DIARY - Monday 21st January 2008 Leaving Hanoi on my new baby, a bright orange Minsk, it is only literally 2 minutes into the trip up to the North East of Vietnam when a bike in front of me pulled sideways into a car, which slammed it's brakes on and a girl on a scooter behind the car, next to me, hit the back of it. What a crunch! I carried on, keeping eyes peeled, rush hour in Hanoi can be so much fun. The road following the Red River is dirty, rubbish strewn all along the open gutters that run with water. It is drizzling, foggy and not really a very good day. After maybe an hour of following the riverbank it's down a muddy track to where the ferry waits. Another three quarters of an hour is spent waiting for more passengers to make it worth the ferryman's while and I'm conscious of being stared at by the few blokes on their Honda mopeds, with curiosity yes, but no response to a tentative smile. Once off the ferry the scenery could have been stunning as it was in the mist and drizzle it was ethereal.
Paddy fields just being ploughed by water buffalo. Tiered terraces of tea plants. It soon becomes apparent that there are absolutely no other westerners about. This is grass roots Vietnam, young children look at me and burst into tears! A stop for lunch was really the best of a bad job, rather dirty cafe's made me wish I had stocked up on Mars bars. I bought some bananas, at least they can be peeled. The home stay for the night was with a local tribe of Dao people. There is one large room where everybody eats and sleeps, out came the phrase book and the fun starts!