Happiness is hard to define not only because the term “happiness” itself indicates an abstract concept but also because it varies according to individuals. For me, happiness can be found in the moment of being at one with nature and the destination I introduce in this post today is definitely one place that my heart belongs to.
Bac Ha district is situated in the northeastern part of Lao Cai province. This place presents mesmerizing hill scenery which attracts a lot of nature lovers who crave enjoying the panorama of greenery and experiencing ethnic culture.
I had never heard of Bac Ha until I applied for a one-week English teaching volunteer program for mountainous children there. I did some quick research on Google and some travel blogs in advance and did not really get my hopes up. “It’s just 7 days of teaching English to kids in a small mountainous town”, I thought. However, it turned out serendipity.
over-excited me
It was in the winter of the last days of 2020, I took a shuttle bus from Hanoi to Bac Ha station and went to La Beauté Bac Ha homestay whose host offered free accommodation and meals to volunteers in exchange for their willingness to help the kids with their English. I had been given a decent bed right next to Dua’s bed - a staff who has been working there for around 4 years until now. Although I did not have my own room, it was still a warm and nice bed and kind of “my own private space” during my time here.
Some random corners of the homestay
Na was my friend during the time I was staying at the homestay
There were not many guests staying during the week I was here due to Covid-19, actually there were just 2 to 3 rooms booked within a short time so basically we did not have much to do. I helped Dua with some basic and simple household chores like sweeping and cleaning the floor, doing the laundry, and setting the table My English class often started at 7 p.m. when all the kids had finished their dinner.
During my staying, I had a chance to meet and get acquainted with a middle-aged couple who also have a huge love for traveling. Mrs. Chi the wife taught me how to use a digital camera and we took lots of beautiful pictures of each other.
Dua, Mrs. Chi, Huong and Na the dog
The picture was taken by me
Me reading my favorite book
The picture was taken by Mrs. Chi
One day, her husband drove us to Ngai Thau Peak in Na Hoi commune, the best spot for sunset watching, with Mrs. Huong, and Na the dog accompanied us. We took a 25-minute trek from the hill base to the peak. We were all stunned by the mind-blowing beauty of terraced fields and stilt houses leaning against the sheer mountain. All the greenery combined made a picturesque view.
It was a lovely afternoon together at Ngai Thau peak
On the next day, I took a day off and had a motorbike tour with a local tour guide, Mr. An. He is a 60-year-old man of substantial build and has a great sense of humor. He took me to the Si Ma Cai market, Hoang A Tuong palace, the border areas next to China,... It was a freezing cold day and I had certainly seen a bit of tribe minority groups’ life. The short road trip in a cold day was really a bizarre but also memorable experience to me.
Mr. An, the local tour guide
Some places Mr.An took me to during the trip
My journey ended after the seventh day, which left me with a little bit of regret for not having enough time to explore more. Two years later, I came back here on a summer day for the only purpose: traveling, and I’d like to share with you guys more interesting places in the next post named The Return!
Nice to meet you, Trang. You had a nice trip with a lot of worth memories. A nice post. 😍
Thank you so much 🤗
Nice post. Happy and lovely pictures you have captured
Taking photos is my hobby but I really want to be more professional and take more spectacular photos! 😁
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Lovely place and people em :) I've never been to Lao Cai Province but would love to visit here one day ❤
Thank you ^^ Lao Cai is really on top of my buck list!
Yay! 🤗
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