De ja two

Most border regions are no-man's lands where countries bleed culture, cuisine and customs into their neighbors. That's what I love about land crossings. The towns on either side are amazingly lively because they're so over-the-edge.

The Lao Cai / Hekou crossing implied some of the same relationships: bilingual storefront signs, a mixture of people and languages, and a subtle transitions of culinary flavors.

But this time, as I crossed over to China from Vietnam, I noticed the some of the heightened differences between the two countries, although geographically, the lands were separated by mere meters.

We waited in customs with hundreds of Vietnamese workers on their way to China for their daily jobs.  The traffic from China to Vietnam was noticeably absent.

Gone were the xe om (motorcycle taxi) touts. Gone were the crush of people.  Gone were the stares. And gone also were the delicate noodle soups and the to-die-for coffee.

Making a renewed appearance? Public coughing, hacking, and spitting. More cars than bikes roamed the wider streets. The freneticism lessened.  Bus tickets actually had assigned seating, and get this: long distance buses had sleeper beds. However grungy they were, these buses were much preferred to the Ha Giang buses.  Advice was still given without being asked, but at least in Hekou, it wasn't done with an outstretched hand. Buns and hearty soups abound.

It took me some time (I haven't quite reached the plateau yet) to get reacquainted with China.. I can't understand north from south, pork from chicken, or early from late.  Ni hao ma.  Bu hao. Liang. Mei you. That's pretty much all my brain has in working order.