Travel and food tales: Ha Noi to Thung Khe Pass to Mai Chau

Sunday, December 17, 2017

Ha Noi to Thung Khe Pass to Mai Chau

One of the most pleasant aspects of going on a motorbike trip in Vietnam is that you can take the quieter roads and stop off at cafes along the way. Cafes are invariably equipped with hammocks, as if to invite you for an extended siesta.

Hammocks and hospitable cafe owners were also part of happy memories from my July 2015 motorbike ride around the Mekong Delta.

For those interested, my back of the bike trip around the Mekong Delta in July 2015 begins below.. there are several posts ending with Chau Dac and my boat trip to Phnom, Penh, Cambodia:

The Buddha Smiles Over My Tho

Now, fast forward to December 2017. I was doing a 6-day circuit starting in Ha Noi, to Mai Chau, Moc Chau, Pu Luong, Ninh Binh and back to Ha Noi.

Ta was my rider-guide, an affable young man from Ning Binh. He had ridden the previous day to Ha Noi. We left the busy Ma May street in the Old Quarter at about 8.45am. It took close to an hour to get out of Ha Noi, riding west. The roads opened up soon enough, we passed villages and towns, with temples and stores, and after about two hours it was time for a coffee stop, to sample Vietnam's renowned black coffee. Temperatures hovered between 7 C at night to 20 C during the day, while it felt much cooler on the bike.

The terrain along most of the route going west of Ha Noi consisted of mildly twisting roads, with quite thin traffic. Occasional mini buses, public buses and cars passed by. The large public buses tend to be fitted with horns that make a gentle, wavy sounds - to warn you that they are right behind, and to let them go past.

Limestone cliffs emerged around noon. The geological formations are similar to those in Ha Long and Trang An, just that these are on land.

Lunch stop was for about 45 minutes at a little hotel and restaurant. We can choose the veggies and meats, which are cooked fresh.

Lunch consisted of greens, duck egg omlette and fish, accompanied by the ubiquitous green tea and 'Bia' (beer).

Comfortable, neat, clean toilet, economical, and a relaxing way to take a small break. I had brought along a few packets of hand wipes. Glad to say that I did not open any, and handed them to my guide at the end of the trip. Well, being from India helps, our immune systems are fairly well developed.

An hour after lunch we came across a fairly mountainous area. We stopped, and I realized it was the Thung Khe Pass. The winding road twists between steep mountain sides on one side and perhaps a 1,000 m drop on the other side. A row of stalls are built along the road, looking down below into the valley. These stalls sell tea, rice snacks, honey, herbs and orchids.

A 15-minute break in one of the stalls was a welcome break, sipping hot green tea sitting on a bamboo mat. The ride had felt freezing cold, indeed.

Rice fields, villages and little roads lay far below. Being December, the landscape was quite brown. I could almost visualize the patchwork of green during the two rice seasons in North Vietnam.

Our destination Mai Chau was about 25 km away. The highway twisted and turned, a glorious sight in the rays of the afternoon sun. Mountain sides on one side and the valley on the other.

Mai Chau appears between the mountains, on the left side of the highway. There are a few look out points and cafes, good places to stop a while.

We reach our homestay in Mai chau village, a bamboo and plywood construction on stilts. The dining area is at the ground level.

The ladies at the homestay quickly and efficiently make the beds. Mattresses are pulled up, sheets are fitted and pillows and several quilts are put together. They string up a mosquito net, however that was not needed since there was not a single mosquito in sight or could not be heard.

So many quilts? I wondered why!

Dinner was cooked by the ladies in the family. A huge meal for my guide and me. In the picture below are two steamed Papaya salad dishes, a bamboo cylinder on the left in which fish has been steamed, and a beef curry dish on the right. Several sauces add to the flavour - red chilly, soya and fish sauce.

Below is a close up of the fish steamed in bamboo dish.

Even more food turns up soon. Pork (left and top), while the steamed fish has been laid out on the plate at the bottom.

Meanwhile, our host brings out the home brewed rice wine. So, our dinner was a super home meal experience, consisting of rice wine and a huge bunch of food cooked in the family kitchen. There are no restaurants here, just homes!

After dinner, my guide took me around the village. It was fairly quiet except for a cultural show being held for a large group of local tourists.

So, day 1 of my ride was eventful - consisting of a quiet ride along twisting landscapes, a lovely mountain pass, arrival at the homestay, superb hospitality, food and drink, and a walk around the village. I realized during the night why several quilts had been provided. And early in the morning, as the chickens wished the world good morning and my eyes opened, I saw the streaks of early morning light coming through the cracks between bamboo and plywood. The floor and walls of the hall are indeed designed like a sieve through which cold air pierces in during the night. Mystery solved!

Well, we are set for our ride to the mountains of Moc Chau and beyond. My guide cheerfully fixes me a pot of hot, green tea.

Breakfast for Ta is noodles and for me it is fresh banana pancakes and bananas. Quite delicious.

The ceramic tiled toilets in the homestay are located in a common block, equipped with WC and hot water, quite comfortable. The family thoughtfully provides sandals, however, the trip between the room and the toilet is rather a cold one during December.