Christmas in Mai Chau. The First Day.

The first of two three-day weekends, and we're itching to get out of town, so we booked an Expat Weekend Package at the Mai Chau Lodge. The village of Mai Chau is in the mountains about 75 miles from Hanoi. We were picked up Christmas morning in a Mercedes coach along with six other people and driven through Hanoi traffic (no holiday for the Vietnamese), then over twisting mountain roads by a graduate of Mr. Toad's Driving Academy (which is apparently very popular here). About three-and-a-half hours later we reached the serene little valley and its beautiful lodge.

Into the cloud-shrouded mountains.

The lodge itself.

The pool.

Our room.

After a fine lunch, we decided to explore.

A hammock beckoned.
That grin means Hanoi is far away.

Beautiful grounds.

The village itself was only a short walk away.

We saw many chickens.

The village women weave gorgeous fabrics reminiscent of those we loved in Guatemala.

O. made some new friends who were ready to follow her anywhere.

We also had a close encounter with a water buffalo.

After our walk, we napped. The beds were blissfully soft. Dinner was delicious, especially the traditional squid stuffed with minced pork, and the bartender made an excellent mojito.

All in all, a beautiful, tranquil Christmas day.

Next: Day 2. Hiking and biking through the rice paddies.

P.