A Home Stay is one of my favourite ways to experience the culture, traditions and cuisine of an area I am visiting. Guest House 27 was my home for just one night in the little village in Mai Chau. On arrival I lay a foam mattress on the floor and erect my mosquito net by attaching it to lines strung from each end of the room to make my little sleeping area. I'm sharing the space with a dozen other people. I must admit I'm a little apprehensive. Can I possibly sleep in such an arrangement? Toilet and rudimentary tap/hose for showering are all outside, back down the staircase in the picture, meaning any bio calls in the night have to be navigated under torchlight, taking care not to disturb my room mates.
Home cooked food by the family you are living with. I spy them preparing to dish up. The flavours are truly good, although with their limited English, I was not able to understand what some of the food was, as satisfying as it was.
After nourishment I head out to see the nearby landscapes. Here, further south the rice is still being harvested, so I was able to admire the lush green landscape before it was culled for the season.
Everything is done manually. It's a painstaking, backbreaking exercise.
Next stop to see and try my hand at the spinning and weaving on traditional looms. The experience was rounded up with the opportunity to buy some of the handmade scarves and support the local community. With such an array of beautifully vibrant colours to choose from, I bought a few.
I stumbled across a brick manufacturer, and watched as the boys lugged the freshly produced bricks into storage.
The day ended with a display of traditional dancing. Once again I was mesmerised by the vibrancy of the scarves, fans and umbrellas used to punctuate their routines.
Next up.....Boat Trip around Ha Long Bay