|
  | |  |
Be Be to Hanoi and a stop at Khoi's village
Entry 4 of 7 | show all | print this entry |
|
4th Jan 2008:
Ba Be back to Hanoi:
We got up really early due to our early night yesterday. It was really very cold and I was practically shivering again. No one was in sight when we stepped into the living roon - Khoi and Driver were still sleeping and the head of the house has gone to work and we could hear the women in the kitchen.
We decided to walk around in the village because when we did that last night, it was already almost dark. And the
sceneries which greeted us were out of this world ! It reminded me a bit of South Western China which I visited alone last July.
What we saw was like something out from a well documented TV programme, you know - like those which had undergone various editing process, where the director take only the very best shots to show to his audiences.
Only that in this village, nothing was edited out - everything that was in it was beautiful. And the villagers went about with their daily chores without even batting an eyelid to our presence. It was really surreal to know that we were actually at this place and formed part of the picture in the sceneries that we saw before us, to be experiencing the atmosphere of total tranquillity that prevailed at that very moment.
I think it is best to let our pictures do the talking at this point :
The road journey back to Cho Ra and onward to Hanoi :
The thing we like about Khoi, our guide, so much, is that he was very creative in planning our journey, the things we did, the places we stopped at and the timing of everything. We would like to think that it was because there existed this special chemistry between us and him, that we have become more like friends rather than just having a guide-and-tourists relationship.
Like today, for example, as if being called on cue, he appeared with Driver in the Land Cruiser, with our packed bags and water bottles, to pick us at the end of the village where we had wandered into that early morning. He then bundled us in the comfortable car and told us that we will be taking the road to Cho Ra instead of going back the same route via the lake like yesterday.
Along the road journey to Cho Ra, we got to see many different parts of Ba Be from land.
Cho Ra :
Upon reaching this little town, Khoi took us to a local shop to try a popular local breakfast which was quite like what the Cantonese called "chee cheong fun" - thin rice flour pancakes with some savoury meat wrapped inside. That was absolutely delicious and we were the only foreigners among the locals.
We had fun sitting around the lady who cooked our breakfast and learning her special skills in turning and wrapping the thin skins of the pancakes without once tearing them!!
And we could tell that they were also delighted that we took so much interest in something which is merely a daily chore to them.
As we were enjoying our breakfast, an old lady from the shop came up to me, touched me and started speaking to me in Vietnamese. By this time, Khoi and Driver had already finished their breakfast and gone next door to check out some satelite dishes and electrical appliances - so, nobody can help translate what this lady was going on about! Although I made hand gestures to tell her that I could not understand a single word she was saying, she kept on talking and smiling and touching me!! See her picture here :
After breakfast, we visited a morning market across the street to get some fruits
for our very long journey back to Hanoi. The things they sold at this market somehow baffled us - EVERY part of a pig !!
When we went back to join Khoi and Driver, we found out that Khoi had bought himself a satelite dish! And he paid for our breakfast - he said it was his treat. What a gem he is!!
On our long journey back to Hanoi, we asked Khoi whether we could take him to his village proper instead of just leaving him by the roadside. He very happily agreed.
Khoi's Village:
The road leading to Khoi's village was bumpy - no proper roads, mind you, just some dusty beaten paths. We could see that a large part of the village was involved in farming. Khoi told us that in times where he had no work as a guide, he would mostly do farming with his wife.
The dusty path we took ended in a square, which we took it to be the centre of the village which housed a school. As our car approached, a group of children rushed out to greet us and touched our car! I think they hardly see one in this area and of course, we instantly became the centre of attention.
The reactions of these children brought tears to my eyes - they were so poor, so innocent, so curious about everything. From our clothing to our camera, in fact, to our very existence there at their tiny village !
We were so, so glad we made this stop here - we got to see and experience something unique which not every tourist or traveller got to do,
even if they were willing to pay for it. Khoi, we found out, is a man with dignity, he is a university graduate in English. In the ever prevalent guanxi culture ("connections" in Mandarin) in Asia, he could not get a good job in teaching which he had initially intended to and so he ended up as a freelance guide.
We had a wonderful time here mingling with the children and met Khoi's beautiful daughter and shy son.
Khoi later took us to his house, which was about 200 metres away from the square.
It could only be reached by foot and as we walked towards his house, we were greeted by his fellow neighbours and some older children shouting playfully to us "Comment allez-vous?" And as Argi replied them and spoke further to them in French, they laughed and shied away from us.
We did not get to see Khoi's wife or parents because they were all out in the farm. He told us it was quite normal for Vietnamese families to stay together in one house. Khoi and his family, for example, stay with his parents.
His grandparents have a house next door to theirs. It was by no way luxurious - it pains me to see
their living conditions and we felt so blessed with what we have compared to these people here in this village.
Adieu Khoi ! - for now :
Before parting, we took down Khoi's contact particulars and told him that we would be contacting him again when we come back to Hanoi for our trekking trip to Sa Pa. Khoi used to be a guide there before he moved back to his village and he knew the area very well.
We really hope to travel again with him.
Back to Hanoi :
We drove back to Hanoi with our quiet Driver and traffic was heavy again when we enterd the city. All the tranquillity in the countryside immediately evaporated and we were engulfed in a miasma of exhaust fumes and the irritating honkings!
Our room in Hanoi Elegance 2 was waiting for us, infact, the hotel people ensured that we have back the same room everytime we return from our overnight trips out of Hanoi. It was like coming home for us - everything about Vietnam was excellent!!
Argi had a craving for duck and we asked a receptionist at the hotel where we could get some local duck dishes and he recommended a place called "Little Hanoi" to us. We went looking for it, which was easy as it was just around the corner from our hotel but we realised too late after we have seated ourselves that this is another restaurant recommended by a guidebook. Hence, we were dining among tourists from all over the world instead of the locals - and there was no duck on the menu !!
Night Market :
After an okay dinner, we decided to get lost in the Old Quarter. It was a beautiful night - the weather was cool, not too cold and we stumbled upon a night market with stalls set up at one long stretch of road. This was where the locals actually shop - not at those permanent shops set up in the Old Quarter. We could tell that some of the locals we saw are probably from the outskirts of Hanoi, having a nice evening out with their families in town.
It was wonderful for us to soak up this atmosphere...so far, we have enjoyed every single day we have spent in Vietnam...We will be heading to Halong Bay tomorrow for 3 Day/ 2 Night stay onboard the luxurious Santa Maria Cruise, which Argi had so thoughtfully planned and booked for us from Greece.
|
|
If you like this entry, search for other entries by xuanargi, from Vietnam or try a new search. |
| |
| Table of Contents |
| 4. | Be Be to Hanoi and a stop at Khoi's village - Ba Be, Vietnam Jan 04, 2008 (  25 ) |
|
|
|
|
Back to Entry - Back to Home
|
