We left Nghia Lo at around 9am today. Hoang warned us, once again, that we would experience ‘very simple life’. I think he is worried that we will be disappointed at the hotels, food, towns and what have you. He also mentioned that we were a very rare species in this part of Vietnam, as only very, very few tourists ever make there way out here. We are far off the tourist trail, which either goes further south of here, or more to the northeast for people heading directly to Sapa. Very soon aster we left Nghia Lo, where we had a simple breakfast consisting of a baguette, eggs and nescafe (notice the French influence?), we quickly gained altitude. The road was very steep and in no time, we had climbed from 300 meters above sea level to around 1500 or 1600m. The hills and mountains resembled those of southern Switzerland in terms of shape and vegetation.

On the way, we passed many interesting sites and sights. A group of Dao women and a Dao man made for a colourful subject. The group were just on their way to go fishing in a nearby stream.

Shortly after that, we stopped near a small Dao town to bewonder the beautiful landscape. A valley with forested slopes and small tribal towns on both sides, a road with a river beside it running the length of the valley, but not a motorized vehicle to be seen. Left and right were corn and rice fields. At a nearby home, a group of ladies were sweeping up rice they had laid out on the road to dry. They started a conversation with Hoang, wondering who we were. As we joined him, he explained to us that this lady had a rice and corn grinding business, and did this for the people of the towns nearby. We continued talking, and asking about each others ways. She eventually invited us to have a look inside her home.

She and her family were also pig farmers and rice wine makers. Quite the enterprise they had built up. She was just letting three barrels of rice ferment, cooking up fermented rice in another pot and boiling down in a third. She enjoyed telling us about her life, and was visibly proud of her little business.
As we drove on, we noticed how, in many aspects, time had stood still. Our farming lady, for example, had had power only since the year 2000! Fields were still plowed with oxen or water buffalo and a hand made wooden hand plow. And, the children walked miles and miles to school, often barefoot. But, the people were busy, going around their business, tending fields, fixing roads, making and mending fences, building houses… All by hand; practically without a single maschine.

We slowly descended towards Than Uyen. The roads were noticeably worse. Many were severly washed out by rain and resulting landslides, others we being rerouted due to huge construction sites for new electrical dams – hydro power being one of the big things of the future for Vietnam. In this area, there was a new hydro electric project ongoing – its dimensions just huge. Due to this, and the flooding of the valleys, there was a major relocation program in the area, with new houses just popping out of the ground. A shame actually, and a drama for the people.

With just 10km to go until Than Uyen, a large valley opened up before us, filled with rice fields and numerous villages. As we approached one of the villages,, in which all the houses were built of wood with thatched rooves and the living level raised well above the ground (stilt-houses), Hoang suggested we go have a closer look. Manh parked the van at the roadside and off we went. We descended through a bamboo forest into a village of the Thai people. Of course, we were observed by curious, eager eyes of many cildren, although they were too shy to approach us. We walked straight down to the paddy fields and had a first close up glanze at the growing rice.

Hoang explained the whole process of preparing, planting, growing, harvesting as we meandered along the thin dividers between the fields. The rice here was about two months away from harvest and some stalks already showed signs of rice kernals. Some also had bright pink larvae on them; these will all be hand removed before they turn into rice eating snails. As we walked back through the village, a resident invited us to a cup of tea. As I had mentioned earlier, all the houses we on stilts. We removed our shoes to climb the steep steps to the porch and the living level. There were seven steps to climb, and Hoang explained to us the reason. The seven steps, always present at the main entrance of a traditional Thai house, is a symbol of the man. The number seven is symbolic for the mouth to eat and communicate, the two ears to listen, the two eyes to see and the two nostrils to breath and smell. At the other end of the house, leading to the kitchen, is the womans stairs. These stairs have nine steps. What are the additional two for? For the nipples, to feed the child. Now, anyone can use any stairs; it isn’t that themen only enter the front and women the back. But the woman is traditionally in the kitchen, and the man the master of the house, in line with the saying “a man makes a house, a woman makes a home”. After enjoying a few cups of tea, and Hoang repeatedly persuading the “man of the house” that his guests do not want any of the homemade rice wine, we said our friendly good-byes. The children were still extremely shy and intimidated by the big white men. A short ride later we arrived in Than Uyen, a sleepy little town. There, during my evening walk, I played vietnamese type of hackey sack with a bunch of kids and had a few goods laughs. Again, a simple, but tasty dinner, beer, sleep…