Conquer Fanxipan - Indochina roof

After a rainy night at 2,800m base camp, I conquered 3,143m altitude Fanxipan top on 23 Oct at 10h05'.

It's cloudy and grey but no rain here. It worth overcoming hard long way during 2 rainy days of crossing streams, climbing on slippy rocks and sticky muddy mountain path.

Small bamboo forest

Vietnam North West Adventure - Motorbike trip

Day 4: Muong Nhe - Sin Thau (Ta Kho Khu) - Ha Nhi hill tribe people
We started to ride our motorbikes on awfully stony, dusty and muddy road. Crazy bumpy! Sometimes we meet local motordrivers in the opposite direction who offer us understanding smile. Crossing 4 streems (in which crossing one by bamboo raft) seemed to struggle with big slippery large rocks under water.

Rafting lady is about 32 years old waded across the rather deep streem (water level is approx. her waist) pulling me with motorbike on the raft. It's really difficult to keep balance for the old raft.

This is Nam Ma streem of Trung Chai, 18 kms west of Muong Nhe town







Mo Phi streem where we have to cross to get in Sin Thau village.







Sin Thau is a small village of Muong Nhe district. Most people here belong to Ha Nhi ethnic minority. They are very nice, generous and friendly. We learnt a lot from them about their daily life, culture and customs. Difficulties always cover their poor living conditions.



Children from remote villages have no way to school in flooding days, lack such hundred things for their study as workbooks, notebooks, and information, pens, ...
I was sunk in rice wine and endless stories with their heartfelt feeling for us.



House and kitchen of Ha Nhi people




















To be continued...

Adventure trip to conquer A Pa Chai Western pole

People say that A Pa Chai is a place where a cock singing cans alarm citizens of both three neighbor countries: Vietnam, Laos and China. That's why I decide to take a moto-trip to realize my dream of seeing that Western pole of Vietnam.
Departure on 8 Oct (same time last year I made my motorbike riding trip to Lung Cu, the Northern pole of Vietnam) by night train to Lao Cai and send my motorbike with another train that leave 1 hour later.
Arrived in Lao Cai at 6.30am, we took our motobikes no sooner than 8h30. Driving to Sapa via pictoresque scenery of yellow ripe rice fiel on mountain sides, we took a lot of photos when we had stopped at each pass top.

After a coffee stop in Sapa town to refresh ourselves, we take a move to Sin Ho via Tram Ton pass, O Quy Ho, Binh Lu, Tam Duong, Giang Ma pass. Funny lunch on the way (prior to approaching to Giang village of Lu tribe).

Overnight in Sin Ho at a nice hotel.

Day after, we left Sin Ho early in the morning when fog was covering the town. The Sun came up when we were driving up to Lang Mo pass, but all the things were sunk in the fog. No photo was taken here. Right after leaving back Ma Thi Ho pass, we can see a marvelous scenery of continuous mountains and valleys.
We drove through Chan Nua, Chieng Chan, Muong Lay to Muong Cha town for lunch.
From Muong Cha, the road became worse and worse. It seems to ride a horse but not a motorbike on endless bumpy and zigzag road. Finally we had to cross a streams named Muong Toong to get into Muong Nhe small town. Dinner at a local food shop then overnight at Post Office. people are very nice and helpful.
to be continued...