The dark colors of the indigo dyed cloth are highlighted by embroidered belts, arm bands and purses. Most of the girls we talked to had embroidered their own - it's a skill that girls learn when they are young.
These little fish swim around a tub wanting to be free. Unfortunately, the odds are that they will appear on someone's plate that evening....
Decorations remain up long after Christmas, as these Black Hmong kids take a foggy afternoon stroll past the cemetery in Sapa town. Most kids will go back to their village in the evenings, but a few stay in town with relatives for several days in a row to work in the markets or in the tourist trade.