Village trek

Our party of four adventurers set out on a village trek to Lao Chai and Ta Van. It was a hot day and we quickly found ourselves surrounded by "friends" who had umbrellas to shield us from the sun.

Having friends comes with responsibilities and once we had bought an item we were free to walk on unhindered.

In Lao Chai we found this grandmother weaving natural hemp fibres on her loom. The cloth is narrow in width but metres long.

The hemp hangs outside to dry after it has been processed into yarn. It is quite coarse and gives a rough, stiff texture to the woven cloth.

This photo shows the process of polishing the indigo dyed cloth to give it a high shine. The flat stone is rubbed over the cloth to achieve the sheen.

A coat and sleeveless vest featuring the embroidered collar and should patches common in this area. Many Hmong women wear this daily.