We just got back from Mai Chau, a remote village in the mountain area northwest of Hanoi. We stayed in a stilt house right in the village -- the people sleep and eat upstairs. The village was composed of maybe 10-15 houses.

Impressions? Animals everywhere. Chickens roamed the streets, along with cats and dogs (all living peacefully with each other, I might add). A pig and a buffalo occupied the first floor in our house. And ducks walked all around the rice fields. And they all were very loud. The roosters started around 4:00 am, then the cats & pigs joined in around 5:00. And finally the people at 6:00. But those noises were a welcome break from the horns and motos in Hanoi.

It was about a 4 hour drive each way.

On Tuesday we took a boat ride up a river to visit a village. And yesterday we went hiking to an even more remote village. But remote does not mean unpopulated. People live everywhere. And everyone has electricity. A common sight was the incongruity of traditional dress and house along with a TV and candy wrappers.

The smoke from wood fires and rice stalk burning (to fertilize the fields) created more haze than I'd expected. Not clear at all.

There are hardly any bugs. I was all wary about mosquitos, but we saw maybe 4. Nothing compared to summer in DC. Weather held out until today. We walked to the local market and around 2 of the other small villages. On the drive back it began to rain and still does so now.

The jet lag is mostly gone now -- I can stay up past 8:00 -- YAY! And it's wierdly comforting to be back in the hotel -- a place so strange when we first arrived. That's all for now -- another tourist is eyeing me to head back up to the room ao that he can get on the Internet. :)