The Journey to Hoàng Su Phì (To Vietnam's Terraced Rice Fields) 14: The Way Back Is Tough Too

Six hours by bus from Hanoi (three hours in the middle of the night). Then, renting a motorbike, another ten hours from there (deliberately choosing the rough roads). The terraced rice fields of Hoàng Su Phì gently loosened up my body, which had gone completely stiff (especially my backside).

Busy work hours are over; time to head home

A method of securing that I learned after my luggage came loose on the way there and I had to re-tie it. I also placed luggage in front to save my seat.

Roomy for a two-seater~ (We should have come this way too... but we didn't know.) This is the result of gaining experience. For the way back we chose a smooth mountain road, and even with rest stops, three hours was enough. The only worry was the rain, but it never came down hard, and we even had room to enjoy the scenery. Still, the price of having too much fun and drinking too much day after day gradually started to show... While winding down a mountain road like the Irohazaka (the road is relatively paved), around this point it started to get tough to sit behind on the bike and lean my body left and right... The scenery was lovely, though.

It feels like they're cutting through the mountain and building a road at a rapid pace. Since this is a region with a lot of rain, there are landslides here and there, and there are so many spots that make you go, "Ooh, that's scary." The view opened up in front of us, so we took a little break. "Oh look, there's a waterfall flowing," we said.

A lush green area spreads out

A site building a washed-away bridge too. Next time it will likely be a fine bridge

Taking a break while gazing at a place like this. It's totally different from the way here, so it's a breeze~ I'm feeling relaxed, but for me all alone, this might be a bit of a problem... My stomach has started rumbling, and I might be feeling a little sick too.

Even our special commemorative photo got completely ruined lol When the house came into view, they kindly asked, "Should we borrow a toilet somewhere?"... But no, no, I'm still somehow okay, so I toughed it out until we got down the mountain—willpower! Along the way there were a few bumpy stretches of road, but we made it down safely. We borrowed a toilet at a gas station, freshened up, and then it was mealtime!

Lunch at an ordinary diner. Feels kind of nostalgic

Boiled pork, stir-fried noodles, rolled omelet, stir-fried greens, simmered tofu... I ate rice heartily, bowl after bowl. We safely returned the rental motorbike, and then it was 6 hours of swaying on the bus to Hanoi. (We got caught in the evening traffic jam, right on schedule.) A 2-hour flight from Hanoi, and by the time I safely made it back to my home in Ho Chi Minh City, the date had already changed. I slept like the dead, out cold. And now my usual everyday life begins. The whirlwind trip to the northeastern terraced rice fields of Vietnam came with the adventure of traveling roads so bad they weren't even on Google Maps, but it was such a stimulating journey. Totally satisfied! Where should I go next, I wonder~ Um, actually... even though I enjoyed a delicious lunch, after that my stomach got terribly upset, and the time spent waiting for the return flight was the worst... At the airport, the storm of gurgling and rumbling in my belly just kept going, and I had to rush to the toilet about 10 times, lol. I bought some medicine at a pharmacy. When I gestured that I had diarrhea, the shop clerk laughed at me while helping me pick something out, and I gulped it down right away. It ended up being expensive...

During the flight I only had to go once, but after arriving in Ho Chi Minh once, and after getting home once... Lesson learned, lesson learned. I really have to watch out for overeating and overdrinking, and I'd better bring some medicine along. Overseas Living Ranking