Contents Contact

The Road from Mèo Vạc to Nà Phòng

Bridge keeper unlocking the 'gate' (a padlocked wire) to the pontoon bridge that allowed motor bikes to get from Bảo Lạc to Mèo Vạc, saving some 100 miles of mountain roads One vehicle queue for the bridge of bamboos The last pages showed images of the town of Mèo Vạc from where there is a road south to the hamlet of Nà Phòng (which has gone un-photographed) on Highway 34. Until recently this road involved crossing the pontoon bridge shown here, now there is a road bridge and the beautiful scenery is open to soft car travellers such as I have become. In whatever way you come to view this road it rewards you. Farmers on the terraced hillside, preparing fields at an angle of well over 45 degrees. And to the left these workers (at the left of the picture) can be seen in context Houses with a view; enhanced by the curve of path and furrows A closer view of the house in the picture above Perched on a slight widening of a terrace, this house lets its occupiers save some of the effort of getting to the fields ...most of which are Thai houses, built up on stilts Further along the valley a hillside dotted with houses... Hill road with woman in the overhead sun... ...with umbrella relief Flat fertile valley with craigs The hillside shown higher up the page with the context of the surrounding mountains which rise to around 5,000 feet The house higher up the page in context Rivers in the northern provinces of Vietnam are always this cyan colour due to the minerals they contain Lower down the slopes of these valleys the terraces are usually less percipitous A bamboo raft being punted on the river. Bamboos are bound together and soaked for a few months, this makes them remarkably resistant to disease and attack. Many companies make much money from chemical treatment of bamboos. In Vietnam bamboos are soaked in a river for several months. A paper from India assess the relative merits of the different processes Looking down onto the river and village, with its suspension bridge featured in the three photographs below Barbara and Ian on bridge Motorbike going over bridge Children on bridge Many cafes offer specialities, this kitchen had as its 'dish of the day' freshly cooked horse, which we consumed on a balcony overlooking the river seen above Locals in for a chat, vodka and a free smoke. The man holds tobacco, a lighter and in his right hand a bamboo pipe - of which more photos two pages back Not uncommonly spaces are 'open plan' here the kitchen, table for tea and drinks, and the tables for eating are all in one space, with the latter extending out over the river on a balcony The valley through which the road winds Dirt road (mud after rain) with Hân on our motorbike The gentle wooded country of the Hà Giang - Cao Bằng border The next page takes you on along Highway 34 to the town of Bảo Lạc. The head picture shows that road in the process of being transformed from a truly appalling surface to one that a Jeep could just about manage!

Connections...

The last page was about the indoor market at Mèo Vạc About a bridge of a very different size On making chopsticks from bamboo - river seasoned Or go to the page
which was added one year ago.

Saturday 12th May 2018