My contact at Blue Dragon has tested +ve and it's going to be minimum staff at the office since it's Independence Day, so I arrange to drop off my swag with the security guard and see her on my return to Hanoi. I send her a photo of me standing next to a pile of swag and send it. "Santa!" she replies. One of my many Vietnam rituals is to stop getting hair cuts once I buy my tickets and get a hair cut on arrival. Tickets bought in January. Arrived in September. I head to the barbers a couple of doors down from the hotel. I show him my passport photo. "Make me young again." He starts snipping away. Ông có phải là người Israel không?" he asks. Mistaken for a Jewish Santa, maybe the haircut is overdue.
Coffee and a stroll to fight off the jet lag. Little seems to have changed in Hanoi during the years away. A little quieter maybe, but that's it. I go explore Banana Island. Long may it remain undeveloped. I wander around and stumble on one of the swimming clubs. The Love Red River Club (tricky to say, but maybe the Red River Love Club would attract a different set). Clothes optional. Yes, a swim would be good. I strip off and head down to the river. The water is beautifully cool. I swim about a bit, but stay close to shore. And keep my mouth closed. The braver ones are out in the middle of the river. Where the boats are. Or swimming up to the bridge and back. I can see this being a new ritual along with the first coffee, hair cut and beer. Refreshed and air dried - next time I'll take a towel, I head back along the Long Biên bridge back to town. Only a little younger than the Forth Bridge, but just as iconic. I like bridges.
A good nights sleep considering the jet lag. 20k for my bánh mì ốp la. "Ăn chay," I say. He nods. "Rau,?" he asks. I nod. So good to get my rusty and dusty Vietnamese out. Grab bike to Mỹ Đình. Ask about buses to Tân Quang. Pointed to stance where a bus is just about to go. Perfect timing. Arrive in Tân Quang. Ask about a bus to Su Phì. Various suggestions for a time next morning. Consensus seems to be 6 o'clock. Check into the nearest nhà nghỉ and set out to explore town. Doesn't take long. Happy Cow doesn't have any vegetarian suggestions and I can't see any. I ask around. Pointed to a place pretty much opposite my nhà nghỉ. There is even a sign.
This will do. "Ăn cơm. Ăn chay." 4 magic words. A spread soon appears. A derisory sum paid. And so to bed. Church bells from Hell go off at 05:00.
Up with the lark, the Vomit Comet finally appears. Sets off at 07:50 then proceeds to rendezvous with buses to and from Hà Giang to tranship goods and passengers for about an hour and a half before we actually get underway. And we don't take the usual ĐT177, but head back past Việt Quang to Yên Thành and take the ĐT178 up to Su Phì. Only 25km longer. I doze as we head up the hill. Jet lag taking its toll. So good to arrive back in Su Phì after all that time.
Check into the Tây Côn Lĩnh hotel. I notice that one of the other hotels is still closed and dark.
Off to my usual eaterie. The 4 magic words get a fine meal.
They fetch me a beer from next door and I feel like a king. I have yet to do any walking. Tomorrow will be time enough. I get Diệp to phone a homestay to make sure they've got space. My plan was to get each homestay to book me into the next one as I went. As it turns out, in all but the first, I was the only guest so I just turned up unbooked.
Time for a little explore. Let's not get returned to base by border guard like last time I went to Pố Lồ. I get a xe ôm and we're off to Pố Lũng to visit the old French fort and airstrip. Retained as a monument to their crimes, the blockhouse and many of the tunnels are intact. Nature has long ago consumed any trace of the air strip.
On to Part 4
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