Vu Linh to Ha Giang

It turned out that our driver, Mr Kien, was also worried about trying to drive out from La Vie if there was rain in the night, so unbeknown to us he had driven out in the evening and arranged for us to leave by boat to meet up with him!. So... This morning we had breakfast of omelette and pancakes we packed up and had a short walk back down the track. Then we all go on the boat to travel for about 15minutes to meet up with our vehicle and driver. A very pleasant start to the day.

We left the landing place at about 10am and drove until about 12 when we stopped for lunch. Driving is very slow, there are lots of road works and this morning quite a lot of trucks to pass on the hills.

In total we drove 200km, in about 5hrs driving. However back to basics! We stopped on the outskirts of Tan Yen and tried to find pho ga for lunch which is a chicken soup, and one of Orlo's favourites.However we couldn't find any, and I wandered down the street and found a bakery which had bread. We ordered what looked like a sandwich and were surprised when they put it in the microwave! Then it was put in a poly bag, it turned out it was their version of a hamburger! We needed some thing to drink, so Michael went off down the street to look for a beer. He was gone ages, Andrew, Orlo and I had finished the sandwiches we had made with the bread and salami and cheese we had with us. We were sitting in a roadside 'park ' with marble bench and table. Eventually Michael returned, he had had a beer, apparently there was no way the bar woman would,let him take a bottle away even though he tried to negotiate to pay the deposit on the bottle!!! 

We set of again about 12.30 to drive on, the scenery gradually becoming more rural and hilly. Tea plantations, villages, small towns, road works, a couple of factories, a river, all the while playing  a sort of find the object game invented by Orlo!! Pot bellied pigs, Buffaloes, a yellow bus, a smoking chimney ( very rare!) black fabric out to dry ( also rare!)' ducks, chickens, a phone mast, etc etc. We had another short stop, a break for the driver and eventually drove into Ha Giang. It turned out that our accommodation was 7km the other side of town, but eventually we turned into the entrance at 4.0pm. 

It immediately gave a better impression than last night, with paved pathways, and stone built bungalows. However the dining area only has a roof, so essentially you are eating outside. It has to be said that we are travelling in the off season, there are very few tourists around, in fact we have not seen another European in the last two days! Our room is comfortable with a river view and...lights...and ....heating!!!!

Dinner was Ok, there was a menu to choose so we were all able to choose something to our taste (Those of you who know Michael will understand this comment!). 

View from our room

We have just ordered our breakfast in preparation for a long day travelling through some spectacular scenery we understand.....more later!