On Saturday we went to Ba Vi which was awesome. We drove, me on the back of Connor’s bike. We had to stop and ask for directions a few times which involved a lot of gesticulation and pointing at the map, but the route was surprisingly easy and Connor has an excellent sense of direction- which helps! It was so good to be out of the Hanoi air and onto the open road, and I felt so free, it was amazing! On the way we went through one village and saw stall upon stall of whole roasted dogs lined up on a spit which was…interesting! When we arrived at the foot of the hill there was a one hour drive up the mountain road which had breath taking views and was almost deserted. We kept stopping to take photos and admire the view, and also to give Connor’s engine time to recover as it is only small and the very steep incline wasn’t doing it any good. It was at high risk of overheating and at times we were barely doing 10 miles an hour. Literally, 5 yards before parking his bike his engine cut out altogether and he had to push it into the space. We left it there.. hoping it would recover!
The walk to the top of the mountain was much nicer than I expected. After nearly dying climbing the 1000 steps to the top of the cave in Mai Chua I was prepared for the worst, but these steps were a gentle incline in the middle of the woods, with trees either side, it was so beautiful. When we reached the top there was a small Pagoda where people were meditating which was really interesting to see because we have all been discussing meditation techniques (haha I have become such a Hippy!) and the views were stunning. I read before arriving that the view from Ba Vi is 98% of the time covered in cloud and mist at the top, but we chanced to go on a beautiful sunny day with blue sky! There was a gap in the trees and in between you could see down to the lake below and I could see the reflection of the houses in the water which was stunning. Also, sheets of white cloud kept moving over the sky, blocking our view, and then they would move on. This happened about 3 times and the cloud was moving so quickly it was breathtaking to watch. I was so happy and relaxed up there, I could have stayed there all day!
We ambled back down the mountain and bought some chocolate cakes and orange juice as a snack. We avoided the large group of Vietnamese men who wanted us to join them for a picnic and quickly hurried away! Luckily, after a few revs of encouragement Connor’s bike started and we began our descent down the mountain which he absolutely loved, saying there was no-where else he would rather be at that moment. On the drive home we stopped in a small Café hoping for some food but it only sold food on a large scale and so was very expensive, so we just enjoyed a drink and giving our bum time off from the back of the bike- it was killing us!!
The ride home was hard, both our bums were in pain after five hours on the back of a bike and I was so tired my head kept falling forward as I fell asleep behind Connor, which was actually very dangerous but there wasn’t much I could do. We made it home in one piece and crashed out for a few hours- exhausted.
When we woke up we headed for food (It was around 7pm and we hadn’t eaten all day, I was dying of hunger). In the restaurant Connor ordered a Margarita pizza because it was cheaper, so I offered to buy him the Ham and Pineapple one but he refused… so when the waiter came I kept saying “Ham and Pineapple” and he kept saying “No, Margarita!” which completely confused the poor waitress and resulted in us only being given one Thai Green Curry (which Harry and I had both ordered) ]. Unfortunately for Harry he’d offered the first one to me (not knowing his wasn’t coming) and then had to sit and wait for the second to be made. I had finished mine by the time it arrived! Ooops.
The others then went on a night out, but Connor and I decided to have an early night- exhausted!
