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Ta Xi Lang is a small village in remote Tram Tau district,
Yen Bai province.
Instead of giving travelers some information about Ta Xi Lang I will tell you
about my trip to Ta Xi Lang.
I have been to many routes in the mountainous north
Vietnam nevertheless the road to Ta Xi Lang is among the most memorable with
towering slopes, slippery and sheer mountain passes and where friendship is
lightened inside remote place.
I was very excited when our group will make a trip to Ta Xi Lang, I happen to be
expecting this trip for years as it's reckoned since the "route of death" with
steep paths, rugged and difficult slopes. The curiosity or perhaps the nostalgia
of the jungle for a long period made me nervous looking for the day we set our
feet with this place.
On a hot Friday of Hanoi summer, we started out from Cau Giay with 5 motorbikes,
total 9 members. Waiting for website visitors to prepare luggage, under the heat
of summer and muggy atmosphere in the dusty Xuan Thuy roadside I was anxious to
the beginning in order that i can take advantage of the fresh air in the
highland atmosphere.
We obtained at 6pm from Hanoi National University along highway 32 to Son Tay
township to Trung Ha bridge and also over to Thanh Thuy - Tan Son - Thu Cuc
districts...The crowded type of vehicles in Hanoi became sparse as well as the
streets of Hanoi disappeared behind us. It was really a daring dicision to
perform the trip within the evening and could be dangerous however inside the
hot weather it will be very hard and tiring for group members.
But there is an unfortunate happening with my group within this trip. At
midnight, when we arrived in the Ba Khe pass, 148km from
Hanoi, one driver
inside my group Tran Duc am sleepy coupled with an accident traveling, the
curves for the pass have defeated a practiced rider, he lost control and crashed
to the railing on the highway, his legs were injured and unable to stand up, the
fellow girl sitting behind him was slightly bruised. Fortunatety the accident
wasn't too serious but we must temporarily stop the trip and took him to
hospital in Son Tay, i was a bit disappointed because the accient happened when
we were near Van Chan district, individuals were tired, and worried for his
health. Watching him suffered when doctors put antiseptic and bandaged his
wounds most of us felt pity. We spent the evening at "Hospital hotel" without
bed or mats, just lying about the lounge chair with the hospital and slept until
4 am your head member called everyone as much as decide whether or not to keep
going or otherwise.
It was very hard to decide to continue the trip or not, it might be very
frustrated to return to the start line once the target is very close, only 5
people decided to carry on including me. We jumped on our motorbikes at 5am, we
arrived at Van Chan because sun was rising. The sun here had not been severe
similar to Hanoi. We filled each of the "horses" and began the day at Ta Xi Lang
with determination to overcome "the road of death", a must-see destination in
northwest Vietnam sightseeing places
It was unknown as a result of terrain or by chance that the routes inside
northwest always provide most chalenge, almost always there is a common thing
could be the solitary and remoteness with the villages within the middle with
the jungle, may be the immense precious timber forest including Po Mu, could be
the land of drug trafficking and smuggling...West Yen Bai just isn't an
exception with your villages as Ta Nhi, Che Tao, Lim Mong and Mu Cao nicknamed
as 4 big places of death.
The way to Ta Xi Lang is a real challenge for motorcycle riders, such as most
experienced drivers. It's steep, steep and rugged rocks, big pebbles in
conjunction with deep abysses, below are dry streams full of the orphaned rocks.
The green mountains looming inside the mist, the clouds and the villages of
H'mong people scattered inside the distance around the hills.
The slopes here can only be described a single sentence "terribly high". The
bikes were crawling at top gear, sometimes the street is blocked by big rocks
and the riders at the back had to get off and pushed the bike. We had a
difficult time over the first slope to learn a higher the slope ahead, as well
as harder go over.
And we passed such 4 or slopes inside nervous mood, anxiety when combined
excitement, surprise. If you were in Hanoi at midday your skin layer would be
burnt nevertheless the weather here is extremely strange, blue sky, clouds
glided through the high mountains, and brilliant sunshine on the valley side. Of
course, the task in the driver is driving, as well as for his companion in the
back ended up being take photos, plenty of beautiful photos.
Journey to Ta Xi Lang can be like rumors! Upward slopes brimming with large
rocks, bumpy and rugged, at some places we needed to hold our breath walking
with the cracks while travelling with the deep abyss beside. However difficulty
would not make us frustrated but even more united, helped each other everywhere
possible
Climbing to Ta Cao village is really a new challenge for all of us, the slopes
were higher with bigger rocks, sometimes there are only dirt road segments, as
slippery concerning had just been a rain. Water flowing in the cliffs to the
trail, I was almost "fell" off in a piece this way.
Through bad road, we saw about 3-4 stilt houses on the roadside. All were
closed, there were only some boys playing about the street. We got off,
approached them carrying candies from Hanoi, asking them after which took
pictures using the children. From the time we came to Ta Xi Lang it absolutely
was the first chance we had to talk with humans, enough to see here how remote
it is. We asked them again if there were road available online for they said the
end of the road is often a dead end. Still determined to skip forward we jumped
for the bikes and didn't expect the path was evern worse. Along the way, we met
a number of people going herd, greeted them and was asked "what have you been
going there for? only buffaloes can be this way" The whole group was laughing
because from the honesty in the boy riding about the buffalo and continued to
proceed. The short ride will finish, we have off and walked, we met some Hmong
girls carrying firewood on his or her back and doing the sewing with the same
time.
By the end in the road is actually a dead end, and not only the buffalo and we
had arrived not the sole riders, from tiny paths plunged to the forest we had
two Win motorbikes carrying wood driving out. Ta Xi Lang continues to be known
as the point of Po Mu timber and was victim of timber logging however it was the
firstf time I saw Po Mu tree although it had been just 2 pieces about the bike
from the traffickers
After resting a while in the road end, our leader thought we would get out to
the centre of Ta Xi Lang village, it was around thousands of meters from your
position downwards, from high we had a valley like a giant basin, In the basin
are terraced fields, green forests, a couple of small houses on stilts looming,
we saw Van Chan district and centre of Ta Xi Lang village fits within the basin.
We saw a couple of houses built-in good condition, we approached and found it
had been the school along with the office of folks's committee, there were a
brief look and for your driver to experience a rest, it had been weekend and
there have been no student, nobody was at the office from the people's
committee, nobody was seen about, just deserted since the remoteness of the
area.
We came out inside the late afternoon, individuals were tired and hungry, we
decided to come and ask at the family in the village for cooking, the host can
be a young woman with her son about 7-8 yrs . old, after some negotiation with
her we've got her approval.
People in these areas are very accommodating and hospitable. If in the city a
stranger isn't allowed to visit home like this. We were required to be very
grateful towards the kind host otherwise we might have to stay hydrated with
uncooked instant noodle. However we went, accepted hardships, difficulty and
risks
We knew before that there is no restaurant nor market together prepared the
instant noodle, the girl helped us cook our food however there isn't any water
tank or wells in any respect, we had to bring the cans to fetch water 1 km away,
how difficult living of people here.
Saying goodbye to Ta Xi Lang, goodbye the stilt houses, valleys and waterfalls
we returned to Van Chan district and planed to own more trips. We want to find
how large and beautiful our country is and also learn to love our fellow people,
people who live in difficulty in remote places.
Ta Xi Lang is really a commune in Tram Tau district, Yen Bai province, borders
Ban Mu commune inside the north and Phu Yen, Bac Yen districts of Son La
province in the west, around the south side is Van Chan district. All people
listed below are H'mong people, they've created a living by growing rice and cut
firewood in addition for the illegal transportation of Po Mu wood. From Van Chan
to Ta Xi Lang is around 19km plus it take a couple of hours to reach the commune
centre.
Featuring a rugged terrain on nearly 2000m altitude, dissected by deep gorges,
high mountains and steep cliffs...The way to Ta Xi Lang is very difficult.
Previously only dirt road, now widened to 4-5m, but landslides often cause the
path congested, many sections only fit one motorbike wheel, the slope with this
road it really is hard to imagine: 15-20%.
Just about a decade ago, Ta Xi Lang was famous because centre of Po Mu wood in
west Yen Bai, today the Po Mu fofest continues to be almost destroyed and only
scattered up on top of the mountains. On the slopes have become covered with
pine trees.
Life of Hmong people in Ta Xi Lang is very difficult, food shortage in 1-2
months between harvests still occurs. Due to steep slope cultivation is
difficult, literacy is low and most children in Ta Xi Lang don't head to school,
despite having a faculty at he centre with the commune however it is just not
easy to encourage visitors to go to school. Among 16 communes in Tram Tau
district Ta Xi Lang and Mu villages are of special difficulties. |
