From Hanoi to Pom Coong Village

Good morning Vietnam! Did check out of the North No 2 Hotel and walked to the motorbike place. On the way I had the usual breakfast: Coffee and a Baguette with juice.

Last coffee in Hanoi before the trip

The new Motorbike

Then: surprise surprise – my bike was gone. Did not really understand why but there was a Nouvo 3 that looked a lot better than the one from last evening. And the breaks where better too. So far so good. Next question: “Do you only ride in the city?” I told him yesterday and why would I need a rack and stuff if I only ride in the city? Now they wanted 500.000 more so the total was 2.000.000 Dong for 45 days. Still less than 2 US $ a day but a bit more from what it was last evening. What to do? Waste another day to look at backpacker bikes? Or take that one that looks and drives ok? Fuck it – I take it!

The new ride

Strange monument somewhere next to the road. Bats and an elephant. Why not?

My ride on the street – did get one of the big bags (80.000 Dong) to keep dirt and dust from my bag. It does function as a security feature as well. Bright orange you can see – at last that was my idea.

It is sugar cane harvest season

Home-stay in Pom Coong Village

The Home-stay Nr. 24 in Pom Coong Village. The village is close to Mai Chau and about 140 km from Hanoi. The population is mostly White and Black Thai as well as 5 more Ethnic Minority groups. They main income is rice and tourism. The tourism part grows fast – about 99,5% of them where Vietnamese when I was there.
Did walk a bit in Pom Coong and found Home-stay Number 24. Somehow almost all of them are called after the house number.
The next day I found out that Number 15 – the one I wanted to go is inside a cluster with other places and it is a full-blown souvenir sales operation down in the village. Up where my home-stay is it was quite in the day and not many tourist did walk there. Good for me.

Dinner at the home-stay

Walking down to the village “supermarket” – looking to the right

Happy on the Honda

Dinner at the home-stay.
The first night there where 3 other guys at the place. The room is the whole first floor. You get a mattress on the floor, pillow, blanket, towel and a mosquito net. Which I did not use. There is enough space between the beds. The second night I was alone and the last night there where a guy from Ha Noi across the room. One night with Dinner and Breakfast is 200.000 Dong, Lunch is 70.000 and one big Beer Ha Noi is 25.000. That is less than 10€ for a night with 3 times food. Quite a good deal and the shower was hot as well. Free WiFi from the Sun Set Bar next door! Great!

Breakfast

They had two puppies at the place – new friends :-)

Vietnamese coffee

Lunch at the home-stay

Down in the village – tourist overload. This was taken quite early – on the way back the street was full of people. And I had to stop a few times for people to take their picture with me. I am so popular ;-)

Friday evening – dancing show across the street

Cool Bike

Harvest Dance

Even the Dog likes the dancing

Typical house of the local people

Rice in the field

New friend for a walk

Further away the houses get smaller

Bamboo cutter for sticky rice. Than he waved me in. Come on. He is 61 and his one eye is not good any more. Strong green tea is served and we have one Lao Khao – the local rice whiskey. And something red that is good for the back. Than he offers me some smoke out of his big water pipe bamboo. But I do not smoke. More rice whiskey – sorry – to early. After a few more teas and some talk I walk back to my place.