Third Day of the Ha Giang Loop

Today was the last day of the Ha Giang Loop.

When I sat down for breakfast, I was joined by a cat and its two kittens. Adorable! I tried to make friends with them, but they were very shy. And I think momma cat didn’t really like her children. Whenever they got remotely close to her, she hissed at them and they fled, startled. Poor things.

I did get one of the young ones to nibble on my toes, though. 😁

There was a waterfall close to the homestay, which is where we went first. And that’s when it started to rain.

A tiny hike and you can enjoy the scenery - of dozens and dozens of people blocking the view.

I didn’t enjoy myself at all. Especially when I noticed that my camera’s battery was empty and I couldn’t take a photo of the waterfall.

I grabbed my bag, wanting to leave, trying to spot my driver. Who was nowhere to be found.

I thought, okay, maybe he went back to the bike. So I went there to find it empty. The downpour increased in intensity at that point. I was soaked. For whatever reason, I had not gone for the protective gear of trash bags because it was so close by and we were going to go back to the homestay to grab the rest of our stuff.

I contacted the company to let my driver know I had gone back to the bike, since I didn’t have his contact.

Eventually, a few minutes later, he appeared.

I don’t know where he went (usually, he sits down with the other drivers and watches stuff on his phone), but he wasn’t happy I had contacted someone about this.

Again, I’m divided here. It wasn’t a biggie to me, but I needed to let him know where I was. But I also didn’t want to get him into trouble, as he stated he now would be. 😬

We went back to the homestay for a few minutes - and put on our trendy trash bags.

There, I found a third kitten. We instantly hit it off!

We played and cuddled for a bit and the kitty followed me everywhere. Yes, also to the toilet. 😁

I then put on my first backpack, grabbed my second one in my left arm, held my two water bottles in my left hand, and cradled the kitty in my right arm.

I went through the cafe like that, people looking bemused, faced my driver and said “I’m ready!”

There was quite some giggling in the room. 😁

Ah, man, I already miss the little kitten.

Today, we didn’t really have a stop. It was still pouring and visibility was really low at times, so we just kept driving.

We did spot two snakes, by the way - one today and one yesterday.

After a few hours, we reached the homestay in Ha Giang again.

We had a little pit stop there and continued to lunch and then to a cafe on a hill, offering scenic views of Ha Giang City.

I did offer my driver a drink, which he accepted.

I asked him what he would like and he didn’t really say much, so I suggested “coffee?” and he said yes.

He got his coffee and looked grim. No thank you whatsoever.

I was confused.

He did drink it, though I came to suspect that he maybe didn’t like coffee at all and only said yes to be polite - or because he didn’t understand the question.

It was an odd situation in any case.

And that concluded my three-day, two-night motorbike tour through the Ha Giang Loop.
Now I can proudly wear my commemorative T-shirt! 😁

In conclusion: nature in the north of Vietnam is amazing! Especially the fog added a lovely mystique and made it exciting whether you were going to see anything at all. If you did, it made the awe more intense.

Also, when you first see nothing - only white - and then, slowly, a huge peak appears in the distance, and another, bit by bit - that was mesmerising.

Communication with the driver and day-by-day navigation of situations was difficult and therefore quite lonely.

Riding on the bike hurts your butt fiercely after one hour. That’s just something you have to deal with somehow.

The quality of the roads was mainly fine, but a few hours were pretty bumpy and filled with obstacles like rocks, animals, remnants of landslides, rivulets, or just terrible gravel roads.
My biggest issue was probably the dirt particles that pelted your face and were absorbed by your lungs while driving. My airways still do not feel happy. And my face was permanently covered in a layer of dirt and exhaust fumes.

While I did wear a helmet, the visor only covered the eyes and nose - and still, the wind made everything circulate over the entirety of my face anyway.

But, all in all, definitely a highlight and I strongly recommend it. Though I think it would be even better to ride the bike yourself. I admit, my interest in doing that is piqued.Read more