We were picked up at about 0800 by our driver who would take us to Ha Giang (785 m), right up by the Chinese border.
Once we left Hanoi and entered the rural area it was rather pleasant looking out the window. We passed through agricultural areas with who knows what growing. Several small towns and villages were passed through. We stopped for a photo op at a place I wouldn’t have chosen, but it gave us a chance to stretch our legs and get up close to a tea plantation.
We also stopped for a toilet break seemingly in the middle of not much. The toilets were in a tin shed, inside of which it was rather hot. By the toilets there was the home/business premises of a local family. The father made knives and their scabbards, as well as long pipes, up to a metre, for smoking tobacco. Some of these were made from the wood of the cinnamon tree. Later on we stopped for a very tasty lunch. We arrived at our accommodation in the town of Ha Giang at about 1500. Our room was nice and so was the view.
Despite being so much higher than Hanoi it was still hot. Not as bad as Hanoi, but bad enough. We were told that last week it was quite chilly. Oh well.
We have worked out why there is so much honking of horns. No-one looks in their mirrors when driving. So when you are coming up beside another vehicle you need to honk so they know you are there. When approaching corners if they don’t hear a honk they assume no-one is coming so they feel free to cut the corner. Always honk approaching a corner. Crazy.
Anyway, dinner was good. We met a Danish guy, David, and had a good chat with him. He was able to give us some good ideas of places to go, etc. Other travellers are often a good source of information.
Thanks to everyone who is looking at our website. You can follow us on Instagram too.
If anyone has any questions about travelling in Taiwan or Vietnam (not that we have travelled much in Vietnam yet), feel free to contact us at thekiwiandthekraut@gmail.com
The Kiwi & The Kraut 