27.03 Day 72 Mai Chau

Wednesday 27th March - Mai Chau (Day 72)

A choice of breakfast overlooking the orderly rice fields, each plant 6 inches away from the next and currently about a foot tall. Pausing to watch the waterlogged field there are water boatmen skimming along the surface, large snails edging their way to their next meal, and above dozens of dragonflies buzzing hither and thither. 

Seb starts his schoolwork up on the verandah, whilst Sienna has a literacy class at 10am in the room. Their reward is a cycle to Mai Chau, along the narrow roads only occasionally used by cars or minibus bringing in new travellers or taking them away, to Ban Bakery & Tea where a whole banana bread loaf warmed up is wolfed down along with iced lemon tea and brown sugar bubble tea. It’s good enough for us to make a promise to return for dinner another day. 

We leisurely cycle around, absorbing the scenery returning to Green Homestay for lunch on the rooftop - enroute popping in at our next accommodation which is only around the corner from our current place - to see about staying an extra night - and she kindly offered use of her pool today even though we’re not checking in until tomorrow. 

So, soon after lunch we throw the swim gear in the basket on the front of the bike and go via Nhot Village where several houses have set up shops underneath selling fabric and fabric goods - from shawls to shirts, from pencil cases to back packs. As we cycled, we saw a few women sitting at a loom pushing the machine back and forth, building their shawl one thread at a time. Indeed there is also one set up at Green Homestay where one of the ladies sits and works - until she’s called into the kitchen. 

We then end up spending almost 2 hours in the pool and poolside at Little Mai Chai Homestay in its kidney bean shaped pool sitting abruptly against the rice fields, overlooked by thatched bungalows on the other side. There are two people in the pool leaning over the edge reading their book and kindle and it takes repeated warnings to the kids not to splash them, much to their disappointment. 

Washed and cleaned we take dinner back at Green Homestay in the same spot we had breakfast. Most of the homestays offer food to all but as well as the sense of loyalty (not laziness) we’re happy to support our place. And of course this leaves even more time for games of president before turning in.