Exploring Vietnam's Ha Giang Loop on a Scram Motorcycle Episode 4

In this episode I wander down a dirt track. I continue through some very windy roads where I get my first glimpse of the iconic hills of the north and I end up staying in a town in the mountains which I explore. I woke up at dawn and the farmers were already back out there harvesting the rice. Thank you it's good to meet you guys. Today's plan was to start the Ha Giang loop. It's not a difficult ride but apparently there's a lot to see and explore along its path. I thought I may as well fill up in town as I really have no idea what's out there on the loop but in saying that so far in Vietnam I've come across a fuel station within every 20 kilometers. Morning. Just pulled over at the minimart to get some water and really to wait for the cloud to lift. Looks like it might be a lot better to see stuff coming up to 7am. Let's hope it does. The town I am in is also called Ha Giang which is again in the Ha Giang province. How cool looking is this architecture. These buildings are very narrow. This is the Lo River, one of the major rivers in Vietnam. It originates in Yunnan China to the north and feeds into the Red River further south. There was my first sight of those iconic hills. Well that sign suggests my navigation skills aren't too bad. Look at that water. Wait. Truck. Wait. Washed out road section. It's all happening at once. How crystal clear is that water. I was only kilometers into the loop and I was already impressed. I pulled over to look into the valley and I saw something that looked interesting so I rode up a bit further. There it was. I had spotted a dirt track leading into the valley so as you know there's only one option when you see a track and that is to ride up it and check generally wasn't too bad. As always couldn't help myself. Saw a side track and just had to go look. Cool little valley up here and they're harvesting here as well. You can see the rice kernels are just starting to go yellow so I think I'll keep a lookout for more of these little side tracks off the main one. So I left the farmers and their rice harvesting and headed a little further up the valley. As I continued up I passed more farms which had some corn, bananas but most of it was rice. I pulled up at another vantage point to see back down the valley and as I didn't actually know where this track led I thought it was time to get back down to the main road and continue on the loop. So I turned around and made my way back down. I came across a lady carrying bales which were four times the size of her. I rode through a morning market. I like how they've taken over the main roads where vehicles have to give way to pedestrians. These are some of the funnest roads I've ever ridden on tarmac. I got to a police checkpoint which was expected. I had been told by an American at the homestay that you will get pulled over and you'll have to open your wallet. They were friendly enough to wave goodbye. I wound my way up the side of the mountain to the next ridge. Well I knew it was coming. My donation to the local police. We'll call it a tourist tax. I've been warned about it. I went in and they basically go through a whole rig while saying it's going to cost six million or all that because of licensing and all this sort of thing and then they go but we can help you out. That's what happens in Vietnam up in the tourist loop. Apparently anywhere else in the country they won't even stop you just the way it is here. That fog hasn't lifted quite yet. There's some patches of sunshine and then quite heavy fog. I guess it's fog isn't it? No we're up high so it's probably cloud. I'll have to research and work out when there's a difference between fog and cloud. But it's so much fun especially that last pass where the roads are really good and just oh it's just fun fun riding we'll call this. All right I'll keep on moving see what I can find. I continue down the mountain to a small town. More conical mountains await me on the other side of the valley. This is the Song Lo River or Song Ninh. There are actually two names for it on the map so not quite sure. It joins to the Lo River back down where I started the day. It looked like there was going to be some stunning views ahead. Time to pull over. I thought it best to move back slightly to a safer spot. Now that's a pretty insane view. Wow how I think they're conical. I could have that word totally wrong for the cone-shaped things. What a valley and have a look at this tree just up here right in the gap. Might have to get a photo of that. It's getting better the further I go into it. It's hard to keep your eyes on the road here. There is just so much to look at. Now here's a closer look at one of the conical hills. That truck is definitely not worried about others on the road. This farmer must have harvested early as he's already starting to plow the field again. That's a unique way they bale the hay. There was another one of Ming's Pins on the map. This time an old village just down the side road which if you continue past the village for another few kilometers you end up in China. Verbang was once the capital of the region and a bustling trading area in the Dong Van district. However after 1979 when the administration center of the district was moved to Dong Van town, Verbang gradually turned into a sleepy village. The old part of the village dates back for centuries where the houses were built with mud walls and wooden columns designed to keep the house cool in summer and warm in winter. This is one of the older villages in the region and you can see on these older buildings they're just rammed earth. Old school but very effective. Really thick walls too. I reckon Dave the craftsman would like those two pieces of wood if I could strap them to the back of the bike. They look like they've got some age as does everything in these few buildings here. A local lady said hi as she walked past probably wondering what I was looking at as everything to her would just seem normal. There were piles of corn cobs left over after stripping the kernels. It is definitely a sleepy old village. There is an example of the old next to the new. Well that town looks about as good as anywhere to stay so I thought I'd see if I could find any accommodation. I wound my way down off the mountainside to the valley floor. It's a long time since I've seen one of those, a scarecrow. I pulled up to the first accommodation I came upon and it looked like it would do the job. I might go for a quick walk through town and when I say quick it's about 10 buildings long so it will be quite short. It's more a village than a town. I made my way down the street to where they had an open garden area. They had a store selling traditional clothing. Some of the kids were dressed up in it and I gather going off to sell flowers. In one of the stores on the main street there was a lady on a weaving loom hand making the material for the garments they were creating. It looked like everything in the store was handmade. There could be a new riding jacket. They had a lot of other handmade items, not just clothing. When you touch the material you could feel the quality. They also had printed items as well. They had old weaving looms, yarn and traditional tools on display. They even had a bunch of flowers. I continued along the street until I came across a couple of older gentlemen making something but I couldn't quite work out what it was. Right at the end of the street was this little guy who was just happy tasting anything he could get his tongue on. It's been another great day here in Vietnam and the beginning of the loop is actually really stunning. Hopefully there's a bit more sunshine tomorrow although it's fogging in now but we'll find out. Still gorgeous. It's been good to have not a full day to 5 or 6 p.m riding and just get a little bit of break after three or four days like that. So tomorrow, I don't know, we'll just keep going around the loop and see what we can find. Still got to find some food so hopefully there's something good. And there was something good. Everywhere I've eaten the food has been awesome. With dinner done it was time to call it a night. Oh my, you're such a fragile thing, I know. And with the winter comes the ice, the snow. In the next episode, I ride through another ancient village. I explore King's Palace. I ride past a rather large flag. I ride through the most incredible conical hills. I check out one of the most amazing gorges I've ever seen. I wander down another dirt track and explore a massive market.