Day 60 - Mai Chau and back to Hanoi

We planned for an early start but I think most of us got woken up much earlier by the rosters, dogs and other animals around. It is definitely a nicer way to wake up than sounds of scooters and other city noises.

Before breakfast we went for a walk around the village the homestay was and walked through the fields there and saw their hydraulic power station.

Once we had our brunch, with some more drinks (too early in the morning), we drove up to one of the mountains to see some more of the landscape and villages around the area.

We did stop at a chopstick factory where they made a lot of chopsticks out of bamboo before stopping at a small waterfall and a tea house.

We had to turn back once we reached an impassable road, at least with our car. The drive back to Hanoi was therefore quite a bit longer but was fun nonetheless.

The trip to Mai Chau was great, thanks to the people and Mai Chau is very nice. The drive was a bit too long so I would not recommend only one night stay there as it's too short and you will be spending more time in the care than seeing the place.

Once back in Hanoi, I had time for dinner and a quick shower before heading to the train station for my train to Hue. Hopefully this time round there won't be any flooding or too much rain there.

Day 59 - Getting to Mai Chau

We set out relatively early in the morning for the drive to Mai Chau to spend the night in a traditional homestay there.
Like some other big cities, it takes quite a long time to get out of Hanoi due to the traffic and no easy accessible motorways leading out.

While the drive to Mai Chau took quite a long time and was not always scenic, once you get to Mai Chau, the views and area is much nicer and worth the trip.

We had a nice picknick style lunch by the roadside before doing a bit of hiking through a small Hmong village and saw some locals make rice paper.

The evening was spent relaxing with some drinks and a dance performance.

After this we headed on to the homestay for more drinks and chatting, it was a very fun day although the drive was a bit long to get here from Hanoi and tomorrow afternoon we will already be heading back.