Mai Chau to Hanoi

A mixed day! 

This morning after another excellent breakfast Michael and I walked back to the craft villages for a few more purchases, then out beyond through through some rice fields, another village and back to the road. We walked for an hour and and forty minutes, getting back to the hotel in time a coffee and a short wait for the car and driver.....so we thought!!

Anyone know what type of butterfly this is?

Every house in the village we walked to seemed to have a well

Wash day for the White Thai folk!

We think these women are processing tapioca ( the cassava )

Then the drama began. The driver didn't turn up till almost 2.0pm, two hours late. Mr Doung told him it was unacceptable!!! We packed up and set off at breakneck speed through the village despite us asking him to go steady. As we turned onto the main road he made to overtake on a blind bend, Andrew blew his top and stopped him and phoned the company!!! He drove much steadier after that, but then apparently (I was asleep) he was falling asleep at the wheel about an hour into the journey. Andrew made him stop and we took a break.....more phone calls to the company!! He was more alert after the break and drove fairly safely, then we hit the rush hour traffic in Hanoi. By then Orlo was almost in meltdown!!! We eventually got home at 6.0pm....not the best car journey I have done. I doubt if any of us will stay up to see the New Year in.....

We are having a quiet couple of days here, then we are all off to Hoi An for five days.......to the warmth!

Mai Chau Day 2

We woke fairly early to another dry but cloudy day. The breakfast menu here is excellent, lots of choice so,we indulged in eggs (poached for me, fried for him) and bacon, and pancakes served with honey and bananas. What we didn't know was that a fruit platter is served as well, pineapple, watermelon and mango, plus tea and coffee!! Andrew prepared for his bike ride, and Michael and Orlo prepared for their hike, and GrannyLiz prepared for a quiet day! They were all gone by 10.15 and I set off up the village to explore and find an ATM.

This must be wedding season as there was one in the village yesterday and I saw two today

The bride and groom

Street scene

Anyone for a spit roasted chicken?

There is so much litter and dumped rubbish in this country

And pastoral scenes

Lovely water lilies

I walked back through the fields and had a snack lunch, then it was time to set off for the craft villages again.......👍😉

I just love these traditional skirts, patchworked and cross stitch then pleated !

I bought a few woven scarves from local women with their looms and just enjoyed looking at all the handiwork.

I returned to the hotel and sat stuffing and finishing off a patchwork Christmas wreath. A Christmas gift for next year 👍👍

I have now started on the patches for another one, I brought three sets of cut out and pinned patches and enough stuffing plus some more fabric in case I was so inclined......it's easy to carry around and pick up and put down.

Michael,and Orlo returned from their expedition about 3.30pm having had a great day. They went with a guide and only walked circa 6km. At lunchtime they met a local family who had a guest and had killed a rabbit, and they were invited to join them. Rabbit, beans, rice wine, the lot, how does RMP do,it!!!!! They finished their walk at the house where honey is produced which Orlo had told us about. Andrew returned circa 1.0pm having cycled only 70km!

So.... It almost the end of another day, I am looking forward to exploring the dinner menu once more. Last night we had pork spring rolls, fried chicken, sauté beans and rice, and Orlo had his favourite, pho ga! 

Mai Chau

Today we drove 140km west south west of Hanoi through the mountains to the picturesque valley of Mai Chau. It was not a good journey, wet, twisty and bumpy in places, but worth it when we got here! Andrew, Amanda and Orlo have been here a couple of times before and we are staying at the Mai Chau Valley View Hotel which has 8 rooms. We were made very welcome by Mr Duong and his staff, ginger tea and warm flannels on arrival. Our room is on the first floor overlooking the rice paddies.

I think we will be very comfortable here for two nights

After a late lunch M, Orlo and I walked to the local craft village of Ban Lac. The streets are full of local and not so local crafts. However it is quite easy to identify the local work as the women are working on their looms next to the shops, in the space under their stilt houses.

It was also a good opportunity to see traditional village life close up

I think I will wander back there tomorrow while the others go on a hike. 😉

Until then....

Christmas in Hanoi

Christmas Eve was spent preparing for the big day! 

Buying flowers

Decorating the cake, with items from the Lego Advent Calendar !

Then we were off to Amanda's works Christmas party, the Vietnamese certainly know how to enjoy themselves ...... 

...and can they eat!!

The buffet was huge, but we left just as it started as we had a Skype appointment with Amanda's parents staying with her brother and his family in Canada. Grandpa Jim always reads a section of The Wind in the Willows on Christmas Eve, then I read the Christmas story from Luke. Then it was time to write to Santa, put out the cookies, carrots for the reindeer and our stockings

Too soon it was Christmas morning! .....we had a lovely day opening gifts and preparing the meal and Orlo made Lego for 12 hours!!!! A work colleague of Amanda's joined us for Christmas dinner which was turkey with lots of yummy trimmings. A traditional pudding with brandy sauce and/or brandy butter followed, and apple pie, and Wensleydale cheeses, blue, white and cranberry.  

Boxing Day saw lazy start then we all walked or cycled the dog ( staying for the holidays) and eventually we went out for a late lunch. Afterward we had a walk through the residential lanes of the Tay Ho district and Orlo spent his Christmas money on a pirate Lego set to link with the set we bought him. He knew exactly what he wanted and which shop had it!!!!

Sunday and Monday saw a visit to the Army Museum where Amanda, M and I were locked in the tower.....but that is another story!!! A drive out to the Van Phuc the silk village and a visit to the water puppet theatre.

Today we have driven 140km to Mai Chau.....but that is for the next instalment! ....

Ba Be to Ha Noi

We woke to a cloudy slightly damp morning, after a good nights sleep. The beds have been good everywhere we have stayed. Breakfast was pancakes and syrup, and ......guess what.....fried eggs, two each!!! The breakfast was hot too, which made a change, so much of the food arrives warm or cold. There was green tea and Vietnamese coffee on offer, I had both and the coffee was the best local coffee I have had so far.

After breakfast Michael and I had a stroll up the lane and had views over the large ponds near the lake. Then it was time to stow the bags in Mr Linhs motorbike trailer and walk back to meet the car. We set off circa 9.40  travelling almost due south . The road was much better, Tarmac one lane wide for about the first hour then into two lanes!!!  We saw a lot of corn cobs drying hanging on the sides of the houses to dry . The houses in this area were also built on stilts but has wood plank or woven matting walls and tiled rooves. As in any country some are better built and maintained than others.

The further south we went the busier it became and the landscape opened out.  They were harvesting mandarins, we saw panniers and panniers full, waiting to be collected to take to market......and of course there are rice paddies everywhere but the rice has been harvested . We stopped in a small town for some Pho, which is the noodle soup the local people live on. We had Pho Ga which is the chicken soup and Kien had Pho Bo , the beef soup. They were both served with orange segments and some greens (mint and lettuce)

As I write this in the back of the car, we are approaching Hanoi and it is 15.10, so hopefully we will be home in about half an hour.

I will post some more photos once I am able to transfer to the iPad and then will not blog again until we have a special trip or day out

Meo Vac to Ba Be Lake

This was a long long day and extremely adventurous! We drove for 9 hours with only a few short stops.  We woke to a beautiful morning with the sun breaking over the mountains and the cloud/smoke hanging in the valley. 

We drove down the road for a couple of hours, over a pass eventually turning right at a major junction. After about 10km we came across road building work and the driver was told that the road was closed further along. It turned out that the driver was given some advice about an alternative route by one of the workmen. So we turned round back along the 10km to the junction and went straight on, which was the main road we could see on our map. After about 20min we turned off towards a place called Son Lo, it was very narrow and the surface deteriorated to a stony track and a dirt track. After 14km of rattling and rolling we came to the village, where more directions were sought. We could see that the driver was assured that the road ahead to Ba Be was ok.........however the problem is that all these people ride motorbikes, and the road is fine for them. Kien, our driver is a city man, from Hanoi and had never been up here before. We continued driving almost due south through amazing countryside, really rural. Steep sided valleys covered  with trees and jungle, mountains like a child would draw, steep with rounded tops. Every available bit of land is cultivated, the mountain sides are terraced wherever possible. Lower down there are banana trees, bamboo and occasionally a pointsettia tree with its red bracts. We forded three rivers, the first one being the deepest. Andrew found a long cane and measured the depth, and after much deliberation Kien decided to go for it!

It was just after this that Andrew told us that the vehicle was not 4WD! I wished he had waited to give us that information as we had many steep, washed out, muddy areas and hairpin after hairpin still to negotiate.

We passed through a market and saw a lot of rural life along the way, women carrying loads of fodder and some heather like stuff, men carrying logs and long canes of bamboo. Children herding the cows and buffalo, and going to and from school on their bicycles .

We eventually reached the main road to drive to Ba Be Lake which is a National Park. By this time it was 5.0pm and the light was fading. We drove round the lake then started to look for Mr Linhs Homestay, which was not where it showed on Googlemaps! Driving on, we came to a sign indicating that it was 500m along a concrete track, which was not wide enough for our vehicle. A phone call was made and soon a lad and a girl arrived on a motorcycle. She gave us a real welcome, Andrew sorted out which of his bags he needed and we set off to walk, it went dark along the way. She and I took my bags and the lad on the bike took the rest, he was festooned with bags!

The house was traditionally built up in stilts, with a verandah with rooms off. The rooms had a window which could be opened onto the verandah, with a consequent loss of privacy.  We were relieved to get here and Andrew and Michael sat out with a beer, while I dived into the shower, before settling down with a G&T. It was warm enough to sit outside!! There were quite a lot of people staying here, the first Westerners we had seen for five days, apart from a couple of cyclists three days ago. We felt that we were back in tourist country.

This guesthouse seems to have quite a large throughput and is well organised if a little rigid. The dinner menu was rice, fried noodle, vegetarian dishes and traditional Vietnamese dishes, and they could not/ would not deviate from this. We asked for tofu for Orlo but the " tofu is finished" . So then Andrew asked f they could cook an egg for him. Eventually he was told " here in Vietnam we don't have hen eggs" !!!!....... So we ordered the traditional Vietnamese food and Orlo had rice and vegetables.  It was all good and tasty, spring rolls, pork, vegetables, rice, with satsumas for dessert. Mr Linh welcomed us at the beginning of the meal,with the traditional rice wine toast.  

And so to bed.......tomorrow will be another long journey.

Meo Vac

An easy day for us today, we gave the driver a day off and Andrew did a mammoth cycle ride, the Meo Vac, Duong Van, Yen Minh , Meo Vac circuit, about 3,000m ascent, and 110km. He left at circa 9.45 and got back at 5.15. Just before it was getting dark. 

Michael and I and Orlo  explored the town this morning. A lot of the shops were closed and there was no sign of any other Europeans despite some of the shop signs being in English as well as Vietnamese. We found a lady frying doughnuts and sesame seed balls by the side of the road, which we sampled , they were good. Then we found the market and I was able to buy some biscuits and tissues. We continued to wander and came across wedding party tents, one was set up taking half of the road , the other was in the yard of a government building. I stood and watched for an hour, taking photos of everyone dressed in their best, some of the ladies were in very colourful outfits and many of the men were wearing black berets, presumably a French era influence. Unfortunately I am not able to upload those photos to this blog as I didn't bring the cable to connect to my IPad, however here are a few I took earlier in the morning before we set off.

View from our bedroom window

Looking to the farmstead next door

Andrews bike is ready....but is he?!

I came back to the auberge circa 12.15 as I had the bread we had bought and I thought Michael and Orlo might be getting hungry......so... I missed seeing the bride!!

This afternoon we went set off to explore into the countryside, very rustic farmsteads, with pigs ( on slats) cows, tied up in tiny stalls, hens and chicks, quail, and ducks. We set off up a upward path for just a short distance, then Orlo and I turned back to explore at a lower level. There are paths all over the place, used by the local people to get to their 'fields' and to neighbouring habitation. Eventually we diverted back to town to the doughnut lady, and thence back through town to the auberge. Interestingly the wedding party was completely over by then, just two hours after I had left.

Orlo and I then had a pleasant time, first of all doing the advent calendar on my iPad ( yes we feel we are in the back of beyond, but there is wifi!!!), while I tacked patches for another patchwork wreath, then we played Uno which Orlo won handsomely!! He had the advantage of playing it many times before and knowing the strategies.....that's my excuse anyway!

Michael arrived back about 3.30 having had a good walk in the hills opposite this place and we were very pleased to see Andrew back later on.

Staying in these mountainous places is always a challenge and is something I haven't done for a few years. When the sun is out during the day it is lovely and I got down to just wearing a shirt and a  gilet.

Last night when we arrived I was c.o.l.d, and went to bed very early to get warm. We asked for an extra duvet and I slept in silk thermals, silk socks and a fleece top...and gloves while I was reading my Kindle. I was able to discard the fleece and gloves after a while!!  This morning I had breakfast wearing silk, merino, fleece and a down jacket, gradually peeling off as the weather warmed up!!! The toilet and shower arrangements are outside the house, and are well don. The shower I had this morning, after breakfast was good and hot, the shower rooms have halogen heaters in the wall too!!

The food has been excellent, for breakfast there were omelettes, pancakes, bread, butter, jam and honey and tea and coffee( Vietnamese style). Tonight we have got a good fire going and just had dinner; tofu for Orlo, spring rolls, beef stew, pork stew, cabbage, green beans and rice for us, followed by a banana. I feel very full! The owner is back here tonight and he came to take rice wine with us. His son, Bau, speaks very good English and is able to translate for us.

So soon it will be time for bed again, up the steep wooden stairs.......

Another adventure tomorrow as we drive to Ba Be and Mr Linhs Homestay!!

Ha Giang to Meo Vac

Wow! What a journey!! I have lost count of the number of mountain passes we drove over, maybe six. The scenery has been spectacular as promised, we drove through a town called Tam Son and onto Yen Minh where we stopped for our lunch. However Andrew had set off cycling at 7.20am and we left at 8.20 am. We leap frogged with him waiting for him at the top of some big hills. At one pass we walked up to a war  memorial, and Michael wandered down a track  and found a semi ethnic boarding school with an adjoining pre school. We drove through very mountainous countryside with rice terraces and every available bit of land is cultivated. It really is a living landscape rather than other mountainous places we have been where the old terraces are neglected. As we drove further north we began to see more ethnic Hmong people in their traditional clothing...... riding on motorbikes .......with a phone clamped to their ears!!! 

The landscape changed to limestone karst and we crossed an amazing karst plateau with hill and rock formations reminiscent of the Yorkshire Dales.  Signs directed us to geocites, sea lions frozen in rock and a rock "book" showing the earth layers.

Earth books

There are sea lions in this photo.....honest!!

 Andrew had joined us at Yen Binh prior this section of the trip. He rode about 90km and is planning to ride a big mountainous circuit tomorrow. 

Before Duong Van  we stopped to visit  a Hmong Kings palace, according to our 'guide' Andrew, it was built for a Hmong  chief to buy his loyalty. It was very interesting.

Hmong palace

We then drove over the " most dangerous pass"

We saw lots 'walking bushes'!...... Children and women carrying fodder, we only saw one man doing this job!!!

And, finally, we arrived at Meo Vac and found the Auberge de Meo Vac which is a restored Hmong house. Thankfully there is a boy here who speaks good English.....he asked if we had booked.....yes and paid in advance for two nights....then we saw a couple of girls running off with bed linen, while another girl offered us some tea. The luggage was transported up the path by a cart. 

Auberge entrance and reception. Andrew negotiated a dinner with the young man and then we were told that the rooms were ready.

Downstairs is reminiscent of a rustic mountain hut however 

Up the wooden stairs and here we are!

Sorry this isn't a very good pic!  It is reasonable bed and there is a heater!!! 

Dinner was downstairs in front of the fire .....but I am wearing  a merino top, a cashmere sweater, a quilted gilet...and a down jacket!!!!!  The dinner was very good, omelette, fried pork and onions a spicy sausage, green beans, a local veg a bit like spinach and rice......and fried tofu for Orlo.

Oh, and a few beers for the men!!!!

That's all for today, we might just try the rice wine!!