Tuesday, February 18, 2025

We wake up in the Mai Chau Ecolodge where we slept reasonably well, but it takes some getting used to every time in a different hotel; but we knew that in advance.
The bed is good, the air is cool and fresh, and we don't need air conditioning. The room is noisy, but after 10 o'clock it is quiet everywhere.

After showering, enough hot water, we go for breakfast. There is a choice of bread and toppings and Asian dishes.
Bread toppings, cheese and sausage is limited choice but it tastes reasonable. Again no espresso, but two types of coffee, of which 1 is good and hot.

We are picked up by the guide, we go and have a look in a valley that is located further in the mountains, about twenty minutes drive. The first stop, for a toilet visit, is at a homestay (in our eyes more of a hostel) where more than twenty people can sleep and eat. We saw two rooms with bunk beds, hence more hostel than homestay.
What immediately stands out is that every piece of land is used for growing vegetables and rice, even the verges of the road, only 20m cm wide. Here we go for a walk on a paved path between the rice fields parallel to the main road. The surroundings are beautiful, very quiet and in our opinion also very clean. There are very few other tourists on the path. It seems that the valley is getting narrower and narrower. After a good hour we walk to the main road where we are picked up by the driver.

We drive to another homestay where we will eat, but first have to prepare the food ourselves. But first we walk a bit, now on an unpaved path along irrigation canals and rice fields. The surroundings become more mountainous and the rice fields become smaller and more and more terraces. It is very beautiful here, and so, so quiet. After a good hour we stop on a road again and the driver comes to pick us up again, we go back to the homestay (where you can eat but not sleep). Making your own food is not an option, it is getting too busy, there are a few other groups. And because of that there is not enough space in the kitchen and in the garden where the vegetables and herbs have to be picked.
We get tasty food, more than enough, unfortunately no vegetables.

After dinner we go back to the Mai Chau Ecolodge, there is nothing more on the program for today. Tomorrow morning at nine o'clock we will be picked up to go to the next destination, Ninh Bình.
We rest a bit from the walk and then go for another walk in search of a market, but we can't find one. So we walk back to the hotel where we sit on the terrace for a while until it gets chilly.
We have a drink in the pool bar, eat and then go back to the room. There we have another drink, free sake from the hotel, and go to sleep, we are not really tired but satisfied from the walk.

Written on: 2025-02-19

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