Mai Chau

Posted byfotinitheo1Posted inUncategorized
Early the next morning we left Hoi An and took a flight to Hanoi. We shopped for some hats in the airport but with limited choices like this one we left empty handed.  Well we did pay ten bucks for a book to replace Adam’s balloon that was confiscated at security. In retrospect I guess we should have realized a helium balloon wouldn’t be allowed on a plane.  Important toddler lesson learned…do not buy a toddler a helium balloon present 12 hours before a flight. 
We then drove four hours to Mai Chau.  When we arrived we were in the middle of nowhere.  Mai Chau is a little valley in the middle of the mountains and there is nothing around but rice farms. We arrived and I wasn’t quite sure what we were doing there.  It was freezing and rainy and I didn’t know how I was going to amuse these two for three days besides letting them play in this enormous wooden bathtub.  

How wrong I was.  It was very cold (especially for my tropical babies) but this little valley was so interesting and full of life. It was also so relaxing having nothing to do for three days but relax in this valley with no traffic, no pollution and no agendas. 
We decided to bundle up the boys and take a walk around the rice patties. 

We found this lady and Adam watched her guide her ducks home all the way home.  It was pretty amazing. I never knew ducks could be trained.  She would wave her hand and the ducks would go that way.  It was pretty cute.   

Her house was that one in the distance with the orange roof.

The Vietnamese ladies LOVED Malcolm, the young ones, the old ones, all of them.  They all wanted to touch him and hold him.  I have NEVER been anywhere where they loved babies more.  Even when he was covered in snot (which he was often this trip with his cold) they would come over and wipe his nose with a tissue and coo at him.  Adam, the little sweetheart, would get nervous anytime anyone came over and stayed close to Malcolm to make sure they weren’t taking him away. Some of the ladies at the hotel would pick up Malcolm sometimes and Adam would ask right away where they were taking him.  It’s so sweet and gives me a glimpse into the future. I hope they always protect each other and look out for each other, even when they are older and have families of their own.

The next morning we woke up and asked the hotel about nearby markets. I’m not sure they entirely understood our question (there was minimal English spoken at our hotel) because we proceeded to take a 45 minute cab ride to a local market.  This market was interesting and full of very local wares, but it was so cold and rainy it was hard to take any of it in.   Things for sale….knockoff sweaters and wool hats (yay, these I bought because we were FREEZING!), balloons (yay for Adam, we were able to replace his lost balloon) and rats…..we did not buy any of these and I’m going to spare you the photos Randy took.

Here I am…um…enjoying the market.  So glad I wore my white pants.  That lump I’m holding is Malcolm.  I have him wrapped up in there like a burrito trying to keep him warm.

So serious even post balloon and warm wooly hat purchase. I think maybe he was just cold. 

Here is our outfit.  It is clearly laundry day. With very cold weather we were wearing three layers at a time, and going through clothes very fast.  Adam insisted on wearing his horse shirt over his already odd little outfit, I think it kind of made it cuter.  And in case you couldn’t identify it, that’s his dinosaur balloon.  

We headed to lunch and warmed up with one of these. Our hotel had the most amazing Pho.  I had this for every meal the whole three days.  Even Adam and Malcolm loved this (without all the chili I added).  Having this bowl on a cold, cold day in the valley of Vietnam I understood exactly why this spicy yummy soup was made.  It really does warm you right up. 
Yes, it was this cold in the restaurant. 

The next morning we bundled up again and took a bike ride around the valley. In case you haven’t realized yet, I only packed one sweater.  The bike ride was great. We got to see so much more of the valley.

This little tropical baby DOES NOT like to wear a hat.  He kept yanking it off and throwing it away. Thankfully Randy was behind me and caught on.  I was NOT going back to that market for another hat.

This little guy loved his hat and he LOVED the bike ride.  It made me wish we lived someplace where we could take regular bike rides.  

After our bike ride it was back for some Pho to warm us up.  These two loved the restaurant, once I convinced the waitresses to close the doors it got much warmer and we spent loads of time there letting these two burn off some energy and make friends with other kids that were staying at our hotel.  It was the first time Adam and Malcolm really played together and entertained themselves.

So.Much.Snot

Then, something miraculous happened….the sun came out! It was the first time in a week!  It immediately became about 20 degrees warmer and the valley was already beautiful but it became about 20 times more beautiful bathed in sunlight.  We went right out for a walk.

The next morning we woke up and decided to take another bike ride.  The sun was back behind the clouds again so my one cream sweater had to be dug out of the dirty clothes pile.

According to Randy, Adam looks like Yasser Arafat in this getup. He kind of does. 

With that last bike ride we packed up our stuff and moved on with our Vietnamese adventure.  As we drove to Hanoi through the mountains and the streets became more and more crowded and the stores became more and more crowded I missed the quietness and stillness of Mai Chau.  It was almost jarring how quickly it changed and we came back to civilization.  We will miss you Mai Chau and your peace and quiet and your chilly, chilly walks and bike rides.    

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