Ha Giang province lies in the northern part of North Vietnam. Portions of the province share borders with China. The landscapes are awe inspiring, consisting of mountains, valleys, rivers and amazing views. The rock formations in the area are unique, part of the Dong Van Karst Global Geopark. Roads wind along the sides of mountains with steep drops. Probably the most remote province, most of Ha Giang has not yet been hit by mass tourism. While mini vans and SUVs are found in some areas, large tourist buses are not as common in most of Ha Giang.
Ha Giang Loop Day 1 (Ha Giang to Quan Ba):
We drove out of Thon Tha Village at about 8 AM while a steady drizzle was falling. Stopping for coffee just before the entrance to the Karst Geopark area, we pushed on, and gradually the drizzle stopped. The sun, however, barely made an appearance. This was the beginning of the 4-day ride around the Ha Giang Loop, sometimes referred to as the Ha Giang Extreme Loop, indicative of the rugged terrain and spectacular vistas.
About 40 km out of Ha Giang lies the well known Heaven's Gate area in Quan Ba, where a mountain top cafe offers a view point, coffee and yummy - yet healthy - eats such as coal roasted sweet potatoes and eggs. Clouds made their appearance and quickly blanked out the area below. All we could see was a sea of white.
However, in about 10 minutes, the clouds disappeared almost as mysteriously as they had appeared, allowing a peek into the valley and winding roads below.
Not too far from the cafe is a high look out point, with a coupe of hundred steps leading to the top. Nice views of the Karst mountains around.
Next stop after Heaven's Gate in Quan Ba was the town of Tam Son, where we stopped for a quick lunch at the neat Coffee 52 cafe.
The Lung Khuy Cave formation in located in the Karst Geopark near Tom San. A lovely winding road leads to the parking lot from where one needs to trek to the cave. A narrow path leads to the entrance of the cave where you can buy the entrance ticket from the booth. The trek is slightly tiring, but great fun, and takes about 45 minutes each way. The path is loose gravel in parts, rough stone steps in parts, and goes up as well as down. Stopping to click photographs along the way is a good enough excuse to catch some rest.
The cave with its stalactite and stalagmite formations were discovered as recently as in 2015. There were barely any tourists to be seen, mostly Vietnamese groups.
A group was huffing and panting their way up and asked us how far is the top? My guide cheekily and gleefully informed the group that his (older!) customer has made the trek very well, and asked them why are they struggling?
The ride back was on twisting roads along villages that nestled along the sides of steep mountains.
Our Homestay Ly Ta Dat is located in Quan Ba, in a Red Dao ethnic minority village. Their young son helped prepare dinner for guests. Again a vast spread of rice, soup, greens and meats with lots of "happy water" which is home brewed corn wine in these parts, punctuated with frequent, loud chants of "Mot, hai, ba, dzo!".
Ha Giang Loop Day 2 (Quan Ba to Dong Van):
With my host and tour guide Su.
We're on the way to Dong Van...
Oops... soon enough... we were greeted with massive clouds. Vast sheets of white that often reduced visibility to near zero, at the same time drenching us with super fine droplets of water. Glasses (spectacles) got misted up, and soon rivulets of water started flowing along the lenses. So the only way to view the wall of white was by peering above the frame, and at the same time lifting up the visor of the helmet. Not too comfortable, but great fun, and part of the fun!
We passed a group of school children trekking up the hill side, returning home from school.
The road twisted along the mountain sides, in and out of the clouds, providing amazing views of the valleys below and the Karst mountains in the distance.
The Dong Van Loop view point is an incredible part of the ride, providing magical views through the mist and clouds. Reminded me suddenly of the lines from the poem "The Highwayman" by Alfred Noyes: "The road was a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor...".
The mist disappeared as we reached Dong Van town. We stopped at an area where there was a field of Buckwheat with pretty pink flowers. Children played with seeds. We ate yummy bread made of buckwheat and corn, baked fresh on burning coals.
My guide took me inside, to visit some folks he knew. They lived in typical, humble, ethnic minority dwellings.
Over a hundred years ago, the Palace of the Hmong King was built in a valley between the Karst mountains near Dong Van.
Once again, we treated ourselves to local eats - pork, bread and eggs - roasted over a coal fire.
My experience after visiting the Palace of the Hmong King was extremely unique, indeed. My tour guide took me to his home up in the mountains, and I spent several hours with his family and relatives.
Su and his sister were hospitable, and made me feel comfortable in their home. We sat on low, plastic stools around a large pan used to cook chicken, pork and greens. Soon enough, several relatives showed up and a party started over lunch and corn wine.
Su's dad is a corn farmer. His mother was away at that time, in the fields along the slopes of the mountains.
Little kids were satisfied with leg of chicken.
After a few fun hours where only my tour guide spoke English with me, it was time to leave.
Su runs a Coffee Shop high up in the mountains of Dong Van. Set in an amazing location that provides incredible views of the Karst mountains and valleys, it is, probably, one of the loveliest coffee shops you can find.
Point to note that there are a few rooms inside which could be a place to stay in future!
We stayed at Su's sister's lovely little homestay in Dong Van, known as "Dong Van Hmong Homestay". After a huge dinner (with the usual corn wine!), we made it to Dong Van town where there are several modern coffee shops in the Old Town Market, open late.
Ha Giang Loop Day 3 (Dong Van to Lung Cu to Meo Vac to Du Gia):
Corn wine and Coffee is not at all a bad combination. Up bright and early. it was time to shower, drink more strong coffee, admire the early morning views, strap our bags to the bike and set off.
First stop, local market in Dong Van for a hot, Noodle soup breakfast.
The plan is to ride up to the famed Lung Cu Flag Tower, and then to Meo Vac via the Ma Pi Leng Pass. More incredible sights ahead? Expectations are high!
-=-=
Related posts - October 2018
No comments:
Post a Comment
Your comments...