Waking at 5:30am I knew I wouldn’t go back to sleep as we had a new adventure with an early start. I was up and breakfasted by 8am with bags packed and ready to leave with Rhianon to take a car to our bus rendezvous to take us to Mai Châu west of Hanoi in the mountain range not far from the Laos border.
We connected with an eight seater bus, outside a large shopping centre. The bus had comfortable reclining seats, taking about 3hrs to reach our destination, through rice paddies and up into the mountains to reach the Mai Châu valley. After unloading our things in our room which overlooked the rice paddies, we borrowed two bikes. I hesitantly agreed to ride as my equilibrium is challenged at the best of times but when I am perched on the top of a bike, it gets worse. Braving my uncertainties we took off down the road to the entrance of the nearby village of the White Thai group. Here Rhianon wanted to look at woven fabrics, I on the other hand wanted to eat as it was after 2pm and we had only eaten lychees on the bus. Using my translator app I asked where there was somewhere to eat as it was very quiet for a Saturday and all the homestays with restaurants looked closed. With a gesture pointing further down the village road we were directed to a place that was open. I knew we had found it when I hear the babble of happy patrons. We ordered a plate of pork, buffalo, a plate of choko greens (just the leaves and vine without the fruits) and wild in season greens which was actually a banana flower salad, which I had first tasted at a Vietnamese restaurant in Sydney with Vi-lay many years ago. When the food came they had forgotten the buffalo, which was fine as it was a very large and delicious meal. I was now ready to wander around the trinket and clothing shops and in fact found a lovely pair of trousers for myself. Rhianon had a wonderful time rummaging through the antique trinkets while I sat with the owner who offered me a sugar banana, one of my favourite bananas. She didn’t buy any trinkets but did buy some fabric she was looking for.
Disaster struck as we were cycling back along the main road. We had done a large loop through the village back to the main road and were on the broad footpath, which had many obstacles including advertising signs, when I started to wobble. Wobbling was ok when on the village roads with very little traffic or obstacles but here I lost my balance and my nerve and crashed into a sign. Praise the Lord it wasn’t serious except that the handlebars pierced the sign. It took me a bit to disentangle myself before checking out my injuries. Praise God, no broken bones, just broken skin and embarrassment. I hobbled back to our accommodation pushing my bike while Rhianon rode ahead to ask for some ice.
Our host wasn’t in but the neighbouring store gave her a large block of ice which I slapped on my injuries. The following day there was no bruising and you could hardly see the scratches, which looked a bit like a dog bite. After a short rest and a shower to refresh ourselves, as we were both very sweaty, we ventured out in the evening, this time on foot. Strolling up the main street, we wanted to check out the town. It was a pleasant walk, the temperature was much cooler with a slight breeze although still very humid. The town had so many pharmacies, I knew where to come if I needed any more bandaids! There were lots of little vendors selling fresh fruit and veggies, small food stands including fried spring rolls and pork wrapped in leaves, a few of which Rhianon bought for her dinner; she was still very full from our late lunch. The rest of the evening we relaxed in our room before having an early night. Rhianon had brought her art pad which she sketched on while I slept; well tried to, as it started to rain and the clothes we had put on the balcony needed rescuing. Just a little later there was so much noise from people ascending the stairs just outside our room to their rooms directly above us, thankfully I was very sleepy and managed to fall asleep, not waking till 4:30am.
After my quiet time with the Lord and language studies and while Rhianon was still sleeping, I snuck out to sit downstairs at one of the breakfast tables where I could do some typing until breakfast. We had quite a choice on the breakfast menu, nothing was quite what we thought it was, (something Rhianon said was a family moto here in Vietnam) except for the fresh mango. I had banana pancakes and Rhianon had my omelette, which was more a beaten egg fried. I also ordered coffee which I put in my container with milk and ice for later in the day.
At 9am we were picked up by our driver who we had hired for the day for around $41 AUD. He took us to the Tan or Tat Nang waterfall where we went for a quick swim in the cold water. There were many waterfalls at this destination, all flowing very rapidly from the recent rains. We also stopped at the Suối nước nóng Bo Ma hot springs which we decided due to the rains was only tepid. It was also a very popular place with the local families who were using it as a swimming pool. Our driver then took us to the Mai Châu Floating House for lunch. I was very disappointed with the menu as it was mostly western food, other than the stir fried instant noodles with chicken, which we both ordered along with a lovely fresh fruit smoothie. There was another waterfall we wanted to go which was en route to our next destination but our driver didn’t stop although we had asked him to. We weren’t sure if it was because of the language barrier or that it was not included in the instructions from our host. Either way we were very disappointed as it was so close. Our last tourist stop was a view over the Mai Châu valley which was spectacular!
Back at the homestay I asked about the durian but was told it was 300,000 Dong ($17 AUD) per kg whereas I had paid $5.80 per kg in Hanoi. Later that evening our host’s wife bought durian as she too loves it and offered my half for 180,000 or $10.50 for about a kilogram. Because she had bought it especially to share with me I felt obliged to buy it from her. It was much nicer than the one I had in Hanoi as it was softer and riper. I’m glad I did as I didn’t see any on our return to Hanoi.
We then rested till 7pm when our host drove us to a White Thai village a little further from the one we had biked to the previous day. Here there was a very rowdy group of business men and their wives enjoying their drinking and meal, waiting for their entertainment to begin, which we were joining them for. There was a group of two male and eight women dances, dressed in their traditional costumes. Sometimes carry baskets slung from their heads; other times with bright yellow fans. The music, which had been recorded, was typical of their village and was accompanied with live drums. I wasn’t going to eat but Rhianon ordered a meal and I was tempted to try a little. She had rice with pork cooked on a skewer, and an omelette which was like the omelettes we know.
The business men were very generous and gave us lychees and beer, which I left for Rhianon. After the show there was some very loud and boisterous karaoke and dancing, including bamboo stick dancing where the dancers try to avoid the sticks as they are tapped together as the dancers jump between them. Rhianon joined in but I sat it out knowing that I would more than likely have my ankles bashed by the bamboo sticks. As the evening drew to a close we contacted our host who drove out to pick us up. We had thought of walking back but, the rain had not stopped all evening. What a blessing we had a whole day of sunshine to do our tour.
We weren’t very late back in our guest house and were asleep by 9:30pm. Unfortunately I woke at 2:30 and couldn’t sleep for a few hours, during which I took a quarter of sleeping tablet which took a while to activate but then helped me to sleep in till 6:30am. We had a relaxing morning before breakfast at 8am, then ordered an electric vehicle to take us up into Đan Vân village where we walked around in a large circle through the village back to the main road and then back into town. It was a lovely walk through the village past many little vegetable garden and rice paddies. Rhianon wanted to see how they worked the loom so she asked one of the women we saw. She had a loom on the veranda of her shop. The threads needed to be untangle before she could continue the work she had previously been working on. We then both bought one of the scarfs she had made. They were beautifully woven with very fine thread.
Back in town we kept our eyes open for the bamboo tubes filled with sticky rice but found none. We thought we should have bought it when we had previously seen it as we didn’t see it again. There were lots of other hawkers from the villages selling fresh pork, vegetables and fruit and even steamed rice flour buns filled with sweet green bean paste, Bánh bao. We bought one as we wandered back looking for somewhere to eat our lunch, which we returned to after a freshening up shower and rest in our air conditioned room back at the guest house.
For lunch we ordered rice with a plate of peppered steak, which we thought might be buffalo as it was so tough and banana flower salad. Then back to the guest house to pack and get ready for our trip back. I had put my alarm on to remind us when to take our things down stairs but had mistakenly put it on 1:40 am not pm! Praise the Lord, Rhianon felt prompted to check the time 15mins before departing. It was then a rush to get down stairs, pay our bill which was a bit of a rigmarole as the daughter hadn’t done a card payment before and her father was not around, so gave her instructions over the phone. We only just completed the transaction before the bus pulled up.
The ride down from the mountains was a bit daunting as the driver was going at top speed around the bends. Then just as we were entering the outskirts of Hanoi it started to rain and didn’t stop. It took us three hours by bus to reach Hanoi and because of road flooding another 3hrs to arrive home by car from where the bus dropped us at the shopping centre. Two and a half of those three hours were stuck in traffic that hardly moved. It would normally take 20 minutes. We had taken a longer route due to also needing to drop two young guys off at another bus station. In the end they got out as the rain eased to walk the remaining distance. I was exhausted; it was 8pm when we arrived back having left Mai Châu at 2pm, it was another hour before I was tucked up in bed.
I slept well, waking at 5am which was plenty of time to get my things done before the rest of the household woke up, our washing went on and Rhianon and I went through our photos to exchange. Our Airdrop wasn’t working both ways, Rhianon received her photos from me but mine were taking ages and never arrived, something went wrong somewhere! After that we forgot to try again but it didn’t really matter as I had more than enough of my own.
After pre-booking my Grab car for 6am pickup, I paid the Indonesian Tourist fee, filled in the immigration forms and the online boarding pass, I prepared my breakfast to take with me to the airport and packed my new suitcase. I then took the lift downstairs to see if the coffee shop on the corner had an egg coffee. They didn’t but I stayed for a latte and ordered an expresso to make my ice coffee for the wait at the airport in the morning.
The rest of the day I wanted to relax. Michael booked me a massage for 1pm. I ordered a Grab motorcycle which came within two mins and caught me just coming down the lift. He was looking for me when I stepped out of the building. I was then dropped off at the top of the lane leading to the massage parlour. It wasn’t hard to find the right place as the receptionist saw me coming and welcomed me. I had 85mins of Swedish massage including acupressure. It was agony but as they say “no pain, no gain” I came away feeling rejuvenated. I then walked to find a bánh mì with roasted pork but was disappointed as it wasn’t really crispy roasted and the bun was reheated in a toasting press. From here I decided I’d walk a bit then took another Grab back to the house. A refreshing shower and sorting of things, Michael had printed out my boarding pass so I was ready to go. I had my last chat with Michael and Rhianon before calling it a night and heading for my room at 8:30pm.
I had taken a whole sleeping pill just in case half didn’t work and was knocked out all night. Praise the Lord I had put my alarm on for 4am! I was jolted out of a deep sleep and leapt out of bed so as not to fall asleep again. A little dazed I managed to get everything done including preparing my breakfast to take with me to eat at the airport. I was up and down the stairs making sure I had everything, Michael brought my big suitcase downstairs. I was surprised it was 15 kg, I thought it might be heavier. We headed for the lift just before 6am, the time I had booked my Grab to arrive. He was already there. I bid adieu to my lovely hosts, Michael holding the umbrellas so I didn’t get wet from the pouring rain as I jumped into the car. I’d left plenty of time to get there which was wise due to the weather.
I found where the check-in counter was and waited for them to open. All went smoothly although I had to drink my ice coffee before going through baggage check into the departure area, which is a nuisance. I know it’s due to concerns with liquid explosives but surely if you drink from it they can see it isn’t harmful! Anyway I was still questioned if I had an aerosol container in my hand luggage. I told them I hadn’t but then they wanted to search my bag till another official came over and asked if I had asthma. Oh, yes it was my puffer; I had forgotten about it as I had only had one in my bag since Japan. In fact on my return to Bali I couldn’t even find my Ventolin inhaler. The customs officers were happy with my answer and waved me through. I’ll have to remember that for next time.
The next, near incident was when I was waiting at the departure gate. I had been there for quite some time when I suddenly thought I’d better check that it hadn’t been changed. This was definitely the prompting of the Holy Spirit as it HAD changed and I hadn’t heard the announcement. Thank God I had listened to the prompting and had checked. Praise God, the new departure gate wasn’t far from where I had been waiting.
On board our flight I realised I was by the window again which meant getting in and out to go to the toilet wasn’t easy. As I was indicating to the young guys, where my seat was so that they could make room for me to pass, their friend who was in the aisle seat opposite, asked if I could swap seats with him. Hallelujah, once again the Lord had gone before me. I was very grateful as I needed to get out several times during our 5 hour flight as I’d consumed too much coffee and water before the checkpoint. The flight was a bit bumpy with quite a bit of turbulence I presumed it was due to the rainy season weather.
As we landed in Bali I tried to switched on my Bali SIM, it didn’t seem to be working. I had to wait till I was able to connect to the free immigration WiFi to let Gayle know I had arrived. Because I had done everything online before my arrival I walked straight through Immigration to the baggage carousel, where there was a bit of a wait as I had come through so quickly. Here I messaged Gayle on another airport WiFi. Then through customs where I showed them my QR code and was questioned about the salami I had declared before being waved through without an incident. I had to use a third WiFi here to let Gayle know I was heading out. It was then I saw her messages to say they were about half an hour away which gave me time to talk to the Telco where I had bought my SIM as I entered Bali in May. They said the government had made it so that tourists can only have a 30 day of data. This is very inconvenient, especially if you want to stay longer. Later that day my phone was showing it had data but there was no connection, so I knew I needed to buy a new SIM. Little did I know this was going to take some time and a lot of effort!
Gayle and Josh eventually arrived but it took some time to exit the airport as the traffic was terrible with waiting vehicles including mini-buses and buses blocking the road, picking up their passengers. From here we went to the House of Hope where there was a farewell for Damon and Komang. It was lovely to see so many of the youth again as well as many from the church including Dwi who hadn’t seen me on my last visit and had a lovely handmade birthday card with a very thoughtful message. It wasn’t a long night but I was needing to get back to the house to unpack. Gayle was leaving the following day and I wanted to give her some of my things to take with her to Perth, including the banner for the community garden. I was exhausted by the time I flopped into bed by 11pm.
Photos: 1. Jungle geranium Ixora coccinea 2. Village wares 3. Morning view from our window 4. Hot springs 5. Dances 6. Ploughing the rice paddies 7. Waterfall 8. Village weaver 9. View of Mai Chau valley
Prayer & Praise Points:
Praise the Lord for safe travels in Vietnam and my smooth trip to Bali.
Praise the Lord for His leading and guidance, His promptings and answers to prayer.
Please pray for the next leg of my stay in Bali, that I have many opportunities to serve.
Pray also for all those who received tracts during my visit to Japan and Vietnam.
Please continue to pray for Jen and Ralf as they travel through the UK and Europe, may they be kept safe and enjoy their adventures too.
Continue to pray for world peace and countries dealing with major disasters, wars and the unbelievable hardships they cause. Pray for all those caught up in the suffering these events have caused. Pray that God’s peace may be known by all people especially for those who live with despair, that they will find hope in Christ Jesus.
Please keep my sisters, Tricia, Jen and Kat, in your prayers. Pray that they will come to know the love of Jesus.