The small village of Ta Giang lies peacefully in the mountainous commune of Thanh Son, Khanh Son district, Khanh Hoa, right in the mountainous forest area bordering the two provinces of Ninh Thuan and Khanh Hoa. This location is also adjacent to Phuoc Binh National Park of Ninh Thuan, Bidoup - Nui Ba National Park of Lam Dong.
There are many ways to get to the campsite in Ta Giang, but some of the most used are: going down from Son Thai (Khanh Vinh) and going up from Khanh Son. The road to Ta Giang is generally not difficult, not many slopes, and often follows the stream, so even children can participate.
Ta Giang Grass Hill - Photo: Phan Ha Trong
Wading through streams to the steppe
We left Ta Giang village quite late, because the group was large and included many children. In addition to the familiar "little warriors" who had appeared inChu Nam mountain climbing triplike Kin sisters, Tho, Seko brothers, Coca (Kem and Ni sisters cannot join this trip) and many other children.
The road up to the campsite is about 15 - 16 km, mainly along the large stream, but crosses both sides of the stream more than a dozen times.
Little soldiers with their parents, before departure
On the way, the stream always accompanies us throughout the journey.
Jami - the guide, a Cil K'ho ethnic group - said that the locals call this stream Song Mao. However, on the map it is called Song Khe. This is a stream originating from the Bidoup range, flowing down to the Southeast, becoming Song Cai, flowing through Phan Rang to the sea.
The first part of the journey, we walked along a fairly flat trail through the cool green forest. The stream still flowed loudly beside us. As usual, the children were in the first group, following the guides and running around chattering.
Rabbit, Kin, Coca always come out on top
Although the water level of the Khe River is not high at the end of the year, the rains caused by the last storm of the year that hit the Central region have made the water flow quite fast. In the wide sections of the stream, the water level is only up to the calves of adults, and children can easily wade across. However, there are narrow sections of the stream or when the stream flows over rapids, the sound of the water roars, the foam splashes white and the flow is fast. When encountering places like that, when crossing the stream, the guide must load the luggage first, then string up a rope to make a "human fence" across the stream to help each member cross to ensure safety. The "little warriors" in such places are often carried across by the guides - who know every detail of the stream.
Baby Rabbit crossed the shallow streams with the gentle help of the monkeys.
In a deeper section of the stream, Coca was carried across by a guide.
The children loved bathing in the stream. The water in this section of the stream was about waist-deep, and the stream bed was wide so the water wasn’t too strong. After crossing the stream, they all jumped into the cool water. The adults were always close by, even though they were all good swimmers. There were even several adults with each child who went into the water. They splashed around, squealed, and laughed loudly, echoing throughout the forest.
For more than 2/3 of the journey, we followed the streamside trail and crossed the stream again and again depending on the terrain on both sides. There were also long stretches on rocky beaches in the middle of the dry stream. On both sides were green trees, the sound of the wind mixed with the sound of flowing water creating a wonderful space, bringing relaxation, completely different from the stuffy atmosphere of the city.
Walk in the cool water, between the green of the forest and the sky
Baby Kin walks very confidently, but there is always an adult walking close by to ensure safety.
The afternoon shadows led down the mountain forest, the stream still flowed noisily, the higher we went, the more dangerous the rapids were, some of which were over 1 meter high, the water flowed very fast and created white foam. At this time, we mainly walked on the trail above the stream bank, gradually winding up to the Ta Giang grassland.
The best view on the journey: Da Kar peak stands out against the afternoon sky
Ta Giang, the land of singing grass
As the sky darkened, the group moved more slowly than expected, as we had to ensure the safety of the children as they crossed the stream at the lower section. By the time we reached the grassy hill where we were camping, it was completely dark.
Explorers tell each other about Ta Giang, Ta Giang - the land of singing grass, maybe because this steppe is windy all year round. But this last night of the year, for us, the grass in Ta Giang steppe is playing a rock music night. The wind howls the majestic rhythms of nature in the middle of the night, seemingly endless.
Tents were quickly erected in the darkness, another force immediately lit a fire in the area covered by the wooden hut of the cattle camp on the hilltop. The skewers of grilled meat and chickens were turned over and over on the hot coals, emitting a fragrant aroma, tormenting the empty stomachs of the group who had just traveled a long way to get here.
Chicken and meat skewers grilled over hot coals
A large cocktail of wine and fresh fruit was both sweet and warm. Our late but cozy year-end “party” in the highlands of Khanh Son, in the cold of the mountains and forests, amidst the endless rock music of the Ta Giang grasslands that continued on and on. Then everyone fell asleep, while the grass continued to sing non-stop throughout the long night.
The next morning it was drizzling. In the distance, a thin veil of rain hung like mist. The surrounding green mountainsides appeared hazy. The wooden hut in the middle of the grassy hill, with tents scattered around, looked very poetic.
Camping site on Ta Giang grass hill
Prepare breakfast to go down the mountain
Everyone was busy with breakfast to get ready to go down the mountain. Breakfast was prepared quite carefully by the guides with a pot of vegetable soup to eat with instant noodles.
As the sky began to brighten, the children shouted, “Mommy, what a beautiful thing!” Then they all rushed out onto the lawn to look at the nearby mountainside: a rainbow. Under the drizzle, a seven-colored rainbow appeared on the green mountainside, truly magical. Both the children and the people, after the initial noise, fell silent to admire the magical beauty of nature.
Magical rainbow in the middle of Ta Giang grass hill - Photo: Bom
Going down the mountain, the distance seemed shorter because we were walking in daylight, unlike yesterday when we had to walk by flashlight. We soon came across the stream again. The water was still flowing fast but a little shallower than the day before, making the most difficult crossings easier.
As usual, 6-year-old Coca was always in the first group. And when Giang's mother, Seko and the whole group reached the finish line, Coca had already taken a nap at the finish line.
