October 8, Da Bac to Hanoi, Vietnam
Using the roosters as an alarm clock, we got up early enough to do a morning hike from our homestay to a lake. We caught a boat to get lunch, then another boat to join our bus, which took us back to Hanoi.
A few of us woke up very early to the sound of roosters, but it ended up being a false alarm, it being 3:30. The roosters started up again a couple of hours later, and one by one we started stirring.
Breakfast was the usual array of foods on a platter, although we all agreed that the egg rolls were particularly good. After eating, we packed up our night bags and put them on the bus, taking our backpacks and heading out on a hike
Hike to Da Bia via Hoa Binh Lake
We once again had a guide for our hike from the Sung Village in Da Bac to Hoa Binh Lake, which is a bit over 6 miles.
Once we got to the road, our guide walked towards a collection of bamboo sticks she must have put there on her way to meet us. She selected one for each of us to use as a hiking pole, although she did swiftly chop them shorter when necessary. And off we went.
As with our guide the day before, we saw many different plants, including the cinnamon one from the day before. She also pointed out several plants that are used as medicine.
The road we were on was quite busy with trucks, motor scooters, and even the occasional rancher walking a few buffalo or cows down the road. Bao said that since it’s construction season, it’s not surprising to see all the trucks. We also saw a few animals that had gotten run over, including snakes, a scorpion, and a frog.
Since the weather was so good, we headed off the road onto a path. Our guide used her machete to clear out plants that were in the way, using an efficient short stroke to cut through things. Taking that path saved us about 1.5 miles, making the hike 4.5 miles. We eventually caught sight of Hoa Binh Lake and went down a long set of stairs to wait for our boat. Once boarded, we went a short distance to where we had lunch. Then it was onto another boat for an hour-long cruise along the lake to meet our bus. From there, we drove back to Hanoi and our hotel.
Even though the group didn’t talk about it, everyone knew we would each be going our own ways for dinner. Melody and I walked towards Truc Bach Island, then followed Truc Bach Lake a bit until we got to a restaurant. We ate in a room that overlooked the lake (partially obscured by the people at the counter on the balcony), then walked back to the room for the night.
