(NB&CL) At Thuong Lam wharf, I did not bargain with Gam river when climbing Khuoi Nhi waterfall. That: "After climbing the mountain, looking at the waterfall and wading in the stream, then standing still and holding my breath for the fish to lick my feet, the feeling of the fish licking my feet is like getting a massage at a spa that is dazzling under the lights of the city".
Wading through the stream under Khuoi Nhi waterfall, passing Khuoi Sung, without going over many slippery green moss slopes, we arrived at Na Khuon, a village at the foot of the mountain with only seven houses. The seven houses were newly migrated from the riverbed to the mountains. They cleared the land to grow corn, sow peanuts, and raise livestock to live comfortably in this magical countryside with 99 fairy mountains.
Here you can see mountains upon mountains. There are 99 mountains here, and legend has it that: here there used to be 99 birds that perched on each mountain, until the leader bird flew back, there was no 100th mountain, and so the flock of birds flew away. The birds flew back to Hanoi , so that beloved Hanoi became the capital today. The villagers still enthusiastically talked about the mountains, so I was not foolish enough to bargain with the Gam River. I went to the river for a day and spent a whole week on the mountains, the Gam River would not be angry with me.
Six days in Na Dong or Na Thuon, I went to Khuoi Nhi and came back in the evening to watch the bamboo dance, then listened to the Tinh lute, listened to the Hmong flute, the sound was so sad and beautiful like the moon in puberty hanging on the cliff. In the morning, I skipped breakfast to cycle to Na Thuon to meet Thuy to sow corn and chat about the Covid days. Thuong Lam boat station was deserted with tourists . The boat took a nap at noon and slept at night, sad and lonely. People's houses were full of sacks of corn and rice, people used them every day, if they couldn't eat them all, they raised livestock. Raising chickens, geese, and fat geese to roast, but if no one bought them at the market, they would go home to raise pigs. The geese and geese were old, so they would roast them this Tet. The roasted pigs would be hung in the kitchen, grilled, or put in the freezer until spring, people didn't know what to do.
I stood in the middle of the field, stunned, when I discovered at the foot of the mountain, the rows of yellow-leafed xoan trees were shedding their leaves, and flocks of woodpeckers were chirping to each other right next to the mustard flower garden. The peace and quiet was so great that the corn sowers could sow corn, while woodpeckers and five-colored birds flew down to the mustard garden to sow corn and flowering corn, which they planted in alternating seasons.
The bright red harrow was diligently plowing, loosening the soil. In Na Dong, I asked a drunk boy for directions, asked his name and found out he was Vien, he left the flour mill and showed me the way to a local's orange garden. He was drunk and ran barefoot to show me the way, Vien said : "I'm Nong Van Vien, can you show me the way?" He swayed his legs, stuttered, but still tried: "I will take beautiful pictures for you in the orange garden". The entrance to Van Ngon's orange garden was not too far, the path was full of bamboo and small ponds, along the road were palm gardens with swaying leaves, people planted palm trees and used them to roof the kitchen, pigsty, buffalo pens in the cold season, they knew how to shelter and protect livestock and poultry. Chickens crowed at the end of the garden. Flocks of geese and ducks lived in the pond, bamboo and bamboo spread around. The orange garden of the owner of Van Ngon's garden was quite large.
The warmth and enthusiasm of the local people warms the hearts of every visitor from afar. Here, houses are never locked, there are no thieves, no drug addicts, no drugs, and no thieves. People here accept poverty to preserve and protect the forest. Mr. Nguyen Van Hien, who is knowledgeable about the forests and mountains of Tuyen Quang, told me: "The environment here is clean, although the district still has 4 extremely poor communes, people accept poverty rather than destroy the forest."
The orange garden owner invited guests to eat oranges, but I had no appetite to eat oranges and instead went to visit the beautiful ripe orange garden. Mr. Van Ngon said that if there were no Covid epidemic, tourists would come to visit in large numbers. They bought oranges and took pictures of the garden, taking pictures of the green mountains. According to Dr. Ngo Kieu Oanh: "People in Thuong Lam are not poor, especially in the communes of Na Dong, Na Thuon, Na Liem, the forest has fed them, because the local people know how to preserve and protect the forest and protect the green, clean, and beautiful environment". Ms. Oanh is also working on a project to green the environment by planting medicinal plants, raising bees and raising livestock. Lam Binh's local products will be expanded from shiitake mushrooms, bamboo shoots, honey, and flavors of traditional medicinal leaves.
Khuoi Nhi Waterfall is as beautiful as a soft silk strip, an ideal stop for tourists when going upstream of Gam River. Photo by Nguyen The Luong
There are many Homestay stilt houses here, the price for each person is 80,000 VND/day, meals from 50 to 100 thousand for lunch and dinner depending on your preference. The most special dishes in Thuong Lam are grilled silver carp, banana flower pac pi mixed with minced meat and forest leaves, you will not want to swallow it right away, because the aroma is so fragrant and the sweetness of banana flowers keeps rising.
If you enjoy the aroma and taste of the mountains and forests, the food here is always the most attractive to gourmet tourists. The meal here is a tray lined with banana leaves, no plates, the tray of 6 to 7 dishes is just displayed on the tray. You climb the mountain and go to the stream, sit and enjoy the rice on the tray of leaves, it feels very delicious. All the fatigue of the long journey disappears. If you don't believe it, come to Lam Binh, a place nearly 400 kilometers from Hanoi, if you go to the mountain, ask the locals, they are very enthusiastic to help you.
Coming to Tuyen Quang, facing the Gam River, the old forest, where there are lakes, rivers, streams and majestic mountains. Lam Binh is the furthest and highest place. In this mountainous area, the stilt houses with fire stoves, you will see and hear Then singing, the Hmong flute, the campfire nights will bring you days close to the land and the green forest, peaceful happiness returns to the traveler after many worries are soothed, peace returns, happiness returns on the threshold of spring.
Hoang Viet Hang
Source: https://www.congluan.vn/doi-mat-voi-song-gam-post331242.html
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