Mai Chau

Early in the morning, I take a minivan to Mai Chau. The young man at the reception was sleeping soundly, and it took a while for him to wake up, but I have to check out. I arrive at the homestay in the early afternoon, and Tan greets me warmly and shows me around. It's really nicely done; the dormitory is spacious with plenty of room. A very nice family runs the place. I take a short bike ride, as the accommodation provides bicycles. Rice is extensively cultivated in the valley. Unfortunately, the harvest is nearly completed, and I don't see any golden rice fields like in all the pictures of Mai Chau. That's okay, the scenery is beautiful. I cycle through the fields, surrounded by the typical limestone mountains on both sides. Later, I hike to a cave nearby. There are 1200 steps to climb, and I'm exhausted by the time I reach the top. The Chieu Cave was okay, I should have looked up how strenuous it would be beforehand. In the evening, Tan cooks a meal of my choice; she is an excellent cook and the head of the homestay. Not much is happening; I get along well with Sabrina from Wallis.

The next day, I try a bike ride with Schrotti, my bicycle. The goal is to reach a waterfall. I ride 15 km through completely rural areas. Here too, children wave at me, overtaking me on their e-scooters and laughing. I decide not to continue the last stretch to the waterfall; it's too steep, and I don't trust Schrotti. I watch some workers in the rice fields; it seems like hard work. There are chickens everywhere, fish ponds, bananas, and pomelos. On the way back, I take a nap. I meet Bill from England, who is very talkative. We walk for a bit, and a Vietnamese man approaches us and awkwardly hugs us. He has a flag and invites us to his home for tea. No, no, I planned to go to another cave, and Bill decides to join this adventure. The cave is a cave, you can walk in 200 meters. During dinner, I have local fish; Bill tells me about his experience with the man. Beer, karaoke, hugs, and communication via translator. Well, he should have joined me. Sabrina, Bill, and I chat a lot. She plays guitar (of course, also