I was ready at 06:00 and waiting pickup for the northern three day bus tour, organised before leaving home, around 07:30 someone finally came in a taxi to take me to the bus. once clear of Hà Nội around an hour later we pulled into a rest stop for breakfast. Next stop was somewhere on the road in Bắc Kạn Province where bamboo sticky rice cooked on an open fire was available, judging by the amount they were cooking it seemed to be a must do stop for north bound travelers.
Most of the group were Vietnamese, probably having a holiday for Vietnamese Woman’s Day on 20 October, all up there were around 24 in the group including four foreigners (3 Australians and 1 American). I was surprised, although I shouldn’t have been, when a Vietnamese guy said “How’s it going” in an unmistakably broad Australian accent; he’d been recruited in Australia for work in Hà Nội.
After lunch we had a quick trip to Hồ Ba Bể (Ba Be Lake), transferred into a boat and then spent about 2.5 hours cruising around. We tied up and walked to the enclosed and magical Ao Tiên (Fairy Lake); onto Đền An Mạ (An Ma Island), with “a temple of 5 loyal deities of the Mac dynasty” at the top (See Wikimapia); and then over to the beautiful, but ant infested, Po Gia Mải (Widow's Island) before pulling into the landing for the walk to Minh Đức Homestay in Nam Mẫu Village,- where for the first time street lighting was being installed.
Somewhere on the road in Bắc Kạn Province
Somewhere on the road in Bắc Kạn Province
Hồ Ba Bể - Ba Be Lake
Hồ Ba Bể - Ba Be Lake
Hồ Ba Bể - Ba Be Lake
Hồ Ba Bể - Ba Be Lake
Hồ Ba Bể - Ba Be Lake
Hồ Ba Bể - Ba Be Lake
Hồ Ba Bể - Ba Be Lake
Hồ Ba Bể - Ba Be Lake
Hồ Ba Bể - Ba Be Lake
Hồ Ba Bể - Ba Be Lake
Hồ Ba Bể - Ba Be Lake
Hồ Ba Bể - Ba Be Lake
Hồ Ba Bể - Ba Be Lake
Hồ Ba Bể - Ba Be Lake
Hồ Ba Bể - Ba Be Lake
Hồ Ba Bể - Ba Be Lake
Hồ Ba Bể - Ba Be Lake
Hồ Ba Bể - Ba Be Lake
Hồ Ba Bể - Ba Be Lake
Hồ Ba Bể - Ba Be Lake
Hồ Ba Bể - Ba Be Lake
Hồ Ba Bể - Ba Be Lake
Hồ Ba Bể - Ba Be Lake
Hồ Ba Bể - Ba Be Lake
Hồ Ba Bể - Ba Be Lake
Hồ Ba Bể - Ba Be Lake
Hồ Ba Bể - Ba Be Lake
Hồ Ba Bể - Ba Be Lake
Hồ Ba Bể - Ba Be Lake
Hồ Ba Bể - Ba Be Lake
Ao Tiên (Fairy Lake)
Ao Tiên (Fairy Lake)
Ao Tiên (Fairy Lake)
Ao Tiên (Fairy Lake)
Ao Tiên (Fairy Lake)
Ao Tiên (Fairy Lake)
Ao Tiên (Fairy Lake)
Ao Tiên (Fairy Lake)
Ao Tiên (Fairy Lake)
Ao Tiên (Fairy Lake)
Ao Tiên (Fairy Lake)
Ao Tiên (Fairy Lake)
Ao Tiên (Fairy Lake)
Ao Tiên (Fairy Lake)
Ao Tiên (Fairy Lake)
Ao Tiên (Fairy Lake)
Ao Tiên (Fairy Lake)
Hồ Ba Bể - Ba Be Lake
Hồ Ba Bể - Ba Be Lake
Hồ Ba Bể - Ba Be Lake
Hồ Ba Bể - Ba Be Lake
Hồ Ba Bể - Ba Be Lake
Hồ Ba Bể - Ba Be Lake
Đền An Mạ (An Ma Island)
Đền An Mạ (An Ma Island)
Đền An Mạ (An Ma Island)
Đền An Mạ (An Ma Island)
Đền An Mạ (An Ma Island)
Đền An Mạ (An Ma Island)
Đền An Mạ (An Ma Island)
Đền An Mạ (An Ma Island)
Hồ Ba Bể - Ba Be Lake
Hồ Ba Bể - Ba Be Lake
Hồ Ba Bể - Ba Be Lake
Hồ Ba Bể - Ba Be Lake
Hồ Ba Bể - Ba Be Lake
Hồ Ba Bể - Ba Be Lake
Hồ Ba Bể - Ba Be Lake
Hồ Ba Bể - Ba Be Lake
Po Gia Mải (Widow's Island)
Po Gia Mải (Widow's Island)
Po Gia Mải (Widow's Island)
Po Gia Mải (Widow's Island)
Po Gia Mải (Widow's Island)
Po Gia Mải (Widow's Island)
Po Gia Mải (Widow's Island)
Po Gia Mải (Widow's Island)
Po Gia Mải (Widow's Island)
Po Gia Mải (Widow's Island)
Po Gia Mải (Widow's Island)
On the way to Nam Mẫu Village
Po Gia Mải (Widow's Island)
Nam Mẫu Village
Nam Mẫu Village
Nam Mẫu Village
Nam Mẫu Village
Nam Mẫu Village
Nam Mẫu Village
Nam Mẫu Village
Nam Mẫu Village
