Mai Chau: The random splendor no one was expecting

Hey all,

So I've decided my posting schedule is going to be Monday-Wednesday-Friday mornings for all of you back in the states. That way you can all kick back and slowly read through something on the slow mornings of your workdays.

For those of you following me in Vietnam, well I guess that means you'll be staying up in the middle of night, eagerly awaiting my next post. Sorry, time zones suck.

Anyways, after the adventure of teaching we headed out on a Fulbright sponsored trip to Mai Chau, a beautiful village in the northern highlands of Vietnam that almost all of us knew absolutely nothing about. On my two previous trips to Vietnam I had never been to Mai Chau, and while I may have read something about it previously, nothing about it really stuck. Combine that with the fact that all of us had been super stressed about planning our lessons, and none of us had really put much thought into our weekend trip.

We actually got a real bus for this trip. Baller.

The ride down was fairly uneventful, with lots of people taking naps. I had been offered The Walking Dead on Anna's iPad, so I read the last fifty issues over the four hour bus ride. I didn't get any sleep but it was totally worth it. Abraham's the best, Carl is seriously messed up (understandably) and Lori is literally the worst. Seriously, that chick can't do anything right. 

So we arrive in Mai Chau in the middle of the pouring rain, which doesn't do anything to diminish my surprise when I realize that we are staying at a place that looks like this:

The view from the hotel restaurant

My room

From the restaurant balcony

Seriously, this place is just gorgeous

With the rain coming down in a steady drizzle, our tour guide ditched the idea of going on a bike tour and instead we headed into the village. 

On the way in we saw the rice paddies

And a weaver hard at work

Mountains surround the valley everywhere you look

A thatched house built on stilts over a fish pond...with a satellite dish. Welcome to Vietnam.

At the village gate

Hey is that a puppy?

YES IT IS

COME HERE! ARE YOU A GOOD BOY? YOU'RE SUCH A GOOD BOY D'AWWWW YES YOU ARE!!!

Ahem. Sorry about that. Anyways, more natural splendor. 

After exploring the village we hiked back to the hotel, then headed off to a nearby cave. Unlike the cave in Ha Long Bay, this cave was not nearly as interestingly formed or as large. However, it did still have its moments:

Pretty cool looking

And this cave had a couple of things going for it. The first was that the cave had three chambers: The first two were lit, the third was not. The third chamber was also about twenty feet lower than the first two, and it had several narrow areas where we were forced to crawl through. So, using only two flashlights and the flashlight on my cell phone we descended into pitch blackness, crawling over wet rocks and clinging to a slippery handrail. Once you've clambered over slimy rocks in total darkness with your cell phone held between your teeth so you can use both hands, really it's hard not to feel like a badass.

The other bonus was that the cave was full of bats. They didn't live in the deepest recesses of the cave, but everywhere else they would fly out around us as we were climbing, which I thought was really cool.

Yes I found the Batcave, and no you can't come in. 

That evening we were treated to a traditional Hmong dance performance, unfortunately I did not have my camera with me so I was unable to document the event. The dance was quite beautiful and entertaining, and afterwards they invited us to drink some rượu cấn, fermented sweet rice wine served in a clay jug with several bamboo straws sticking out of it.

 

Here's what it looks like

After watching the dance and drinking the rượu cấn, we all congregated in Anna and Vanlam's room and drank our complimentary rice wine, or rượu đế. Unlike rượu cấn, rượu đế is distilled and is much more potent and less sweet. I had heard a lot about rượu, and I was nervous and excited about trying it for the first time.

For those who have never drank rượu before, I believe the experience is quite similar to the fictional experience of drinking a Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy:

"The effect of a Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster is like having your brain smashed out by a slice of lemon wrapped round a large gold brick"

It can lead to a fun night, but...approach with caution. 

The next day we set out on a bike tour of Mai Chau. The valley is basically flat, and although there are motorbikes on the road it became pretty easy to avoid them/let them pass us and just enjoy a relaxing bike ride. It was a bright and sunny day and the countryside was even more beautiful without the cloud cover. 

On the road

Lindsay high-fiving children in the village

Stopping for a photo op in the village

Narrow road and a wide cargo means a traffic jam in Mai Chau

I can't even imagine what it's like waking up and seeing this every day

So all in all, saw some beautifully scenic countryside, went on a nice bike ride, got to explore the Batcave and drink rice wine for the first time. All on a weekend when none of us really expected much of anything. Every day I am thankful that I get this opportunity to go to Vietnam, but a weekend like this past one just emphasizes how fortunate I am. 

Anyways, thanks for reading. You made it all the way to the end of a very long blog post, and I thank you heartily for that. For you, dear reader, I have something special. 

Wait, is that a kitten?

OH MY GOD IT'S A KITTEN!!!!ADASFEIF

See y'all later.

Jefferson