Monday 11 September – Ban Phung – Bac Ha
Eyes open. It’s light. And a little noisy.
Out of bed and over to my phone, which is hanging from the only, and most inappropriately positioned, powerpoint I could find last night.
6.00am.
Good, I don’t have to get up yet.
A quick look outside at the greatest view I’ve ever had, and yep, it’s still good.
Well, the bits I can see between the fog and low cloud are good.
Back to bed to attempt a little more sleep, before getting up 30 minutes later, with the attempt an abject failure.
Really not that surprised….
The toilet is utilised, and for the first time for a few days, all is well with the world.
Happy days, indeed!
A quick pack up; why does it feel like I have more stuff?; and then up to the communal part where we had dinner last night.
Mike is already there, and we sit and chat over cups of tea, while looking out at our view, which is now no longer visible at all.
It is nothing but a sea of white.
Gone….
Mr Long appears, and he and Mike order breakfast, while I stick with my usual morning desire of a cà phê sữa đá, which is promptly forgotten by our very friendly, and later very apologetic, ‘waitress’.
More chatting, a little playing with the cat, and a fair amount of staring off into the thick whiteness, even more grateful for what I was able to see yesterday.
Accommodation costs, along with what we owe Mr Long, all worked out, and then it’s back to my room to get organised.
Bag packing completed, and the time, unfortunately, has arrived.
Back outside to the car, and the goodbye, along with much appreciation for what he helped me see and experience with Mike is done. But it’s definitely more a ‘see you later’, with the plan being a possible / hopeful reuniting in about 12 months’ time.
On our way a few minutes before 9.00am, and by the time we get down to where we left the ‘main’ road on yesterday’s walk, the cloud has cleared, and the bottom of the valley can now once again be seen.
A quick message to let Mike know, and yep, apparently it all cleared up pretty much as soon as we left.
Of course it did…..
Half an hour after leaving the homestay, we reach the road that will take us back to Cốc Pài.
The waterfalls soon reappear, along with all the usual sights, that just like yesterday, once again have me reminiscing of 2017.
Eventually into Cốc Pài, and this time with having a little more warning, I’m pretty sure I’ve worked out where Toan and I had lunch.
Out of town, and up past the café with the view we stopped at yesterday.
A bit further on Mr Long navigates a hairpin bend, at the same time a truck coming the other way does.
Both Mr Long and the truck driver do it safely, but the same can’t be said of the girl on the motorbike, who decided that that particular bend was a prime spot to overtake the truck.
Fortunately for her, Mr Long, with his incredibly safe driving, ensured she would live long enough to once again make a dumb decision, should she be so inclined.
On we go, dodging water buffaloes, corn and rice neatly spread out drying in the sun, reluctant to move dogs lazing on the side of the road, along with skittish chickens doing their usual skittish stuff by running out of danger, and then back into it, as they are prone to do.
A bit further on Mr Long pulls over to the side of the road for a comfort stop, done in the traditional Vietnamese manner, and while I do my thing rather quickly, Mr Long has disappeared off into the bush.
I stand around and wait, taking a photo or two, and with him nowhere to be seen, or heard, I consider going off in search of him.
That thought is then scrapped, when it occurs to me that that perhaps may not be such a great idea.
He soon reappears and we’re once again on our way, and it’s not long before we reach Lung Phin. While it’s been a little slow going at times, it all feels like it’s gone pretty quick, and that we’ve actually made good time.
I’d kill for another cà phê sữa đá, but I get the feeling that Mr Long just wants to get home. That’s alright, so do I.
Out of Lung Phin, and down towards Bac Ha, reaching the Ngan Nga by 11.30am.
Dong isn’t there, so Mr Long phones him, and three minutes later he turns up.
Being early in the week, the hotel is far quieter than it was over the weekend, so I have a choice of rooms.
“Front or back?”
For one night I really don’t care, so Dong gives me a front one, which just happens to be the one that Mike stayed in.
I’m more than happy with that, as it’s one less flight of stairs I have to deal with.
A quick discussion on the fact that I’ll be needing to catch a bus back to Hanoi tomorrow, and apparently there are a couple of options, with the one at 10.00am being the most likely one.
All good, we’ll work it out later.
Bag dropped, and then back downstairs and outside to do something about that elusive second cà phê sữa đá.
Up past my beer lady, and rather than going around the corner to the one I went to the other day, I head across the road to a café I’d noticed earlier.
The woman sees me coming, and quickly directs me to a table on the footpath.
“Cà phê sữa đá?”, I ask.
I get nothing.
Okay, with my coffee and Vietnamese lesson from yesterday still fresh in in my mind, I try again.
“Cà phê nâu đá?”
I get nothing again.
She then, in broken English, says, “Coffee?”, “Black?”, “Milk?”
“Yes, milk!”, I reply, followed by, “And đá, too”.
She smiles in acknowledgement, and heads inside, leaving me to ponder why I occasionally have so much trouble getting my point across, when it comes to iced milk coffee.
It doesn’t help when I actually see ‘café sữa’, listed on the menu.
I sit, savour, contemplate my poor Vietnamese, and email the Emerald to let them know I’ll be back tomorrow as I suspected I would be.
We got there.
Coffee done, 30 000 Dong bill paid, I head off down towards the market that was oh so busy just 24 hours ago.
It is far from that same state, and it really feels like the day after the day before, with very few people around.
I walk the area, including a couple of streets that I’ve not seen, and with not a lot to look at, it quickly becomes apparent at how hot it now is.
With the quietness making it all feeling a little like siesta time, the decision is made to do as the locals, and I head back to the hotel for a few notes, along with a rest and recovery session.
I feel alright, which is a nice change, and I don’t really understand why I feel the need to lay down, seeing as my late night wasn’t really that late, and pretty much the only thing I’ve done today is sit in a car.
I guess, however, that it was a reasonably early start.
Rest done, it’s back outside around 2.00pm. I’ve still not had anything to eat yet today, and while I don’t have any real strong desire to do so, I feel like I probably should have something.
Down the street, and around the block, walking a few new streets, and I can’t really find anything.
While there is some shade to be found, a fair bit of time is spent in the sun, and it soon becomes a bit too much.
Coming across a fairly large convenience store / shopping mart, the opportunity is taken to make the most of it.
Through the front doors, and the air conditioning results in instant relief. I really need a cold drink, but I’m now, for obvious reasons, in no hurry, so the purchasing process is delayed with a browsing of what they sell.
I never spend a lot of time in shops, either here or at home, but I do find it mildly interesting when here, comparing product differences, as well as prices.
Now significantly cooler, and with a keenness to not look like some dodgy shoplifter casing the place out any longer, my drink of choice – mainly by default, and due to no desire whatsoever to be health conscious – a Coke ‘no sugar’, is selected.
Walking past the ‘health and beauty’ section, I notice those plastic disposable razors. And with a pack of three, at something like 21 000 Dong, being far cheaper than similar at home, as well as cheaper than buying singularly, the opportunity is taken to help justify the excessive time I’ve taken for a simple can of Coke (10 000 Dong).
Back out into the heat, and back towards the Ngan Nga. With lunch still not found, the easy option of visiting Binh’s, which is probably what I should have done in the first place, is undertaken.
Sun dried / drying…..umm,……things.
Down to the market, and over to the restaurant, I’m met by the ever-smiling Binh.
Seat taken, and to keep it all easy, as well as negating the need to read a menu, I go with phở, but this time, thanks to Binh’s eagerness to please, it comes with both bò and gà (beef and chicken).
It’s good, like really good, and is probably even nicer than yesterday’s breakfast. Not that there was anything wrong with yesterday’s offering.
Lunch!
Late lunch complete, it’s back to the hotel by 3.00pm, for a proper pack up in anticipation of tomorrow’s moving day, as well as a much-needed shave, to try and look at least a little less unkempt than I have been.
A quick Facebook phone call to Lisa; been almost a full month since I’ve seen her, but now down to just three days to go; and then back outside and back down to Binh’s to do my usual 4.00pm thing.
Beer in hand, table sat at by the entrance, and the world just seems that little bit better than it did.
There’s still not a lot around out in the market, but there’s still plenty to watch, including those rubbish ladies, whom I admire so much with their stamina and work ethic.
The market may have been quiet, but their work is never done.
I chat with Binh, while also watching his dogs playing and running around the restaurant.
The younger one, a male, who is still a puppy, is an absolute pain in the ar$e to the older female dog, and is either chewing on her ears, or attempting to mount her any opportunity he gets.
It’s funny to watch, and while the older dog snaps at him occasionally to put him back in his place, you can tell that she really does love him.
Binh’s daughters arrive home from school, and they both give me a smile and a hello, even though their shyness prevents them from striking up any more of a conversation.
A young girl sitting nearby finishes her late lunch, or possibly very early dinner, and heads over to the bench where Binh prepares the food.
Binh, seated at the bench, is staring at his phone, while the girl stands there doing the same.
I’m struggling to understand what is going on, but a few seconds later, following acknowledgement from both, the penny, I think, finally drops, as the girl heads off.
Direct money transfer!?
I use Google Translate to ask Binh, and yes, he explains that is exactly what just happened, as he points to the QR code stuck to his glass cabinet.
Ahhhh!, well there you go! I had no idea, and I actually can’t remember ever noticing this ‘cashless’ society trend, here in Vietnam.
Well, apart from the occasional credit card used in larger establishments.
Binh explains that it’s quite popular with the younger generation, and points out a group of four young guys, who had left a little earlier, all used the direct transfer system when they’d finished.
Well, you learn something every day…..
A few minutes later a local guy walks in, and immediately heads up the back and pours himself a drink. He makes his way back towards me, beer mug in hand, half filled with a clear liquid, which I assume is water.
He approaches, and pushes his drink towards me.
My initial thought is that I don’t really want a drink of water, but then I realise that it’s probably not water at all.
I laugh, and slightly nervously, take a sip.
Yep, it’s rice wine.
I give it back to him, along with a ‘cheers’, and he downs the lot in one hit, before disappearing back out into the market.
It was a strange little interaction, but at the same time, I loved it, as I always do, when someone takes the time to acknowledge my presence.
A couple more beers while watching Binh’s daughter expertly prepare her own dinner, along with some more chatting with Binh about his wife, as well as the hours he spends running his restaurant.
7.00am to 9.30pm, seven days a week.
Just incredible!
Beers done (15 000 Dong each), and it’s time, unfortunately, to make a move.
I shake his hand, as well as his daughter’s, and explain that while I leave tomorrow, I will come back and see him in the morning.
I’ve loved spending time here, not just for the food and beer, but for his friendliness and company. He really is a lovely guy.
Back up to the Ngan Nga, and I’m encouraged by one of the young guys to have a beer out the front, while perusing the menu, and snacking on some peanuts.
I’m not used to this menu thing, after pretty much not having to make a decision over the last week, which, apart from that resulting in having to deal with the occasional tofu dish, I’ve been more than happy with.
Beer had, a quick check of emails which confirms the Emerald knows I’ll be back tomorrow, and with food decision for dinner yet to be made, I head upstairs for a shower.
Back down around 7.00pm, and a seat is taken inside, a couple of tables over from a western tourist.
She’s the only other person there, and it turns out she too is Australian, but from Byron Bay.
Her choice of dinner is hot chips, along with a beer, while my reluctance to actually read the menu continues.
In the end I just explain to the young guy that I’d just like some sort of stir fried meal of whatever meat they have, and want to get rid of, along with a few of the usual vegetables, and some rice.
No problem, and a few minutes later my beef stir fry appears.
It’s good, as I expected it to be, and I have no problems finishing it all, which pleases me greatly.
A bit more chatting with my fellow tourist, along with a beer or two, and then Dong appears with a dessert of yoghurt and fruit, which I believe is mango.
I’m not usually a dessert eater, but it was a nice and refreshing way to finish the meal.
Dong mentions the bus again for tomorrow, and with it being a direct bus, it will take around 5 – 5.5 hours.
He then mentions that there’s also a 7.00am bus, and while the easy option is to stick with the 10.00am one, the difference between arriving in Hanoi at lunchtime, compared to mid to late afternoon, is something that is very tempting.
Having been aware of my morning movements over the last few days, he suggests I might be best suited to the later one.
He’s probably right, but seeing as tonight will likely be a fairly early night, I decide to prove to him that he doesn’t know me quite as well as he thinks he does, so stuff it, I’m going with the 7.00am bus!
Decision made, I then have a regret; I will now likely not see Binh in the morning.
I feel bad, but the opportunity to make the most of the day is too great, so I stick with my decision.
Outside, and up to my beer lady for the final time, which means the ‘goodbyes’ are well and truly underway.
A few beers, along with a packet of chips, and then it’s back to my room for the usual.
With a bit of a lightning show going on, but no thunder, I sit out on the balcony to watch, while Bac Ha winds down for the night.
Five nights here, along with a couple, sort of, in Sapa; who would have thought?
A place, or more accurately, an area, that I didn’t think I’d ever see, apart from that one night here in 2017, and as time went on, especially after the 2017 trip, one that I had less desire to see.
But thanks to Lisa going to Europe, and therefore her strong thoughts on not letting me mope around at home on my own, and Mike’s keenness for me to see this part of the world, here we are seven, and about to be eight, nights later.
Again, I owe him heaps, and again, it’s funny how things pan out.
And as far as regrets go, I have absolutely none.
A few more notes, a little Trip Advisoring, and at 11.00pm, it’s time.
With thanks to wanting to surprise Dong, I now have an early start.
But, it means I get to spend a little more time in Hanoi, and I’m really looking forward to that.
While I’ve had a great time here, I have missed ‘my’ city.
Cheers,
Scott
seriouslynot 