Monday, April 23
Early departure from hotel at camellia. 7 to drive to Mai Chau valley. On the outskirts of Hanoi, we see a silk weaving, where we are presented with all stages of production and processing of silk. Only larvae that are fed on leaves from the mulberry tree. Pupae, hanging on a wire mesh. Spinning of the thread, the weaving of the fabric. Some of the worms being doused with rice wine and give a little extra flavor to the snaps. We get to taste, and we also get "law" to buy scarves and more. Then it stands on the mountain drive to Mai Chau, which is the major town in the valley. Our village called Ban Lach, and we must live with Hoa and her husband Thu. The residents are a minority group, white Thai, who immigrated from Thailand for 300 years ago. All speak Vietnamese, but there are special schools for the minority group. We must live in a large common room on the first sal, however, separated from the guide and the driver of a curtain and a mosquito net. In the afternoon we take our first trip through the small villages, and we walk through a shopping village. Almost all houses have beds for overnight stays, and many sell various souvenirs. We eat well in Hoa and Thu. In the evening dinner served at the first floor overlooking the rice fields and mountains.
Silk Track snaps
We lived Mai Chau
Mai Chau Valley
Vegetable Mark
Women with tea and schnapps
School teacher from Mai Chau
Tuesday, April 24
In the morning, go ride up, up and up approx. 10 km to a school that has a tradition of visiting. It is very hot, and increases are tough, so we must pull the bikes several times. It is not easy to run Alpine in an old, creaking garden gate! We are greeted with tea and fruit in the staff room before we get a tour of the classes. The children sing for us, and we take pictures. Home goes swimmingly when we just remember to brake sharply. We Sunder us a little, and is then ready for lunch and a nap. In the afternoon we have a little ride, but something more relaxing. Hoa tells us that there have been 36 degrees today, so it is not difficult to keep warm. At night visions of people from the village and dance ancient traditional dances for us, and we are invited to try to dance between the bamboo sticks, which move in a certain rhythm. The show ends with us being invited to drink sweet rice wine from a jar, where bamboo is stuck down like straws. Just another night on the first floor. This time the three-layer mattresses, so it's a little less hard than the first night.
Mai Chau
School children in the Mau Chau
School children in the Mau Chau
rector of the school
Teacher Staff wave goodbye
Dancers
Dancers
Dancer
Hoa dancer
Wine with bamboo
Mai Chau
Wednesday, April 25
We say goodbye to Mai Chau and Thu. Hoa and her sister take the opportunity to ride with us in the car to the Hoa Binh. A walk of approx. one hour by car, where they otherwise would have had to run a tough ride on scooter. Their repatriation will happen to public bus. In Hoa Binh we saw the huge power plant that provides power to much of North Vietnam. By construction and dam of the river, many villagers evacuated and new villages built higher up. Khoa showed us his apartment on the outskirts of Hanoi. He and his wife, Man, are expecting their second child in August. So it's going to pinch the slot and Khoa has plans to build an extra room with a balcony. The apartment is also used as an office for Khoa's travel agency, and her sister works there as a bookkeeper. Khoa gave lunch at a nearby restaurant overlooking the lake and green areas. A repeat: It is really very hot, but we made a slow stroll around Turtle Lake Hoan Kiem. In the evening we ate at Little Hanoi, and ended with a beer in the corner for backpackers. Here there are always close to people who exchange travel stories. You sit on small stools far out on the street, although there is intense traffic of motorcycles and cars. Suddenly, the idyll ended. A police car with a horn in the bottom was quickly cleared the corner, but one of the restaurant owners were not awake enough, it cost a fine. After some debate on the fine (with or without acknowledgment) disappeared police car and within seconds had the seats set up on the street again.
Backpack Traveler corner from 2010
Thursday, April 26
Today we will go to the museum. First we see the Army Museum, which mainly shows the battle of Dien Bien Phu where the French had to give up. We are too few to view the movie with English speaking, so we see it with a bunch of Chinese. Do we give up to the language, but must settle for seeing pictures. In another section displays the battle for Saigon, which ended with the Americans headlong flight from Vietnam. From there we walk to the Art Museum of Vietnamese art through the ages. It's very interesting to follow the evolution to today, where the art is very inspired by the West. As an independent department found Ethnographic Museum with tools, clothing, jewelry, etc. Tomorrow we are going to Sa Pa, and the journey begins with night trains today from Hanoi to Lao Cai.
War Museum
Great art at the art museum
Neighbor of Khoa