Mai Chau was our first stopping point, about five hours on the bus eastwards from Hanoi. We got there after dark, but during the journey were really lucky to get chatting to a Vietnamese guy called Kuong, who spoke fluent English, and when we arrived he walked with us to a homestay he knew of and arranged dinner and a room for us. And we stayed there for three nights, a stilt house in a small, quiet village called Pom Coong, a mile or so from Mai Chau itself, surrounded by rice paddies and the fantastic smell of burning rice straw. A few tour groups came and went, but for the most part we were just able to chill out amongst the local families there, the perfect tonic after the bustle and booze of Hanoi. And a not unreasonable rate, either, at about £5 each per night for dinner, accommodation and breakfast!

Naturally, we took the opportunity when presented to hire some (very ageing) bikes and head off exploring for a day. No gears, as usual, but hilly roads to tackle for the first time, so it was a nice little work-out! And I think we were a China-esque novelty spot in some of the areas we got to, as there was plenty of straring and I think we set a new record for returning "hello"s to kids, one of which gained from a Westerner apparently being a prize worth celebrating!

Psychologically, it was a very relaxing and therapeutic place to hang out, but the hard bed, wooden chairs and cool evenings made it a tad less so physically, so after a bit of debate we decided to move on rather than stay for a third day.