Let’s once visit Bac Ha Market and you will be able to experience the life of people in Sapa.The Sunday Market in Bac Ha is considered to be the largest of it’s kind in the mountainous region of Vietnam near the Chinese border.
Most days, Bac Ha is little more than a sleepy, dusty, mountain village, with nary a horse drawn cart roaming the main streets. But on market Sunday, the place is alive, and you can feel the electricity in the air.
This it is Xoi Chien, fried sweet rice snacks.
Or chilies, so fresh that smelling them can bring tears to your eyes, for those who think “red means go.” Actually, these chilies have a nice heat, but also a sweet, fruity finish as well.
Herbs direct from China just a few kilometers away.
The fresh Bamboo Shoots are sold here.
This fried sticky rice cake was so greasy, that it made the Xoi Chien seem like diet food. It was also tasteless; well unless you can tell me what the taste of cardboard is.
Skirting the other fried food stands, we made our way to the market perimeter. This is where all the “real” food vendors are.Just as in markets everywhere in Vietnam, Cambodia, and even Peru, all the prepared food vendors are organized by the type of food served. The largest section served up pork, pork, and more pork. The pork was divided into different cuts(the belly looked really good), the ribs, skin, and even sausage was available.
“Corn noodle”-It looked like something created with a gelatinous thickener, and was cut from large blocks.
This was a fairly intense negotiation session.
The long, cold winter has taken a toll on local livestock, and water buffalo are in demand. It was fascinating watching this transaction take place. Much of the conversation and negotiation is done very quietly.
By this time, the crowds were beginning to arrive, slogging the already cramped walkways. It was time to leave. Bac Ha’s main street was filled with motorbikes, buses of tourists, and people milling about. And while the market at Can Cau is smaller, and full of charm in a quaint kind of way; the market at Bac Ha is larger and much more intense.
Source : mmm-yoso.typepad.com
