Chuc Mung Nam Moi – Happy New Year
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After the Bay trip we travelled across country to Ninh Binh. Boy was it a trip!! Like most of the roads here they are slow going – and it was raining and the clay was extremely greasy!! But after 4 hours we made it. We were staying at the Ethnic Travel Bosses family’s place. The rooms were very nice – but breezy!! There is no such thing as insulation – especially when it is below 10 degrees. Thank you Mr Icebreaker – we don’t know what we would have done without you. Our woollies were only meant for Nepal however they have had a good workout already!! We ate really well here – there was a massive veggie garden and everything was super fresh!! We went to the extended family and drank green tea and did some very BAD karaoke!! They love it here. We were woken at midnight by the New Year countdown and then masses of fireworks – but sadly we couldn’t see anything from our room. The next morning we had a celebratory brunch with lots of ‘special’ food. We also heard pig squeals in the early hours of the morning and then silence …. Pork is a favoured dish during ‘Tet’. We went for a walk in the village and everybody was very happy – the children all had new clothes and were waving and saying ‘ello’. We went for a boat ride on a river in small concrete boats and a cycle that afternoon after another local lunch with a family. All the time it was freezing, but we got some exercise before the next meal. That night we were all unwell during the small hours and woke feeling washed out. The French people were fine … so not sure what that says about kiwis?? But we motored onto our next port of call. Another 34 hours inthe minivan after we had a terrible hike around “Sunny Valley” It was really muddy and the clay stuck to our boots. We went out to Mai Chao to another homestay family. This ethnic minorioty live in bamboo houses on stilts, and once again there was plenty of ‘air conditioning’. However their hospitality was amazing. We had a good sleep on the floor and another early start – due to the local pigs and roosters. We went for a nice trek around some local villages and another bike ride.We then were back in the van and saif goodbye to our French friends and we three plus our new lovely guide, were headed for a lake. It was a quick trip and we had a small walk with our packs to the house. Another bamboo house with plenty of floor ventilation that was handy for tippping tea dregs out! The host was an older man and reminded me of my Dad (love you!!) He talked alot about the weather and loved to make cups of tea and kept really busy making sure we were all okay. We went for a walk around the section – it would have been a beautiful place if the temperature was 20 degrees warmer!! It remained below 10 for the time we were there. The next morning we began hiking up the road to meeet the minivan – with full packs on. It was a mission and good training for Nepal!! Georgia was not so impressed. And guess who was the leader of the pack?? Mama Bear – thanks girls for all the Waipa Forest walks – however adding 12kg on my back made it more work! Finally the van arrived about 12 noon – we must have walked uphill for 4km? It seemed like a long time and we were mostly warm although there was a wind blowing off the lake. The scenery was very pretty. We were glad for our lunch stop. The rice was hot, as was the cabbage and pork strips. Yum!! We then made our way back to Hanoi. Quite an adventure in the country experiencing the ‘real’ Vietnam. We were glad to have a HOT shower at the hotel, as there was no such luxury in our previous 2 homestays..