The Night of the Cockroach
I couldn't sleep well during the night. A bag that had held bananas in my room was making a noise, so I thought, 'Huh? Why?' My heart started racing, wondering if there was a ghost.
I used my iPhone's flashlight to look and, to my surprise, it was a cockroach. I was so shocked I almost fainted.
I was sleeping on the floor. So I thought that if I opened my mouth even for a moment while dreaming, a cockroach might crawl into it.
Knowing the next room was empty, I moved there to sleep. I just couldn't sleep where I was. In the end I barely slept and morning came.
A Simple but Elegant Breakfast
I told the lady preparing breakfast using Google Translate, 'A cockroach showed up during the night so I couldn't sleep well,' and she said, 'I'm sorry.' Breakfast was a crepe-like thing with honey.
Then there was a fried egg. It felt very simple, but eating while surrounded by nature and looking at such a beautiful view felt so elegant. I realized it's not about eating fancy things.
How comfortably you can return to nature—maybe that's what matters, I thought.
A Buddhist Temple on the Mountain
I left the hostel early. I needed to catch the 2 PM van from Cao Bang to Hanoi. I said bye to the Spanish and French people and headed to town as fast as I could. It's a three-hour one-way trip, so I wondered if it'd be okay, but I kept going.
On the way there was a pagoda nearby so I decided to stop by. I tried to ride my motorbike to the top but was stopped, so I ended up walking. There were a ton of steps and a Buddhist temple sat at the very top.
Maybe because it was 8 AM, there was no one there — the perfect time. While climbing the steps I kept thinking of that scene from Howl's Moving Castle and hoped I wouldn't end up like that.
I reached the top. The view was truly beautiful and I could even see a nearby waterfall. A Buddhist temple surrounded by the mountains of Cao Bang. Some of the mountains in view were already in China. I enjoyed the morning scenery while looking at those mountains.
I asked two nearby boys to take my photo. One of them was like a posing pro, and his sense of composition was really good.
He told me what pose to strike while taking the photos, and I thought he was really professional.
I also took a photo with him. Apparently he's Vietnamese and just out sightseeing.
Across the River is China
Time was running out so I rode my bike down the mountain toward Cao Bang. When I found out that across the river was China I was like 'wow.' A feeling of how amazing the world is welled up in me. I rode along the winding road for two hours.
I arrived at a small town. I ate pho at a pho restaurant. It was pretty delicious. At a countryside pho stall grass was scattered on the floor. But that was also very Vietnamese and nice.
I rode for another two hours and finally the town came into view! And I arrived safely!
Yessss! The sense of accomplishment at that moment was insane. I was genuinely so happy. I really traveled through Cao Bang province!
After arriving, the woman quickly put away the bike and I took a shower.
The Fourth Reunion
I actually went all the way to the back before parking and U-turned, and there she was—the British fashion student I met yesterday on the way down the mountain, who had just arrived at the hostel in the very back! This makes the fourth time I've met her, haha.
It felt like fate, I was so moved. Before the bus came to pick us up I had her write a message in my notebook!
I called her over to my hostel and took a shower. When I finished the hostel lady came saying, 'The bus is already here so hurry and get ready!' and I panicked. There were still 30 minutes until departure!
I hurriedly got ready at lightning speed, paid, and loaded my luggage onto the van. I had the British girl write in my notebook and handed her my card. We also took a photo together. It was all so quick but it became a great memory!
Then I spent five hours returning to Hanoi. At night I reunited with Nga!
