Ha Giang to Mai Chau was a crazy 350 km run that was definately not advisable to be done in one day. I almost did not stop for any pictures and just took some random picture while stopping at traffic light. The decision to cramp too much places into a short itenary is coming back to bite me in the ass. (literary sour ass from prolonged riding)
I departed Ha Giang in the morning at 9am and every hour making a good 50km, so by lunch time I had covered 150km which made me complacent. I lingered around too long during lunch and after that took a few more stops along the way for smoke breaks and water breaks. By 4pm I had barely reach Hao Binh which by now was still another 100km to Mai Chau.
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| Random Shot at Traffic Light Stop |
I knew by then that I had f*cked up the timing but there was no going back. Sunset was too tempting not to stop for a photo but no lingering appreciation time was allotted. Last 50km was driven in the dark with me finding a nice car to tail gate behind as the car become my shield from any oncomming vechiles.
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| Corn Fields at Sunset - Hoa Binh |
Temperature also dropped fairly quickly once the sun was gone and soon I was super freezing even with five layers of clothing and all the heat warmers on. It was not even that cold up in the mountains in Ha Gaing but somehow going down south to Mai Chau it got colder.
I reach the homestay just past 7pm, and the homestay guy gave me hot tea immediatly seeing how cold I was. It was a busy homestay as I counted the people having dinner. A smile and hello around, I chucked my bag at my bed and ordered dinner. Dinner done, water replenish, I went to bed immediately. The nice warm double blenket made me sleep before it was even 10pm.
Next morning in Mai Chau became interesting very quickly. Chores first as always and the main task was laundy. For a free day without riding was never really a free day but a chores day. Still it was nice to not have to wake up and ride on stright away. Laundry was a short ride to drop off clothes and then I was back in the hostel for breakfast.
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| Maedow Mai Chau - Breakfast with a View |
Meadow Mai Chau hostel was a busy hostel with lots of people around. I notice it when I got in yesterday night with many people having dinner but was too tired to mingle. This morning they were all in their own breakfast club so I drifted to the sunporch and made a long postponed call home.
Somewhere in the middle of the call, Tiara from Netherland came and sat next to me on the long bench and with her came Ms. India from Portugal/America. I don’t get approach a lot by people when in hostel really.
Some catalist is usually required and I usually help with conversation but this was one of the rare occasion where people actually approach me seeking to get to know me, rarer when I think about it since both of them were girls and one of the was young. The elderly one I get a lot so thats evens out the rare to normal.
Mai Chau I realized was a really nice slow pace town that I should have spend days doing nothing, I was really running too fast from place to place in Vietnam. I could really go so much slower and soak in the travel but alas I had a timeline to reach Danang by New Year Eve. I really should have skip Ha Giang Loop but done is done.
Riding around cozy Mai Chau looking at the main streets, Lac Village and the farming fields and finally back up the mountain pass to find coffee with a view. That View of Mai Chau makes the stop all so worth it and even if I did not really get to know Mai Chau, at least a great memory of Mai Chau will stay with that view and two new friends with a bunch of conversation.
Traveled on: Dec 2023
