In search of rice terraces
The road to northern Vietnam is bent, filled with curious animals and children. I walk there between the valleys, looking for the famous mountains remodeled for the cultivation of rice.
The plan is to go to Hanoi to meet my daddy André. He comes to join me for a month where we will ride together to the middle of Vietnam. But while I'm in the north of the country, I decide to take a little detour to see the rice terraces in the mountains.
So far, I don't see any rice yet, but I stumble upon the funniest hotel room of my trip. With its stucco walls and neon hearts, it's a true 80s bridal suite. I enjoy it alone, with my little detuned $ 30 guitar that I've been dragging around since my visit to Thailand.
Probably the most special room of my trip!
The approximately 920 km between Louang Prabang, in Laos, and Hanoi, in Vietnam, with a few detours to the north.
Probably because I still have in mind my day with elephants in Laos, the rest of my journey makes me think of the skin of this pachyderm. It's never flat. Either it goes up or it goes down and I imagine myself being rolling on a trunk of this giant!
The mountains of northern Vietnam.
One of the many houses in northern Vietnam on the edge of a cliff.
“There are more mountains here than I thought ...! "
Our animal friends
Adorable chicks using the ditch as a highway.
Besides, animals are everywhere in my path. This is the case for many countries but I notice it even more here due to the diversity of the animals and their curiosity towards me.
This connection leads me to reflect more on the relationship we have with those who serve us meals most often. I am at these thoughts when I walk through a village and a group of men are tying up a sow to make sausage. Loud cries resound like those of a child in distress.
I can't help but imagine that if we played this kind of video at the grocery store next to the meat department, we would all become vegetarians pretty quickly.
A sow happy to be pregnant to the ears.
Oxen are everywhere around, and even on, the road.
A little refreshment
I took the wrong path one morning, and did 8 km in the wrong direction before realizing my mistake. This is a good climb and energy wasted for nothing! I soon find myself in stream later in the day. When I stop at a small village market, I see a large blue bottle like the ones you put on water dispensers. As two small glasses are next, I directly fill my water bottle.
It almost full, the lady of the convenience store arrives, waving me to stop. She takes my can out of my hands and lets me feel it. All the neighbors are watching, laughing. I just poured myself almost a liter of strong alcohol ... No matter how much she rinsed my bottle, it still tasted like Vietnamese sake for a week!
The curious
My curious morning selfie.
In the mountains, flat land to pitch the tent is rather rare. I find one next to what appears to be an empty house.
The next morning, I realize quite quickly that the said house is more of a school, when I wake up surrounded by about fifteen young people!
These watch and touch all of my things as I prepare. I let them do it while keeping an eye on them. I bring a few back to order from time to time, like these two who went to my tent to test my mattress!
Along this road, I have made great encounters with people of all ages. I have the impression that the geography and the isolation of the mountains create generosity and arouse curiosity.
On the side of the road, I meet the youngest ...
... to the oldest.
Rice terraces
Alternating the valleys of palm trees to the tops of conifers, I finally arrive in the region of Mu Cang Chài. the rice has already been cultivated in the fall but still have the chance to see how the terraces were created by hand, completely transforming the mountains. These giant and colorful stairs are magnificent.
Each bearing is made from wall mounted mud, retaining all the water needed to grow rice. This technical allows you to use the entire side of a mountain and increase the cultivable area tenfold.
The famous rice terraces of northern Vietnam.
A small parcel of land sacrificed for a soccer field.
Approach to Hanoi
I am often asked if it is dangerous to travel in cities on a bicycle. In fact, it is especially the approach of large centers that is more complicated. In Hanoi in particular, the highways all meet a few dozen kilometers from the city center, and there is no shoulder. The trucks pass quickly by the bike and the traffic is heavy.
So it's a lot less pleasant for about two days. Once in town, it is just as busy and noisy, but traffic is slower there. And it is mostly made up of small scooters rather than freight trucks.
Finally, I arrive a day early to meet my father. Another successful meeting just in time! After a few days in town, we will continue exploring this noisy country together.
