Mai Chau - 2 nights in the countryside

From Hanoi, we drive for about 4 hours to Mai Chau, located 300 km southwest of Hanoi. The village is surrounded by fields and mountains. Although it's not the right season now, in the summer when the rice grows, the whole plain shines bright green. In January, most of the fields are not yet planted and the farmers are busy plowing and preparing for sowing.

We have rented a cozy bungalow overlooking the fields and mountains for two nights. After the bus drops us off on the road, we walk another 2-3 km to our accommodation. It's a bit annoying with the backpacks, but the beautiful landscape makes up for the effort.

On our arrival day, we don't do much except enjoy our beautiful hut, chat with the other guests, and have dinner together. In this homestay, it's common for everyone to gather at 7 and eat together. The host's wife cooks many different dishes and puts everything on the table for everyone to serve themselves. I think it's perfect because it gives us the opportunity to try a variety of food. Before the meal, everyone is poured a small cup of Happy Water, also known as rice wine, and cheers. Mot Hai Ba Yo! The Vietnamese cheers.

After a very peaceful night, where we only heard ducks, chickens, or frogs occasionally, we have a delicious Pho for breakfast and Max and I hop on the free bicycles. And for the first time, they are not about to fall apart xD We ride on narrow paths that lead through the fields, through small villages, past weddings, etc.

At noon, we have a very delicious meal. I ask if I can have grilled fish and they eagerly nod. When the waitress gets on the scooter, I already suspect that we will have to wait a bit for our food :-D Meanwhile, waitress 1 goes on the scooter, waitress 2 armed with a knife goes behind the house and cuts a banana leaf. Waitress 3 brings the grill and the fan. The result: the freshly purchased fish is wrapped in a banana leaf and grilled. To speed things up, the fan is placed next to it to fan the flames. Max of course makes fun of me for causing so much trouble for the ladies, but it was on the menu and I asked specifically. Well, we definitely get fresh fish that tastes very, very good. And all for 3.50€.

After we are filled, we ride our bikes to a cave. Well, we ride to the foot of the mountain and then climb 1,252 steps to the cave. Phew, sweat is unavoidable with the high humidity. I'm just relieved that the sun isn't shining. But the effort was worth it. There is a huge cave with lots of stalagmites and stalactites that you can explore freely, without warning signs or prohibition signs. We are completely alone and thoroughly explore the cave. You can even climb around :)

We spend the evening again at our homestay, together with the other guests. The food is great again.

The next day, I hop on the bike again to explore the other side of the valley and search for the rice terraces that we were told about. Max is not in the mood for morning exercise yet and stays in our bungalow. After a few hundred meters, I have to give up and push the bike uphill. The bikes are simply not made for hill climbing without gears. Or maybe I'm missing a few kilograms of thigh muscles. Anyway, I find my rice terraces and look forward to the journey back. Just let it roll :-) An hour later, we take the bus back to Hanoi.