CONTENT
3 7 1 SAPA
9
11
MONJON
NG
15
17
13 HIMALAYA TRIP ADVICES
EDITOR TALK
WHY MOUNTAIN? Almost 90 of the world’s countries have more than one-quarter of their territory in the mountains. More than 50% of the world’s population depends on water sourced from mountains. Mountains also provide high-quality natural products, rich agro-biodiversity, habitats for rare and endangered flora and fauna, and resources for tourism and recreation. However climate and global changes are having serious impacts on mountain ecosystem goods and services, particularly water, biodiversity, and atmospheric circulation. There is therefore an urgent need to raise awareness and promote policy actions to ensure the critical contribution of mountain ecosystems in meeting adaptation and sustainable development goals in upstream and downstream areas alike.
SAPA IN THE MIST VIETNAM
ORIGINS OF SAPA
Ta Phin village Ta Phin is a picturesque thirty minute drive North of Sapa. Set within a valley with a towering mountain peak at one end, this village is alive with the daily life of the Kinh, Red Dao and Black Hmong people. The valley floor is layered with rice paddies and dotted with 20 small home communes. Above them are some smaller communes and a patchwork of corn and vegetable fields. "We women are so active - not only do we grow vegetables and pigs and get wood for the fire, we also try to learn English so we can talk to tourists. Before there were tourists we were very poor. But now we can make more handicrafts and make some money and meet people." Ly May Chan is a true leader of her community. She is working to develop a cooperative so that villagers do not rush tourists as they arrive in Ta Phin but rather let them browse in the 'Cultural House'. She also encourages
villagers to send their kids to school, sometimes asking tourists to join her in this work. She encourages family planning "some people have 10 children, too many to feed!" May Chan has worked with outside organizations to educate the villagers about the problem of visiting pedophiles. The villagers are clear about this risk. Child molesters are not tolerated. "Everyone else is welcome to sat in our homestays! When you come into Lao Cai railway station from Hanoi, you can catch one of the many buses to Sapa. Go to the Sapa Tourist Information Office and make your simple application for permission to stay overnight with us. "Don’t listen to any one who says you can't, or that its not OK. They just want to catch your business! You can then get a driver or motor bike taxi to drop you at our village, after you pay the village government a small entry fee." "Please be welcome to visit us.
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'mong H’mong people may seem hy but with a visit to their a family introduction the ll open up with laughter, , song, and smile.
Sapa the Black H’mong comke up the majority of the In Ta Phin village, they popall commune on the West major rice paddy field. They ctive in the tourism product re play a major role in the duction as well as brocade ome tourist shops in Sapa
is predominantly indigo in ch is produced in fields and in dying the hemp fabric. n and white highlighting also used in the embroidery , belt and sleeves and helps sh age and skill.
and woman both wear a pe that is shiny. This piece is men and dyed as all of the
Red Dao The Red Dao people originated from China and migrated to Vietnam starting around the 12th or 13th century and continuing until the early 20th century. The majority migrated into Vietnam d u r i n g t h e M i n h d y n a s t y, d u e t o drought, failed crops and the pressures of Feudalism in China. The Dao consider themselves to be the descendants of Ban Vuong or Ban Ho, a legendary character of the Dao people. Overtime, the Dao people in China were divided into small groups and they migrated to different places, with some of them coming to Vietnam. During the migration, the different groups incorporated some cultural practices of other nations, creating new, diverse Dao cultures. However, the d i ff e r e n t g r o u p s s t i l l m a i n t a i n a common Dao identity, as they have the same origins and continue to share a common language. Red Dao people mainly live in Cao Bang, Lang Son, Tuyen Quang, Ha
COUNTRY TODAY Delan Mandelson
suggest you interesting counry or city that you should visit
MONJONG , CHIANGMAI
WHAT ARE IN THAILAND Alicia Biske
there are everything in this country that you dont have to go abord Mon Jong
has a beautiful landscape filled with mountain ranges. The route to this mountain is beautiful with the shade of sunlight along the deep forest of Omkoi. The loveliness of the scenery is an attraction that makes visitors fall in love with this place. There are also fields of Rhododendron for the travelers to see. Rhododendrons are ver y hard to find in Thailand, one of the places where we can find them is Hua Sing peak, which is the highest peak on Omkoi. Rhododendrons will blossom in the sunlight, which is a ver y beautiful picture that tourists come to see especially during winter.
MONJONG PARADISE THAILAND
Doi Mon Jong is located in the Omkoi W i l d l i f e S a n c t u a r y, M u s o e Fo r e s t Protec tion Unit, 131 M oo 2 Tambol Yangpiang, Amphur Omkoi, Chiangmai 50310. The route starts from Bangkok to Amphur Hot, Chiangmai. Then take the 108 highway and turn left to 1099 highway to Amphur Omkoi. After that drive to Musoe Forest Protection Unit and inform the officer about your visit in order to use the officer’s four-wheel car to Doi M o n J o n g . Note: Doi Mon Jong does not have any facilities for tourists. If you want to stay overnight you need to bring your own t e n t s a n d f o o d .
TRIPS ADVISER Bethany Nole
iThis should help you to find out a better way travel
1. Take your first step Okay, you’ve made the decision to trek Nepal, now what? It’s easy – get moving! A combination of aerobic training, leg strength exercises and loads of walking is the ideal way to build up your fitness, but don’t put it off until tomorrow, you need to start now. 2. Get yourself checked out At this point you could be thinking you’re mad for deciding to trek in Nepal, but it’s not your mental health I’m worried about. It might seem overkill, but it’s important to have a health check when you start training. I suffer from asthma but I didn’t want that to get in the way of my trek, so my medical specialist helped me physically prepare and also let me know what to do if I ran into trouble while I was away. It’s worth reducing your chances of getting any nasty surprises when you’re high on a hill in the Himalayas. 3. Put on your hiking boots With your fitness activities kicked off, now you’re ready to start wearing in those new hiking boots. Go to a good gear store and get them to fit you for the ideal boots, then wear them everywhere – I mean everywhere (it’s no time to be fashion conscious). Start with wearing your boots when you’re watching T.V.,
6 EASY TIPS FOR TREKKING cooking dinner in the kitchen and then take them out on the road. Walk to work, down to the shops, around the market…everywhere. Trust me, you don’t want to suffer blisters on the holiday just because you skimped on the boot preparation! 4. Stairway to Himalayas When you trek in Nepal, there are going to be hills and steps to climb (no surprises there), so make sure your training isn’t all on flat ground. Find bush trails with steep sections and steps to climb, then do those steps over and over. If you haven’t got any rocky mountain paths near home, jump on a stair-master at the gym or turn your office stairwell into your training ground. 5. Pack light and right Don’t leave your packing to the last-minute. In my experience, packing late leads to throwing in n-n-essential items in a panic. It helps to keep the weight and bulk of your main pack to a minimum by bringing clothes made from lightweight material. One or two changes will be all you need (no one is going to notice, or care, if you’re wearing the same t-shirt). However, as the weather conditions in the Himalayas can be unpredictable, make sure you’ve got layers to cope with rain, cold nights or warm days. Intrepid provides porters to assist with carrying your main pack (max 12kg), but you will need a medium size, comfortable day-pack to carry personal personal items, such as camera, water bottle, valuables, sunscreen, hat etc. So make sure you’ve got exactly what you need and don’t take unnecessary extras on holiday with you 6. Keep walking In the weeks and days leading up to your trek, make sure you’re out walking and keeping up your fitness regime. Depending on the trek that you choose, you’ll be walking for around 7 hours per day. That’s a long time on your feet if you’re normally sitting behind a desk from 9am-5pm, but I can promise you it’s all worth it to enjoy
5 OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL MOUNTAINS IN THE WORLD 2. Huayna Picchu, Peru peaking of things that look like they were constructed by an ancient civilization, this list would definitely fall a mountain short without a mention of Huayna Picchu.
4. Tre Cime Di Lavaredo, Italy Here is perhaps one of the most unique entries in our list. These three peaks jut straight up out of the earth like towers. Indeed, from a distance, they could be mistaken by ancient, tremendous, weathered monuments erected by some lost civilization with incredible architectural capabilities.
1. The Matter This is one of th with a recogn many people ca Swiss Alps are Matterhorn is famo
Places to Go Elan Daimon
suggest you the best place that you have to go once in you life
rhorn, Switzerland hose iconic mountains nizable profile which an spot right away. The e incredible, but the probably their most ous summit. 3. Denali, Alaska If you are looking for a mountain that will awe you with its sheer size and imposing profile, travel to Denali in Alaska.
5. Kirkjufell, Iceland This odd looking mountain is really more of a butte, with a flat top. Horizontal lines of sediment rising out of a smoothly sloped base give it a neat and orderly look. As such, it is very distinctive. It may not be all that tall, but its elegance and symmetry make it unique among all the peaks on earth.
RUN HIMAYALAS Log into your Nike+ account. Go to 'Friends' in the settings. Search for us by username 'Nike India Official' in Nike+ and then add us as a friend. We will accept your friend request within 12 hours and record your current, cumulative kilometers as per your Nike+ account. This stands as your starting kilometer count. Between July 15, 2014 and August 27, 2014 Run as many times as you can and clock up those kilometers. We will be tracking the kilometers you have run. The leaderboard will reflect participants progress during the month AT THE END OF THE CONTEST PERIOD, THE 6 RUNNERS WHO HAVE RECORDED THE MOST NUMBER OF KILOMETERS ON THEIR NIKE+ ACCOUNT WILL BE CHOSEN TO PARTICIPATE IN AN EPIC RUN IN THE HIMALAYAS WITH US.