PART 1: GOOD LAC

12-13 July 2013. Days 13 & 14 of 17. 
Ky Son, Thung Khe Pass (720m), Mai Chau, Lac VIETNAM. 
Overnights in Lac & Ha Noi VIETNAM. 

Lac is a great example of a tiny farming village nestled in the middle of a lush steamy hot Vietnam mountain valley surrounded by pointy peaks. Lac has a population of 600 and occupied by the "White Tai" ethnic group most of which live in Thailand. Together with the "Black Tai's" they make up what we know as the "Thai" people of Thailand which is the only country NOT to be occupied by a foreign power in all of its history. The term "White" and "Black" refer to the predominant colour of their traditional clothing.

Our drive to Lac was breathaking - 145km and 3.5hrs from Ha Noi. After 1.5hrs we made a stop at a cafe in Ky Son. We sipped Vietnamese coffee and green tea seated in a circle under a huge shady tree. It was a steamy hot day but the hot beverages hit the spot. Thung Khe Pass at 720m above sea level was simply the best and still very hot despite the height. There were two sets of views, both very different and jaw-dropping (enjoy blog photos). We could see the town of Mai Chau and Lac way down below us from the second view and surrounded by rice paddies glistening in the sun.

Our mini-bus barely made it over the canal bridge leading to Lac which was surrounded by rice paddies and canals and consists of around 90 houses on stilts. Only three properties in this town have been approved by the government to host non-Vietnamese tourists. Tuan explained the strict requirements and it showed. The home we stayed in was spotless. There were five toilets equipped with showers and a lovely cane table and chairs to sit around under the stilt house. Above are two huge rooms for sleeping. The family of Mr Binh (dad, son, daughter and their spouses and kids) greeted us when we arrived around 2:30pm. We prepared for a walk at 3pm but it was delayed by a huge downpour.

At around 4pm we set out again and just as well - the whole place had cooled down significantly and our walk was very enjoyable. We walked through all the rice paddies and learned a great deal about who owns what and how the whole system works. When a couple marry, the government grants 300 sq metres of paddy land to the couple and 150 sq metres to each additional child. Depending on water, you can get up to 10kg of rice per square metre per planting and the typical diet involves 120kg of rice per person per year. We were surprised and glad that the farmers own their own land and happy to see neighbours working collectively on each others paddies - we could see several women planting young rice plants in a single field.

The farmers here also grow potatoes, beans, corn and maize. They keep chickens, pigs and water buffalo. It is actually a good life since they are self-sufficient and do not need to pay any income tax. Tourism is now a bonus and enables them to work a little less in the fields since the weather is absolutely boiling. In the middle of the day they eat and siesta because it is simply unbearable. We noticed a resort being built on a distant hill in the traditional style since demand for this area has sky rocketed given the home

stays organised by a few adventure travel companies such as the one we took. As we walked we passed two ladies spinning and weaving. We even had a go at shooting a locally made cross bow used for hunting. We saw several farm animals. It was quite an eventful walk. We returned to the farm at 5:30pm, showered and relaxed to a couple of bottles of local red - it was not far from turning into balsamic! We chatted and blogged away in the cool of the day, watching people planting rice by hand now that it was cool.

At around 7pm the family unloaded an absolute feast! Easily the best food we had eaten to date. It was classic Thai and very fresh. Salmon fish cakes, fried eggplant, seasame chicken, spicy pork and fresh home green beans. Superb. Mama Binh explained each dish and then it was on for young and old. After dinner we retired to one of the large upstairs rooms and watched a traditional dancing show of ten young guys and gals in traditional costume. There were live instruments and the highlight was us joining in the dancing at the end of the show along with our host family. Our kids loved it. After the kids fell asleep we sat down to a huge ceramic vat of rice wine accessed by several bamboo straws. Even though it was only 23% alcohol it wasn't until the following morning that we realised just how much we drunk.

It was a reluctant rise at 7am for a run. No headache but a slight case of the runs which unfortunately cut in a second time about half way through my run - did not stop but it was a painful last 5km only offset by a magificent view. After a quick shower and some breaky we were off at 10am bound for Ha Noi. What a strange trip back - quiet - all of us snoozed the next 2hrs to our ice-cream break. A little bit of gaming and blogging later and the buzz of Ha Noi was again upon us. We arrived at the hotel at 2pm and decided to do some laundry and blogging before heading off to the Water Puppet Theatre in downtown Ha Noi.

If the home stay was our highlight, the puppet show was the lowlight. 50mins of old, not very mobile puppets splashing around in a pool. It was unanimous. Half of our kids fell asleep. The pity is that water puppets are very old and cultural having started in 1010 but they simply did not capture our attention. After the show we had some more Vietnamese food at a rooftop restaurant serving tap beer but it was still very humid. That evening we grabbed some supermarket supplies for our cruise to Halong Bay tomorrow and some ice cream to celebrate. Some of the kids crowded into our room to watch a movie and eat ice cream - it was a great way to cap off a great trip into the countryside...