Unabhängig davon, wer gehen zu Mai Chau, Hoa Binh, they all have a pleasant sensation of immersing in the green of clouds, mountains and immense rice fields. In a trip organized by www.evivatour.com, I had a chance to experience the unique feelings on visiting this wonderful land.
Overcome the windings of slopes in Thung Khe, Thung Nhuoi … I could admire the beauty of rolling mountains and vegetation on the road to Mai Chau. About 130 km away from Hanoi and with about 4 hours on the bus, I could find peace in Mai Chau valley located next to Highway 6 with the “fragrant glutinous season” gradually appearing under the sunshine. Whether you have gone to many places or never moved away, Mai Chau always contains special things that you have to stop for a couple of days to discover.
My first impression when nearly reached to Mai Chau is a fresh green color filled up the whole valley, simple dormers, rustic roads, etc. In the weather shifting from summer to autumn, the early mornings in Mai Chau were even cooler. When the sun has not yet reached the high mountain, you can start a new day with a bicycle tour through the village. I had a strange but refreshing feeling when cycling slowly and breathe the fresh morning air. The bike took me through a row of green bamboos, a small river murmuring along the lush fields.
Somewhere on the way are the kids going to the field with her parents. At 6 am, people were preparing to water trees, do weeding, etc. The sun starts climbing mountains and shining down to a prosperous area. At noon, I enjoyed the delicious specialties, which everyone cannot forget when mentioning Mai Chau such as bamboo-tube rice, hill chicken, stream fish, Man pork meat, etc. A tasty meal and exciting stories together with a Can wine bottle make the time endless.
Neben den bekannten Namen wie Lac und Pom Coong, you can also hike to Tong Dau, Cha Long, etc. Under the sunshine of the afternoon, I took a pocket camera and hit the road. If you like shopping you can visit Lac and Pom Coong to buy for yourself the beautiful crafts. The shops here are renovated from the ground beneath the floor of each family. They display and sell brocade, cutlery, fruits … And if you want to enjoy the taste of non-commercial lifestyle, then you should go to Tong Dau, Cha Long … to feel the atmosphere here since the people here is not selling souvenirs but still do farming.
On talking about Mai Chau, I can’t help mentioning the identities of different ethnic groups such as Thai, Dao and H’Mong … The days in here, I saw mothers sit spinning, weaving or found brothers and uncles carving bows, haft assiduously… The most exciting experience of all is listening to ethnic boys and girls singing traditional tunes, watching them dancing with colorful dresses and attending the traditional dancing so called bamboo-dancing with them. Although the beauty of Mai Chau girls is originally a rustic beauty of mountainous girls, but it’s still radiant and never stops attracting a traveler’s eyes like me.