THERE IS A House halfway up the mountain, bright with spring colors welcoming summer
Located right in the center of Meo Vac town but in a high position on the slope, Lo Lo stilt house faces the mountain all year round without any obstructed view. Sitting in the front yard, catching the sun and wind, it feels like you have breathed Ha Giang into your chest.
Summer has lifted the gloomy curtain from the sky, revealing a clear blue sky like a mirror. Layers of mountains appear. Corn begins to sprout green buds among the gray rocks. The cold, damp air has now given way to a crisp, golden sun. Occasionally, the sky conveniently draws a few clouds drifting lazily across.
Perhaps because the world around is becoming more colorful and warmer, the morning glory begins to stir in the buds to burst out, as if wanting to play with the sun, to print its gentle pink color on the lush green background full of vitality. Morning glory, a climbing rose that only blooms once a year from March to May, forms into clusters, droops down, embracing the stone fence in a corner of the yard. The atmosphere is filled with fragrance, sometimes intense, sometimes just faint.
The stilt house was originally built by the local people as a cultural house for the Lo Lo people in Sang Pa A village, Meo Vac. Since 2017, the house has been renovated and welcomed guests. This is a place to organize community cultural activities and art performances to preserve the Lo Lo ethnic culture and serve tourists. Because it is a community house, guests will also live and eat in a "community" style: the upper floor is a dormitory; the lower floor is a living room; the middle room has a large fire where conversations are lively every night.
In the Lo Lo stilt house, I see the footsteps of time imprinted on the wooden floor, the door bars, the steps, in each worn brown pillar, the swing, the washbasin. I like the rustic style of the Lo Lo stilt house in each vase of flowers placed on the table, each curtain, and the soft yellow light. The vases of flowers in the stilt house are truly "homegrown", picked right in the yard, sometimes on the hill, such as chrysanthemums, spring flowers, and in season, orange daisies, thorny roses... The colors and scents of the mountains and forests always fill the wooden house.
A day at Lo Lo stilt house
Every new day, the typical chill of Ha Giang, the chirping of birds, the crowing of roosters and the sound from the communal loudspeaker gently awaken everything, without haste. On the loudspeaker, announcements continuously remind people about Covid-19. The epidemic is still there. The unpleasant things are still there. But the flowers in season still bloom without waiting for an urging, despite the disturbances of life and the worries of people's hearts.
My days in Meo Vac were like a stroll with the sun. In the morning, the sun gently fell on each leaf, each cluster of bright pink flowers, then lightly landed on the ground. In the late afternoon, each shadow of the sun stretched out across the floor and the small balcony. I sat on the porch to work, feeling the pure, innocent sunlight as if it were gently touching my hair and cheeks. In my ears, I heard the flowers and leaves talking to each other, softly and passionately. I quietly looked out at the mountain range in front of me and felt the peace in every small movement.
During my stay in the stilt house, I kept company with two dogs, Bop and Bach. I went from the quiet of being the only guest, to the days when the house was always filled with laughter. Every afternoon, we would take a walk, go to the market and then come back to cook. The small kitchen of the Lo Lo stilt house was where we could cook during our stay.
Lo Lo's house is taken care of by Cuc, a girl who has been attached to this place for 4 years. Cuc said: "I work at Lo Lo's house and don't want to go anywhere, simply because I like the feeling of being in this house. During the Covid-19 pandemic, there were no customers, but I still managed to stay until now. Back then, gas was cheap, so every afternoon I would drive up the hill, into the village, up to Khau Vai, through Ma Le to play...".
Sometimes, I wish I had a life like Cuc, waking up early in the morning to watch the sunrise on the mountain pass, running up the hill in the afternoon to watch the sunset, picking wildflowers. One person's life is sometimes another person's dream. But does happiness mean achieving certain standards as many people think, or having to live a life like someone else? For me, wherever I am, happiness is when I am in harmony with myself, able to live with the imperfections that still exist.
I see new things in repetition
In the afternoon, I walked around Sang Pa A village to see people making pho noodles to sell at the market. Sometimes, I took Bop for a walk. On Sunday mornings, I stopped by the market.
The other day, wanting a change of pace, I drove up to Khau Vai. The road from Meo Vac town to Khau Vai is a majestic grey rocky mountain. At that time, the cotton flowers had all fallen. If I had come a week earlier, I would not have missed a season of flowers. But I have no regrets. Because for me, no matter what flowers bloom, Ha Giang still makes me feel suspended for a whole month every time I come here.
While I was thinking about something, suddenly, the sunset fell before me as beautiful as a painting.
Saying goodbye to Ha Giang, instead of going straight to Hanoi like usual, I stopped by Tuyen Quang to meet Mr. Dung, the owner of a photo shop. He lent me a camera charger after I lost it while working. I met him to return the items, say hello and thank him. He asked me where I was going. I told him I was only in Meo Vac for 6 consecutive days without going anywhere. He told me that when coming to a place, sometimes you just need to feel the majesty of the mountains and hills, the simplicity of the people without having to go in the best season.
I agree. Sometimes beauty is found when we move, but many times, I see beauty when we stay in one place, in things that seem boring and repetitive. I used to think that you have to move to find new things, but gradually I realized that new things appear right where you stand, in every step you take. Many people tell me that you have to go to a place in the most beautiful season, but for me, the most beautiful time is right at the moments that make me moved.
