Bringing the Rice Home, one bag at a time
Explore #70 on Saturday, October 18, 2008
Hmong woman, 45 kg herself, carrying a 40 kg rice sack, from the rice paddy about one km below (see mark.) It’s the last stretch before the road, where it will be picked up by a motorbike, 3 sacks at a time, to drive it home. Most of the time the paddies are far and lower than the home which are situated high and not near the water fall lines. Rice needs a lot of water and constant watch of the levels. All this is done manually, by breaking a whole in the paddy’s wall for water to flow down to the next. In less than two hours, I saw the three women coming up three times. They probably have done this 6, 7 times this day with fatige and sweat on their faces. They barely took just enough time to load the motorbike and went back.
In the background you can see the magnificent Huang Lien Son mountain range and the Moung Hoa valley. A few km to the right is Phang Xi Pang (Fansipan) the tallest mountain in Southeast Asia, soaring to 3,143 m., a favorite challenge for serious hikers.
You can also see the burning of the rice hay. At the end of each day you can see hundreds of smoke trails filling the air with sweet aroma and making the vision, as the sun goes down, soft and beautiful… dream like.
check other images in this Rice set to read more about the Black Hmong and the Sapa community.
You are invited to view other images about RICE planting and harvest here:
www.flickr.com/photos/napix/sets/72157605373398672/
More about Rice, shortages and price jump: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rice
Sorry, On Dial-up now, at 26 Kbps, so it says, but actually much slower. Flickr is impossible :(
Also not much on line now, will catch up with all of you when I’m back :)
Thanks for the many interesting comments and contact request. Have no time to reply in detail now, but hopefully when I’m back. Thanks for your understanding.
Bringing the Rice Home, one bag at a time
Explore #70 on Saturday, October 18, 2008
Hmong woman, 45 kg herself, carrying a 40 kg rice sack, from the rice paddy about one km below (see mark.) It’s the last stretch before the road, where it will be picked up by a motorbike, 3 sacks at a time, to drive it home. Most of the time the paddies are far and lower than the home which are situated high and not near the water fall lines. Rice needs a lot of water and constant watch of the levels. All this is done manually, by breaking a whole in the paddy’s wall for water to flow down to the next. In less than two hours, I saw the three women coming up three times. They probably have done this 6, 7 times this day with fatige and sweat on their faces. They barely took just enough time to load the motorbike and went back.
In the background you can see the magnificent Huang Lien Son mountain range and the Moung Hoa valley. A few km to the right is Phang Xi Pang (Fansipan) the tallest mountain in Southeast Asia, soaring to 3,143 m., a favorite challenge for serious hikers.
You can also see the burning of the rice hay. At the end of each day you can see hundreds of smoke trails filling the air with sweet aroma and making the vision, as the sun goes down, soft and beautiful… dream like.
check other images in this Rice set to read more about the Black Hmong and the Sapa community.
You are invited to view other images about RICE planting and harvest here:
www.flickr.com/photos/napix/sets/72157605373398672/
More about Rice, shortages and price jump: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rice
Sorry, On Dial-up now, at 26 Kbps, so it says, but actually much slower. Flickr is impossible :(
Also not much on line now, will catch up with all of you when I’m back :)
Thanks for the many interesting comments and contact request. Have no time to reply in detail now, but hopefully when I’m back. Thanks for your understanding.