HA GIANG – Three men camp, eat grilled chicken, drink beer and watch movies in the middle of Suoi Thau valley.
Tran Quang Tu is 38 years old, doing business in Cao Bang. Starting his hobby of camping from the beginning of 2021, Tu spent more than 50 million VND to buy professional camping gear. Tu’s criteria for choosing a destination are empty of people, large space, and beautiful scenery.
Two weekends in mid-September, Tu and two friends had a camping trip in Suoi Thau (Coc Pai town, Xin Man district). This is an unplanned destination because initially, the group chose Phung village in Hoang Su Phi , also in Ha Giang , but the rice here has been harvested and the terrain is wet. “I was a bit disappointed because it didn’t go according to plan, but then my friend suggested to Suoi Thau. This valley is as beautiful as Phung village, but the road is difficult,” Quang Tu said.
Suoi Thau valley is 140 hectares wide, located at an altitude of 1,200 m above sea level. This place is 6 km from Coc Pai town, the road has many bends, many roads are under repair. Tu said that from Tan Quang fork to Hoang Su Phi, the distance is about 45 km, but the travel time is more than 4 hours.
The group arrived at Suoi Thau at 15:00. Tu went around the valley to choose a campsite. His priority is a place with flat ground, a view overlooking the mountain, near people’s houses or grocery stores. The whole group was full of men, all experienced in camping, so they set up a tent and arranged their belongings only about an hour.
At 5:00 p.m. setting up camp is over, it’s time for Suoi Thau to start welcoming the sunset. All over the field were reaped columns of blue smoke from the compatriots burning straw. Tu said: “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen this scene, the smoke is irritating and stings my eyes, but I feel moved because I remember my young days in the countryside.”
In front of the tent where Tu camped, there were alternating high and low mountains. As the sun disappeared behind the mountain, Tu and two friends tried to wait for another 30 minutes. By this time, the whole sky had turned orange-red. In Tu’s experience, you can preview the sunset time on your phone’s weather app, and wait patiently. A beautiful sunset is not only when the sun is about to disappear behind the horizon but also the scene in the sky when there is no sun. Depending on the weather and the area will give different sky colors such as pink, red, orange red, sometimes purple…
Tu and two friends sat around a small table, had some snacks and beer, watched the sunset and chatted while waiting for the food to be prepared by the locals. In Suoi Thau, there are no motels, homestays and services. But the people around are very enthusiastic, you can hire them to prepare food, go to people’s houses to bathe, wash, and clean. “That evening, an ethnic man brought us a very large bunch of buckwheat vegetables and said that he wanted to give local specialties,” Tu said.
In the evening, Tu’s group invited another person from another group to join the group. Dinner of four men with the main course is grilled chicken, served with vegetables. While eating, people watched comedy movies from projectors. “We sat and talked until the night, when the dew started to get colder, we all went to sleep in the tent. They are all men, so everything is very simple,” Quang Tu shared.
The tent is equipped with sleeping bags, blankets and cushions for all members. Tu is used to sleeping in the sky like this, but this is the first trip that Tu goes with a group of male friends. Sleep feels deeper because of more peace of mind when traveling with family.
In the morning, Tu wakes up at 4am. For professional campers, it is impossible to miss the moment of cloud hunting, watching the sunrise in the early morning. Stepping out of the tent door, Tu was surprised by the sea of clouds right at his feet. The clouds passed over the mountain peaks, then gradually dissipated to reveal the valley with trees and houses.
“I was too busy looking at it to take any photos. The sea of clouds in Suoi Thau is not as dense as the clouds in Da Lai or Ta Xua, but it glides over the mountain peaks, revealing the brilliant sun”, Quang Tu said. tell.
Tu makes coffee for you, doing nothing but sitting still and watching the slow movement of nature. The clouds cleared, the sun rose, and the grass swayed in the wind. In the distance, a few people started working in the fields.
Each season, Suoi Thau steppe brings visitors a different experience. In spring, canola flowers bloom creating a warm scene for visitors to visit. In the summer, the green colors of corn and rice fields will be displayed, and in the fall, the steppe will become soft with rustic colors. The cold of winter will be dispelled with the bright colors of buckwheat flowers interspersed with rows of sandalwood rising in the middle of the steppe.
Photo: Van Tiep