Travel and food tales: Hoang Su Phi - Rice terraces in the sky

An adventure filled week, an amazing motor bike ride in spectacular Ha Giang Province in northern North Vietnam. It was a week of tranquility, about golden rice terraces, incredible landscapes, desolate winding roads, lovely minority people, and, almost like magic, riding in and out of clouds. The pictures do little justice to the rugged beauty of the province. Here are my pictures, in two sections.

Hoang Su Phi (HSP) and Ha Giang: Day 1 and 2 - Rice terraces of Hoang Su Phi and Ha Giang: Ha Giang - Tan Quang - Vin Quang - Nam Hong (Homestay Ta Quyen) - Ha Giang - Thon Tha (Cay's Homestay).

Ha Giang Loop: Day 1, 2, 3 and 4 - Stunning Ha Giang Loop: Thon Tha - Quan Ba - Tam Son - Lung Khuy Cave - Quan Ba (Homestay Ly Ta Dat) - Dong Van (Dong Van Hmong Homestay) - Lung Cu Flag Point - Ma Pi Leng Pass - Meo Vac - Du Gia (Du Gia Backpacker Hostel) - Ha Giang.

A little about Day 0, going from Ha Noi to Ha Giang:

Landing in Ha Noi in the afternoon, I was unable to take the afternoon limousine to Ha Giang, so the next option was the night sleeper bus. The bus was arranged by my usual guest house - HaNoi Guest House on Ma May Street, Old Quarter. The staff kindly allowed me to use the washroom. I also handed over my travel clothes for laundry. I would pick up the clean clothes on my return. It was an evening of snacks, beer and rice wine, after which I was ready for my ride to Ha Giang.

Beginning at 8 PM, I went through a series of mini bus pickup and drops. Finally, the big bus turned out to be squeaky clean inside, heartening to see. As we entered, the driver handed out a plastic bag in which passengers had to put in their footwear. My pre-trip reading had prepared me for the rather strange inclined seats. I managed to squeeze in without much difficulty (thanks to my strict diet!), and I even managed to wedge my small backpack safely next to me. It was drizzling when the bus reached Phuot House Hostel in Ha Giang at about 3.30 AM. The US$ 18 bus fare included a one night stay at the guest house.

HSP Day 1:

I was up early, excited, and called my guide Giang A Su at 6.00 AM. A local Hmong gentleman, Su had been recommended by a frequent traveler. He showed up punctually at 7.00 AM. After final bike and papers checks, and a quick noodle soup breakfast, we were set to leave. Ha Giang to Tan Quang along QL2 was a peaceful ride, traffic was light. We stopped at ABC Coffee Roasters for strong, drip coffee, after which we turned off into the mountains.

We were among the clouds soon after Tan Quang, with visibility in many areas an exciting - and sometimes worrisome - near zero. Howover, the region is dotted with several waterfalls, making for frequent pleasant stops.

October is towards the end of the harvest season, and the terraces were a rich post-harvest golden. The sun was hidden behind the clouds as a result of which sunlight was a rare occurrence over the week.

It was time for lunch after a few hours of riding around the mountains. A simple tin-roof restaurant in a village, the usual large spread of rice, soup, veggies, egg, chicken and pork. The dishes were cooked fresh. Lunch was followed by small cups of green tea. Tea is grown in the mountains, available soon after picking.

Our post-lunch ride took us along meandering roads with barely any traffic.

Rice terraces stretched away into the distance, with the narrow local highway visible among the trees along the mountainsides.

We rode along areas where the road overlooked the bottom of a valley where a river flowed quietly by. It was so tempting to stop and try to clamber down the mountain to the river below, but there was no time for that, so we rode slowly along.

Next stop was the small town of Vinh Quang, where we took a leisurely break at Cafe Phuong, an interesting cafe with a large selection of coffee, tea and smoothies. There were a couple of guitars should guests get into a musical mood.

Well, that's the essence of motorbike trips in Vietnam: cafes, coffee, tranquil rides and a variety of landscapes.

In the case of Hoang Su Phi, the landscapes include the huge bonus of terraced rice fields and clouds that seem to drift in and out, playing a series of endless games hiding the fields and valleys below.

A steep incline led towards our homestay, the mountains lined with rice terraces. We tried to explore on foot, however, at one point we could not walk further, because of a pair of fierce local dogs that guarded a village along the way.

Rice was being harvested and packed, extremely hard work. A narrow, slippery path led to Homestay Ta Quyen, just wide enough for motor bikes. This is a Red Dao ethnic minority village high up in the mountains.

Compared to the humble 2-level single room wooden structure that our Red Dao host family lived in, the newly built guest room was rather luxurious, fitted with an attached bathroom and hot water shower.

Bags of rice are stored for use (or sale?) over the year, at the ground level and mezzanine level. The kitchen is equally simple, and cooking is usually a family project.

Dinner consisted of a vast spread of rice, veggies, soup, chicken, fish and pork - and an endless supply of home brewed corn wine. The evening was punctuated with loud chants of "Một, hai, ba, dzô!" - the traditional "cheers" chant.

HSP Day 2 morning:

The rain fell in a steady light drizzle all night. The view from my room at 6 AM was truly amazing. Heavy mist, golden terraces and very less visibility. I hoped that visibility would get better by the time we leave at about 8 AM. Breakfast consisted of banana, noodle soup and eggs, as well as green tea plucked that morning from the mountains.

Our host insisted on singing a song for us in the Hmong dialect in the traditional way of standing in the garden. Since it was still drizzling, she used an umbrella for protection. Such innocent hospitality is hard to come by. Before we left, she conveyed to me (translated by my guide) that it was an honour for them to host me at their simple home, and it means a lot to them.

The drizzle had stopped but the mountain path was slippery, as I walked the 50 metres to the paved road. Looking quickly back, I said thanks and bye in my mind and wondered whether I would be back in the home of these gentle, simple, mountain folk.

The ride down the steep path downhill was slippery and exciting, the mist still hung low and heavy, the rice fields looked golden and calm in the early morning light.

Winding roads, numerous waterfalls, valleys and rice fields along the mountainsides. These were the views for the next few hours as we rode along towards Tan Quang. Ah, how could I not mention the clouds that play hide and seek with their sheets of white?