Day 18: A Natural Wonder Indeed!

• From - To: Lan Rung Homestay – DH Homestay Cao Bang

• Distance: 90,5 km, 2:18h

• Routes: DT206 – DT211 – DT205 – QL3

• Accommodation: DH Homestay Cao Bang, Quadruple Room with A/C 12 Eur per night, no breakfast

Visiting the waterfalls is best done in the morning, while the sun is still rising. Not only are there fewer tourists and the air fresher, but the view is also more spectacular – as the sun's rays shift, the shadows cast by the falling water and rocks change, creating rainbows in the waterfall's mist.

Over breakfast, I met two Australians who had started their Vietnam trip three days ago in Hanoi on Honda XR150L motorbikes. I shared what awaited them, gave some 'think outside the loop' advice, and recommended they definitely include Du Gia in their itinerary. They told me that motorbike travel in Australia is dull and outrageously expensive in New Zealand. For one of them, this was his second motorbike trip in Vietnam, while the other was a first-timer, just like me. I tried the Honda XR150L and realized I'd want to travel on it next time. Its main advantage over the Honda Winner X is its height, making it more suitable for my 195 cm frame. Although both have the same engine capacity (150 cc), the Winner's single-cylinder DOHC is liquid-cooled, while the XR is air-cooled. What's the difference? Apparently, the XR's engine stalls in the morning until it warms up. The Winner has 16 HP – four more than the XR, and its rental is 30–40% cheaper. These two points clinched our debate about which motorbike is superior.

The Ban Gioc waterfall was as impressive as I had hoped. I spent 2 hours walking from one spot to another and then back again – an undeniable natural wonder that one could never tire of watching! As the sun rose higher, it began to heat up intensely, but the fine mist from the waterfall provided a delightful coolness. I would have loved to swim, but there were signs prohibiting it – it's a border area with China, and swimming is not allowed. The boats floating near the waterfall didn't tempt me – I preferred enjoying the views from the shore. However, it was somewhat sad to see that on the other side of the river, the Chinese had over-commercialized the access to the waterfall, making the mountainside look less like a natural formation and more like a Chinese construction. They built an intrusive building, glass observation bridges, a moving walkway, and more, allowing Chinese tourists to experience the breathtaking Detian waterfall (as the Chinese call Ban Gioc) from any angle or height. From the Vietnamese side, with just simple paths and a stretch of rice field, the waterfall appears as a part of nature. The Chinese structures, in my opinion, resemble malignant growths...

After seeing the waterfalls, I had to return to Cao Bang. I chose not to take the DT206 all the way as I had come but instead took the northern loop via DT211 to the turnoff for Thung lung Nui Thung Na Ma. I had seen online that there was a lake and a karst mountain with a hole there. I didn’t find the lake, just a short, grass-covered valley with a deeply etched stream, but the rock with the hole was there. It turns out this valley becomes a lake during the spring rains but dries up by late summer. Then, tents are set up for overnight stays, offering a romantic evening with a view of the mystical holed rock. It’s an awe-inspiring place where an hour just wasn't enough. However, the romance diminishes in the rain, and I suspect reaching it by motorbike on a wet road becomes near impossible. If you plan to go there and stay overnight, be sure to check the weather forecast.

I made it back to Cao Bang while it was still light. I wanted to stay in a different hotel in another part of the city, even though I had really enjoyed An Homestay & Hostel, where I stayed on Saturday. At DH Homestay Cao Bang, I asked to upgrade my reserved room for an additional 2 EUR, opting for one with a huge window overlooking the river and a balcony (the cheaper 10 EUR room had no windows). It was the right decision. Relaxing on the balcony, watching the sunset and the scooters crossing the metal suspension bridge, I sorted through my thoughts, jotting them down in my notebook whenever possible.

After finishing my second can of Saigon beer and as darkness fully set in, I went for an evening stroll in Cao Bang. Unlike a couple of days ago, on Saturday, the main street was now bustling with scooters and other vehicles. However, parallel to the main street, a beautifully arranged pedestrian promenade with restaurants and cafes was less hectic. There, I enjoyed a bowl of Pho Vit for 35K VND (1.40 EUR), cooled off with a can of Ha Noi beer for 20K VND (0.80 EUR), and repeated the foot massage at the same place as on Saturday. I highly recommend it, especially after a day's ride on a motorbike.