Alighieri’s tomb in the centre of Ravenna (Dante Alighieri Street of course). But beware! Lasciate ogni speranza, voi ch'intrate…

But Ravenna does not only offer historical and cultural attractions. It also offers lovely walks through the streets, little boutiques (beware: do not forget the Italian “siesta”, almost all the shops and even some restaurants are closed between 12 and approx. 4 pm), nice-smelling caffelatte (or espresso or cappuccino, whatever you may be drinking) and tasty gelato. And wine of course! Giulia and Riccardo, our two lovely hosts found through Airbnb, suggested us to visit Ca’ de Ven restaurant & wine cellar and taste the Sangiovese wine and some local specialities. We decided to visit the attractions first and then around 3 pm, hungry as ever, headed there. And yeah, they too had a siesta. Until 6 pm!! We were to hungry to wait so we had to find another place to eat. A real pity because the restaurant seemed really great and people who were leaving it had big smiles on their faces.

Since it was raining we took another advice by G & R and headed to Fargo, a really lovely place to go for a drink and/or a snack. And it was there that we finally tasted Sangiovese. I am a red wine lover and this one was pretty good, I must say!

Razdalja. Distance.

Včasih pride prav tudi tale napravica, pa ne zato, ker pove #razdaljo, ampak zato, ker pove, kdaj je treba kam zaviti (in ne zaviti).

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Sometimes a gadget like this is pretty useful. Not because it tells you the #distance but because it tells you when to make a turn (or not).

124. dne v Ravenni. On the 124th day in Ravenna.

To je bila #luč v kavarni-slaščičarni, ki nam je nekega majskega jutra v Ravenni ponudila zajtrk: caffelatte in mini pita z gozdnimi sadeži.

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This was the #light at a caffetteria-pasticceria that offered us breakfast one morning in May in Ravenna: caffelatte and a tiny berry pie.

Detajl. Detail.

Še en #detajl iz Ravenne. To je bil 123. dan.

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Another #detail from Ravenna. This was the 123rd day.

Od 47. do 54 dne. Day 47 to day 54.

Takole, malo me je zdelala bolezen, malo sem bila na poti ... Pa je šel cel teden mimo, jaz pa nisem objavila še nobene fotke. Zato sem jih zbrala kar v kolažu, ki bo lepo zaokrožil moj minuli teden, ki je bil (kljub vročini, bolečemu grlu in puščajočemu nosu) naravnost fantastičen.

Najprej #senca, zatem z mosta čez Seno zrem v nekaj #tam daleč. Medtem ko je bilo na obali ves čas več kot 10 stopinj, je na severozahodu Slovenije snežilo kot za stavo in bilo dosti, dosti bolj #mraz! Na koledarčku sem si že pred mesecem dni "zacahnala", da se #petnajst-ega odpravljam v Pariz. Preden sem šla, sem vrata #varno zaklenila s svojimi ključi, ki jih čuva ljubka Vietnamka.
Pred nekaj leti smo si doma omislili limono. Rastlino, grm limono. Potem je pa neke zime strašno opešala, izgubila vse liste in bili smo že prepričani, da je umrla. Mami je jo je že hotela vreči proč, ko je opazila majcene poganjke. Tako je, limonca je bila #živa in leto bomo želi njene prve sadove!
#Ko_odrastem, bom (mogoče) le dobila tisto službo in potem mogoče domov hodila čez tale trg v Bruslju.
In le kdaj bi bil človek bolj #srečen kot takrat, ko v prijetni družbi dragih prijateljev srka čaj in odpira globoke pogovore ...

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First, I was travelling then I got sick and so the whole week passed before I managed to upload a single photo. So I decided to make a collage of them that will neatly represent the past week which was (despite the feever, soar throat and runny nose) simply fantastic.

First of all, there's the #shadow, then I am standing on a bridge over the Seine looking at something that's #there far away. While it was warm all the time at the coast, the north-west of Slovenia was covered in snow and it was much much #cold-er. I made a note on my calendar a while ago that I am travelling to Paris on the #fifteen-th. Before I went there, I #safe-ly locked the door with my keys guarded by a lovely Vietnamese girl.
A few years ago, we bought a lemon tree. But then there was a cold winter and we thought it died. My mum wanted to throw it away when she noticed tiny little sprouts. That's right, the lemon was very much #alive and this year, we're going to taste its first fruits!
#When_I_grow_up, I will (maybe) get that job and maybe I will be going home from work accross this Brussels square.
And when else one is real #happy than when they spend time with dear close friends sipping tea and having deep conversations...