Off the beaten track

A few weeks ago the worst rains and flooding in forty years hit the far north of Viet Nam (along the China border). Mud slides followed. Hundreds died. Homes, roads, livestock, rice paddies were washed away. Anh had taken it upon himself to collect a large box (incredibly tightly packed. Darn heavy) of childrens clothes, knowing he and I were to come north to Lao Cai.

Not knowing how best to distribute the clothes, we decided to hire a local taxi and head out to the hills of Bát Sát district, where we were told some of the worst flooding/devestation had hit. To accompany the clothes, we picked up two large boxes of school supplies at a stationary store in Lao Cai. Off the beaten track we went.

Stopped at the district people's education committee (see building picture, with water bufalor in soccer field) to get permission to proceed (tea, speeches, made to feel very welcome) and by coincidence met the vice-director of Trinh Túông commune who was there for a meeting. His school/commune was one of the worst hit, and was cut off when the road was washed away. He was heading back, so hitched a ride with us.

From Loa Cai, it was about 2 and a half hours of gravel, rock and mud roads. Single lane, dodging water buffalo, kids, dogs, ducks. Amazing scenery, and not an area where many foreigners ever get to. We followed the Red River for a while (it flows south through Hanoi, to the South China Sea) with Viet Nam on one bank and China on the other.

There were quite a few places I thought the taxi driver would refuse to pass (amazing mud) but he said that it's no problem. You simply get a local farmer with a water buffalo to pull you out. I was glad I was in sandals.