Showing posts with label Valleys. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Valleys. Show all posts

Tuesday 12 November 2019

#Vietnam - A 3-day retreat in Tu Le

 Tu Le's rice fields, a major attraction of the commune.
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  Tu Le Commune in the northern mountainous province of Yen Bai is well-known for its beautiful rice fields, hot mineral springs and infinity swimming pool.

Located on National Highway 32 in Van Chan District and next to Khau Pha Pass, Tu Le could be a get-away spot of choice for many types of travelers, from backpackers to luxury seekers. The commune is home to the Black H’Mong and Thai communities.

The roads through Tu Le show off all of what makes northwestern Vietnam so beautiful. The scenery here, especially mountains, mountain passes and rice fields, is a big attraction for photographers and trekkers. 
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 Khau Pha Pass in Yen Bai Province stuns travelers with its twists and turns with high mountains on the one side and a deep valley on the other.
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Day One

Tourists can either ride a motorcycle from Hanoi or take a 6-hour-bus from the city's My Dinh Station to Tu Le, 300 km away.

After checking into a hotel, homestay or resort and have lunch, you can take a tour of Khau Pha Pass, which means "the sky’s horn". Tu Le is about 4 kilometers from the pass, one of northwestern Vietnam’s four top mountain passes for its roughness, height and beauty.

Located at an altitude of over 1,200 meters above sea level, Khau Pha’s climate mirrors that of resort town Da Lat in the Central Highlands. However, temperatures may drop due to its subtropical positioning. In winter, temperatures might even reach below zero with the possibility of snow.


In the afternoon, you can do traditional food shopping or visit local markets.
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The Thai ethnic group people in Yen Bai still make com in the traditional way
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Day Two

Bathing in a hot mineral spring is a must-try activity when visiting Tu Le. Relaxing in a massive 35 degrees Celsius pool not only benefits your joints and circulation but could also help you relax and rejuvenate. An indoor hot mineral spring additionally provides a chance for quiet solitude.

Tien Nu Cave, near central Tu Le, is a not-to-miss tourist attraction. At VND50,000 ($2) per adult, visitors can explore the cave where fairies were said to descend from Khau Pha sky gate to earth according to local legends.

For the last 300 years, Thai ethnic people have held the belief that, on the 30th of the 12th month on the lunar calendar, fairies descend from the sky to revel in worldly beauty. Amid sliver smoke, the fairies are said to bathe in Nam Lung stream and get changed in Tien Nu Cave.
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 A resort on the hills in Tu Le
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Day Three

Another location worth a dive is the infinity swimming pool on top of a hill, especially at 5 a.m, when clouds drift by at leisure. Filled via a direct supply of mineral water, the pool remains warm and fresh.

To add more to the trip, don’t forget to savor local delicacies like green rice flakes (com), sticky rice, nuggets, liquor, bamboo noodles with boiled goose, and fried pork.

There are many types of hotels, resorts and homestays in the area highly rated on TripAdvisor and Booking.com, namely Guesthouse Kim Quy (VND130,000 or $5.6), Le Champ Tu Le Resort (VND2.5 million or $108) for a bungalow and less for a dorm bed, Yen Bai Homestay - Zoni House (VND260,000 or $11), and Pho Nui Hotel (VND350,000 or $15) per night. Such variety provides plenty of options for every type of travelers.

Source - VN Express



Tuesday 13 August 2019

#Vietnam - Once a barrier against invaders, now a beautiful valley


Chi Lang Passage in Lang Son Province used to be a strategic bulwark for Vietnam and now boasts tourist attractions.

Chi Lang Passage is a narrow valley between the Bao Dai mountain range in the east and the Cai Kinh range in the west in the northern province. The mountains form two natural barriers. 

Running zigzag along the valley is the Thuong River. Historical accounts show the valley was once regarded as an impenetrable barrier that keep out invaders from the north. King Le Dai Hanh (941-1005) once said the area helped destroy enemies no matter how large and powerful their armies were.

From Hanoi, you can follow National Highway 1A to get to the place. It stretches for around 20 km, with the main sights being Chi Lang and Quang Lang communes in Chi Lang District, Lang Son Province.

 Bai Hao Lake, one of the sights in Chi Lang, is surrounded by undulating mountains.

The Chi Lang Temple is currently being built by the lake as a spiritual and cultural complex to cherish the historical values of Chi Lang.

 The train runs through Bac Thuy Bridge in Chi Lang District on the Hanoi - Dong Dang (Lang Son Province) route. 

The train also connects with Dong Mo and Ban Thi stations in Chi Lang District.

 About 30 km from the center of Chi Lang District is Khau Sao hill (Khau Slao), a popular destination for visitors. Situated in Suoi Ma A Village, Huu Kien Commune, it is dubbed the ‘Green steppe of Lang Son’.

The hill is 760 meters high and its terrain makes it a strenuous climb. Locals allow their horses and cattle to graze there. There are more than 1,700 horses being raised here, of which nearly 700 are pure white.

 The Tay and Nung ethnic minorities here mainly make a living by raising horses. The abundant grass, clean water and salubrious climate help the horses breed rapidly.

The animals are left completely free. In the morning people bring their horses to the hill and leave them there until afternoon when they are taken to each family’s private area to drink water.


Custard apples are another Chi Lang specialty. They are grown throughout Chi Lang and the trees are ubiquitous along National Highway 1A.

One of the most famous places where the fruit is grown in Chi Lang is Dong Banh rock mountain, which is about 200 m tall. The harvest is transported in baskets by pulley from the top to the foot of the hill.

he custard apples are then delivered over a bamboo bridge by farmers to Dong Banh Market next to National Highway 1A. A lot of them are also sent to markets elsewhere including in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

On Sunday the third Chi Lang custard apple festival took place with many promotional activities and tips on growing the fruit. There were competitions between farmers to see who grew the best custard apples.

Source - VN Express



Friday 2 October 2015

Pai, #Thailand


Nestled up in a valley in Northern Thailand, close to the Burmese border, is the town of Pai. Historically, due to the town’s secludedness, Shan people occupied the area for much of its history until they were eventually overtaken by the Lan Na Kingdom. The Japanese had an interim appearance in Pai, as they tried to utilize it as a connecting point for the transport of soldiers and goods to the Burmese front in World War II. I developed a love/hate relationship when I visited Pai -the touristic town located in a gorgeous valley.


 It was originally going to ride a motorcycle around the famed Mae Hong Song loop to visit Pai, but poor weather conditions and a soon-to-be expired visa forced me to take a minibus into the town from Chiang Mai. I was disappointed, but the drive to Pai proved to be a beautiful one, as we slowly climbed our way up the mountains. The views were well worth the drive, even though several other passengers were vomiting profusely on the last half of the way up.


 Upon arriving in Pai I made my way across the Pai River to my hostel. I could tell that Pai was packed with tourists, as most people had the same idea as I did -leave Chiang Mai after Loi Krathong/Yi Peng and head to Pai. Most hostels were completely booked and I considered myself lucky to nab a spot in one. The other problem was that most places had already rented out all of their motorcycles. I was struck by luck once again, however, as I was inquiring for a motorcycle at the ‘famous’ Pai Circus School/Hostel at the same moment someone was returning theirs (yes it sounds like what it is, you can rent a room here, smoke a joint in the pool, and then learn how to juggle). Of course it was a bright pink scooter with stickers all over it -I took it regardless.


Let’s start with my least favorite part of Pai -the town of Pai itself. Yes it is small, quaint, and only has four 7-11’s and three traffic lights, but I found the town to be completely and utterly catered to tourists. I ventured into the residential areas surrounding the center and these did prove to be the quaint part of Pai, but I had nothing to do there unless I wanted to barge in on someone’s house -I couldn’t even find local eateries. The center of Pai was just so obnoxiously touristic with it’s night markets that sold the same crap that I saw in Chiang Mai and Sukhothai and it’s streets lined with Western style restaurants. Two stalls did give me a chuckle, however, as I saw a street food lasagna stall and a Mexican street food stall. I considered this an opportunity to have some Western food on my long Southeast Asian journey, but the Western food was junky -I was a fool to think otherwise. This is a lesson I’ve learned many times over, never choose Western food over local food while abroad. Never. I did partake in a bit of the Pai nightlife though, primarily bar-hopping with huge crowds and constantly playing pool with a Singha beer (my Thai beer of choice) always in hand. The one positive of the town of Pai is that it’s where I picked up any sort of billiards skill that I have today.
I’m not trying to bash things that are touristy, I do plenty of touristy things when I travel. But my problem with Pai is that I don’t think it would really exist without tourism -a town truly with more tourists than citizens.


 The positive of Pai was getting out of town and exploring the nature throughout the valley. Equipped with my bike, I spent most of my time getting lost in the countryside surrounding Pai. I was initially recommended to check out the World War II bridge, so I drove out to it on the southern side of the valley. It turns out that it is a memorial bridge built after World War II, but the Japanese original does still (partially) stand next to it. But as far as memorial World War II bridges go, it was damn cool, I guess. It was okay because I’ll take any excuse to go zooming through beautiful countryside on a bike.



I also made my way to Pam Bok waterfall. It was another great, scenic bike ride to get there, and a nice place to take a quick dip after a hot day. I had to traverse up some rocks and a shady looking wooden plank bridge to get to the falls and the pool but it was a great little adventure.
On the way back from the falls I encountered a place that many tourists mentioned back in town, the land split. The land split was literally just a big crack in the ground. However, next to it looked to be an old house/small farm where a friendly Thai woman welcomed me in for some snacks and a juice. The first thing that came to my mind was that the land split was just a ridiculous tourist trap to get you to come buy some things from this woman. I was correct, but it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. She literally gave me an entire platter full of local fruits and fruit drinks. It was my meal for the day, and she said the price was up to me. I came back here every day while in Pai -it was well worth it.



Aside from aimlessly driving around the countryside, I also visited Pai Canyon. I came here for sunset and was granted some great views. The canyon itself wasn’t too big, but it was a good few hours to hike around and explore. There were some narrow paths with sheer drops into the canyon on both sides, which made the adventure ever the more thrilling. Most others that were there were complaining about the canyon’s lack of grandiose, but I thought of it as a nice place to walk around and enjoy the beauty of the valley.
Most of my time in Pai was spent cruising on my mean, pink road machine throughout the valley and returning to the town at night to knock back a few and hone my pool skills. Even though I didn’t like the town itself too much, there were other things in the valley that I could spend weeks doing. Whether you are looking for parties, friends, nature, drugs, or learning how to juggle -you will find your niche in Pai.

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