When I was a child, where most of my travels were through the recesses of my imagination, especially on school days, I would spend hours creating stories to entertain myself.
My favorite tale was one where time-travel was made possible via a secret portal in the fields behind my house. I spent most of my journeys along the timeline hanging out with Laura Ingalls at her little house on the prairie. I loved her cool clothes, self-sufficiency, and the ability to weather any storm. I longed to live a life with her and her family on pristine lands.
In my self-spun fan fiction, we became the best of friends, sharing experiences past, present, and future (a perspective dependant on where one started on the timeline).
I hadn’t thought of that story for many years, but it came to mind while traveling through the mountains of Northwest Vietnam with Man Mây.
I met Man Mây through ETHOS Spirit Tours, an ethical, social enterprise that offers unique, experiential adventures in support of Sa Pa’s local minority tribal people. Man Mây and I designed our experience in conjunction with the ETHOS management team, Phil & Hoa Hoolihan.
I threw caution to the wind, choosing to explore Northwest Vietnam on the back of Man Mây’s motorcycle. I also opted for an overnight stay at her home, followed by a traditional Red Dao herbal bath and more cycling the next morning.
I was treated me to 36-hours of jaw-dropping landscapes, delicious home-cooked meals, a comfortable night’s rest in the country, and immersion into Man Mây’s beautiful world.
While our motorcycle journey was predominantly over paved roads, it was very off-the-beaten-track. I saw few tourists after we passed the Thac Bac (Silver) Waterfall and none after we crossed the summit to Lai Chau.
Along our way, we shared many stories of family, extended family, family dynamics, marriage, children, womanhood, art, lifestyle, and sustenance. The conversation was open and flowed smoothly. She was a kindred spirit, indeed.
Man Mây’s life is not an ‘easy’ one, but she has got it all going on. I found her to be a resilient woman who lives life on her terms as much as possible within the dictates of the Red Dao tribe.
She enjoys a traditional lifestyle, but does not require her daughter to wear the red headscarf except on special occasions and vows to allow both her children to arrange their marriages. While her children are full-time students, she taught herself to speak English (fluently), and she is now learning to read and write to grow her tour business.
Both Man Mây’s mother and mother-in-law are expert seamstresses, as are most of the women in her extended family, but she prefers life as a farmer, innkeeper, and guide.
Whatever their trade, the women in Man Mây’s family persevere and sustain their community, even under sometimes challenging circumstances.
My time with Man May and her family was a top adventure in a lifetime full of adventures (real and imagined). If this sounds like something you’d like to experience, you’d better get here quick because this world is changing.
This article first appeared on One Ocean At A Time
Nice post! I still love Little Houses on The Prairie too. Have fun.
? Thank you for your visit. Nice to meet another ‘friend’ of Laura Ingalls Wilder
Get this: I never watched Little House on the Prairie! This is the second motorcycle post on VN I’ve read in two days…fate, prophesy? I may be in Africa this summer…Madagascar, Mozambique, SA. Keep me updated on your dates.
I can tell you that if I wasn’t so determined to complete my sailing circumnavigation I would still be touring Vietnam by bike. I did the Lao Cai, Lai Chau, Hanoi, Ninh Binh, and Mai Chau provinces by motorcycle and the experience left me wanting much more. I hope the prophecies come true and we see you ? ?? ?. If all goes according to plan (?) we will be in Madagascar July – Sept, Mozambique Sept to Oct, South Africa Oct-Dec and Namibia in Jan. Would love to see you somewhere along our way.
…and watching Little House is not a prerequisite for motorcycling VN so go and enjoy ?
Fabulous photos. I’m so happy to have stumbled across your blog.
I’m delighted to have you here! Thank you for your lovely compliments on the images ?
Oh that last photo!!! <3
? How adorable are those kids #very! It is wild to see the fast paced transition from past to future as it happens ?
Excellent work, so amazing. 🙂
? Thank you Drake ?
All the best for the next stage of your journey. 🙂
? Thank you for your good wishes. We’ve run into a bit of a snag that will keep us in port a few days (hopefully not weeks ?) longer, but better that it happened in Thailand where everything is available than in the middle of the Indian Ocean
Oh, remarkable life and women and travel. Thank you for the glimpses into another world. I hope it changes slowly. And I wish you most excellent adventures ahead!
Thank you for all the love Manja! We’ve had a bit of a hiccup and are delayed in port. Hopefully it will be sorted soon and we will be on our way ⛵️
I hope the same for you! Sea sea sea shine on! ♫♪
What an amazing place to travel!
It was Aletta. Even with all the remote places that we have visited under sail, Man Mây offered me the best cultural immersion experience I have had to date. I feel blessed to have experienced it.
that is so rewarding!! Thanks for sharing it!
What an adventure! The first two pictures are absent for me, but after that – gorgeous.
I am delighted that you found the pictures that you can see to be ‘gorgeous’ Anabel! Thank you. This was a dream tour for my inner-Sociologist ;-). And I am certain that the ‘inner-historian’ in you would find the history of Sa Pa engrossing.
What fabulous women; so much versatility and on so many fronts. And an unforgettable journey for you.
Their fortitude, pluck, and affability will be forever be etched in my mind Tish. Thank you for sharing the journey with me virtually.
My boxed set of Little House books lived next to my bed for years. 🙂 Beautiful post, Lisa.
?Another kindred spirit…but then I have always thought that about you. Thank you for your lovely compliment and retweet Lisa.
Love every single shot but the one of the sweet woman with the glasses is spectacular. ?
San Mây was a very special lady and a wonderful muse. She was kind enough to humor my photography obsession and let me take several photos of her. Her beauty shines through in every one. I could have written a post just about her. Maybe someday I will.
This is such a unique experience, Lisa. I’m glad you got to be a part of Man May’s life and family for a bit. To be immersed in this wonderful culture is so special. And, you are right, things are changing quickly. I’m glad Man May and her family seem successful and happy with the lives they live. Do you have a photo of those pants she made you?
Happy travels and smooth sailing to you and the Captain! The Indian Ocean has a bad reputation, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed for decent weather and no issues for Amandla and her crew underway, or in these remote ports. Enjoy the beauty of the ocean and the islands! Thinking about you! Xxx
My pants are identical to those worn by Man Mây and Mây Lya in the pictures. Comfy, stylish, and deliciously fragrant (?#love).
We are sadly delayed in our departure (plans having been washed away with yesterdays incoming tide). A second rig check uncovered a few issues that will hopefully be sorted with spare parts in our rigger’s inventory. We will know for sure on Monday. Otherwise, we will be waiting in Thailand for parts to arrive from the States. Better here than in the middle of The Indian. I know you can feel my pain. Thank you for your good wishes for our crossing.
I watched it on TV every week and read the books in the library as a child. And, my Laura spoke Japanese! ? Happy Sailing!
I love that Laura was a part of your childhood too! I knew her books were translated into many languages but was only aware of television shows in English and Spanish. I wonder how many little girls around the world count Laura as one of their childhood ‘friends’. Thank you for the bon voyage wishes. We are a bit delayed in port but hope to be underway soon ⛵️
They have such warm, full of character faces, your ladies, Lisa. I can imagine you getting on like a house on fire. Hope the hitch is small and that you’re soon on your way, and that you do manage to bump into Bad Fish 🙂 🙂 Safe travels, hon!
I love the way you put it Jo! Like a ‘house on fire’ indeed, just the way I think that you and I would get on if we met in person.
Hoping that the parts our rigger has in his stock will do the trick on Monday and that we can be on our way..but if not, we will be here for a bit longer waiting for parts to be flown in ?. In reality, the delay was a good thing for three reasons 1) we benefited from the extra time to get things in order for our long passage 2) better to address the issue in Phuket than in the middle of the Indian Ocean and 3) I get to enjoy Thailand a bit longer.
Would LOVE to see Mr Badfish somewhere along our way.
That’s a nice thought, Lisa. 🙂 🙂 And sometimes you just have to accept that things happen for a reason. Always better safe than the alternative.
What an extraordinary woman and what a splendid voyage for you. If I ever get to those parts, I’m definitely hitting you up for her contact info. Your childhood voyages sound a lot like mine…traveling through imaginary portals, etc. 😉
I do hope that you find your way to this little corner of Vietnam. I am certain that you would love it. Your childhood voyages do indeed sound a great deal like mine. I think that we would have been great childhood friends. Never too late to start. May you continue to find yourself and run ‘to’ many more wonderful experiences.
Thanks so much, Lisa. Maybe we’ll run into each other one day, somewhere out there.
? #hopeso
What a wonderful experience and you captured the family beautifully.
I feel blessed to have been able to enjoy this experience. Thank you for sharing it with me and for your kind compliments on the images.
What beautiful countryside. Loved the story. Loved the photos. As always love to you and The Captain. And we wish you smooth seas! xx
Wonderful to hear from you Trish! Delighted that you liked the post. Love to you, Andrew and Tiger. Wish we’d had another season to sail with you along the coast of Western Australia.
Like Laura Ingalls, you, and me, Man May looks like she has an inner tomboy in there – even if she is in traditional dress and plays some traditional roles. She just has the look, and I love her already for it! You know I’ll be asking for her if/when I ever get to Vietnam!
You nailed it with your recognition of Man Mây’s inner tomboy! No wonder we got along so well. I so wish that you could have been there to share the experience with us in person! You HAVE to go to Vietnam. Not ‘if’ but ‘when’.
We remain in port because we need to sort out a few issues with our rig. Hopefully, the parts that our rigger has in stock can sort our issue so that we can be on our way to The Andaman Islands soon…but we might be here for a while ?
I know that life moves on and technology has a way of infiltrating most cultures, but I hope those sweet little kids are able to hold on to much of their rich culture. Those traditional outfits are amazing! And the faces of Man May, her mother, and her MIL are full of wisdom and stories we’ll never know. What an experience you’ve had.
Safe travels on your next adventure. I read Liesbet’s comment about the Indian Ocean… I will be sending smooth sailing thoughts to you over the seas.
I am so torn on the technology thing. One the one hand, I love the way that it has given people around the world greater ‘access’. We have visited many places where land-lines were not an option for most, but now they have ‘leapfrogged’ with mobile technology. On the other hand, there is so much peace and bliss in being unplugged. I am at my happiest when we are on multi-day passages without cellular service. I hope that the people of this region reap the benefits of technology without losing the beauty enjoyed from isolation.
We remain in port beyond our planned departure date waiting for a few adjustments to our rig. Better here than in the middle of The Indian. You will be happy to know that we have taken on a crew – our strong friend Lucio – to provide some extra muscle and ease the challenges we will face on this passage.
This looks like a really interesting trip, a way to really see how people live.
I would so love to see you visit here. Best cultural immersion experience EVER! Thank you for all the love Amy. Hug from Phuket, Thailand (where we remain stuck in port fixing an issue with our rig).
Hi Lisa, How are you? Definitely a wonderful life full of adventure. Such beautiful photos along with your stories makes me want to jump right in that time machine and join you. Ahh, but only to dream of such wonders from my end. God bless and safe journeys to your continued adventures.
Ahoy from Phuket Eva! Always a pleasure to hear from you. Thank you so much for your lovely compliments. We are well but have been crazy busy readying Amandla for her next passage. We’d hoped to be sailing toward The Andaman Island but remain in port to resolve a rig issue. Hope to have it sorted and be underway next week. How are you doing?
such colorful and clear photos, Lisa.
and I enjoyed comment skimming a bit –
and in my opinion, I think that everyone needs a dose of Little House – and for a short season made my children watch a couple episodes and then had a season where one of them wanted more – I think it is good for story, social issues and whatnot – but also for stirring up appreciation for possessions –
and in a way – many of your culture rich travel posts remind me how maybe here in the states we have so much “clutter and stuff”
anyhow, keep us posted on the next departure – and looks like a fun 2018 lies ahead
I hear you about too much clutter and stuff. One of the reasons that I love the sailing life is that it forces me to simplify and only keep what is needed. Just not enough room on a sailboat for excess. And it is better to spend on experiences rather than stuff as they say. Thank you for sharing a bit of Little House with me.
I remember one of the very first comments you left on my blog (maybe the first?!) was on a post I wrote about the Little House series. What a wonderful journey you had to your own Little House, an ocean and over a century away from the one you dreamed about as a child. Your story and pictures are beautiful as always, Lisa. I’m a bit heartbroken that you’re leaving Southeast Asia. How else will I be able to reminisce about my time there and dream of my journey back?!? 🙂 But I cannot wait to join you as explore South Africa and all the other places you will visit along the way!
I remember that post and I totally thought of you when I wrote this one Britta. I knew you would ‘get’ this experience. I hope that you will visit Sa Pa when you return to SE Asia.
Although I am looking forward to our upcoming adventure, I am so not ready to leave SE Asia. This place has become home to us. Lucky me (?!?) I get to stay a bit longer while we fix an issue with our rig…not quite the way I was hoping to spend my last days in Thailand, but at least we will be in great shape when we sail onward to The Andaman Islands. Thanks for sailing along with us virtually. Look forward to seeing you back this way again sometime soon.
In about second grade, I started writing my own Little House story called, “Little House in the Hills.” Most of the story’s plot was taken directly from a mishmash of plot points throughout the Little House book. I thought it was brilliant, wanted to publish it, and started planning out all the books that would be in my Little House series. I don’t think I ever actually finished the first story–but it was an honest, slightly plagiarized effort. 🙂
Enjoy your remaining days in Thailand, Lisa. A maintenance issue certainly isn’t the most appealing reason for keeping you there, but at least you get a little bit more. Eagerly waiting to hear about more of your adventures!
Ha! We were both aspiring authors. My ‘Time Travel To Little House’ stories never made it to paper, but I had big dreams for publishing my series as well.
Our missing link has been fabricated and will be installed tomorrow. Then we will wait until we have sufficient tidal height to head out of the marina. Maybe, just maybe we will have one more day of touring Phuket before we go.
I think “My Time Travels to Little House” sounds brilliant. I’d totally read that. I imagine it could be a good way to get a new generation of readers interested in the Little House series. ??
I hope you get that one last tour day, Lisa and safe travels!
A very nice post. Thank you. I am moved that they should still use Indigo. Part of my family in India were indigo planters. (Title of a book by cousin Christine Weston)
Fair winds
You never cease to amaze me with your interesting family history I just looked up Christine’s book Indigo and so wish it was available as an ebook so I could take it on our journey. Indigo is still HUGE Laos and Vietnam. We are still in Thailand…delayed while we fix an issue with the rig. Hope to be underway to The Andaman Islands next week. Hug.
A shame it’s not in E-form. Christine Weston, née Goutière was the daughter of my great-grandmother’s little brother. But as generations slipped, she was my father’s age.
One of Christine’s brothers, Peter, fought WWII in China with the Flying tigers of Claire Chennault. Quite a war. I still have a picture of him somewhere in his neat China Air Force uniform. Another bit of history. 😉
All the best with the rig “issue”. Hug
Would love to see a post with a picture of Peter in his uniform ?.
The rig issue will sadly keep us in Phuket until the 28th but it is not ‘forever’ and we have so much to look forward to after that ?
Uniform pic scheduled.
28th? Well. that’s a week from now.
Though I suspect Thai time may be elastic…
😉
I love your photos, Lisa! Loved the LHOTP when it was on TV. Never read the books, but it sure is inspiring! Always nice to see your posts!
Always nice to see you here Terri. Missing your blog but you are killing it on Instagram. Hope you are having a great school year and not too crazy busy. Thank you for your lovely compliment on the photos.
What a once in a life-time experience, Lisa!!! You’re grabbing life by the tail, Girl! ?
I am a very lucky girl Margo! I’d be even luckier if you and Steve would come visit us again somewhere along our Indian Ocean sailing route ?
Love the images and your travel story! Please let me know if you have a book published on your sailing trip – it feels like you are living up your dreams. Best wishes on the next sailing journey – safe sailing!! (PS: I have read there was a state emergency in the Maldives, hope it is now in better situation.)
Thank you for all the love Indah. I would be delighted to publish a book someday :-). And I very much appreciate the Maldives warning. We are monitoring the situation closely in hopes that it will be stable enough for us to sail there in April, but we may have to bypass it.
Beautiful stories and remarkable photos! Thank you for taking us along with your travel and sailing, Lisa. 🙂
Thank you for joining me Amy! Greatly appreciate your very kind words.
Oh Lisa!! Phenomenal post! My heart is up in my throat! I showed hubby this post and he told me he was in those mountains on foot in front of the front lines cutting through the jungle. Gorgeous pictures!!! Just gorgeous!!! I want so badly for hubby to rest his ghosts finally and maybe, just maybe by seeing the beauty in this post, they will. I can’t wait to see your next post!!! THANK YOU!! ???
I can promise your husband that he would find so much love if he returned to those mountains today. I am so glad that you could both join me there virtually. Sending love and light to both of you from Thailand.
Thank you, Lisa!! ???
Thrilled to have stumbled across your blog Lisa! I loved traveling through these mountainous and waterfall rich paths. So happy to have met Man May and her beautiful family……Lovely article!
Thank you so much for sharing the adventure with me. Love your delightfully delicious website!
Thank you, thank you, for taking me back to beautiful Sapa and my time spent with Man May touring last year. We did an incredible 2 night, 3 day motorcycle trek, an experience I will treasure for the rest of my life
OMG how wonderful that you got to tour with Man Mây as well. A treasured experience indeed. And for twice as long #jealous. I would love to see your pictures if you’ve shared them anywhere ?
Thank you for sharing such a wonderful post, Lisa. I wish we had extended our stay and explored Sapa. I know we have to go back. Your photography is fantastic! We’re fans! I love the way you linked your childhood with your life today. All the best for your next adventure! I can see so many countries on my wish list there! For now, I’ll have to explore them virtually with you!
? I so hope you do return and visit SaPa. You saw so much on your Vietnam journey that I am sorry to have missed but enjoyed through your travel stories. Would be great if you and Basil were visiting one of your ‘wish list’ countries along our route while we were sailing there. Look forward to meeting in person someday. Thank you for all the love ?
This looked like such a trip through Vietnam, and what amazing hospitality you received. Sounds like you did what the locals did. So kind of them to show you around and let you shadow them for a few of their days. Really like how Lex described May Man as tomboy. She looks like she has a bit of spunk about her 😀 It is something special to experience being welcomed with open arms to someone’s private abode, and even more to have one-on-one honest, heartfelt conversations. It’s not everyday you meet someone you can talk openly to, more so when you haven’t known them for long.
Your photos are nothing but stunning. Crisp, sharp, wonderful timing, each one tells a story. One day I hope to take photos like those, especially portraits like yours.
Hope you and crew get to sail soon when the timing is right and the rig is all fixed. Mr Wobbles is sad he won’t be hearing from you for quite a while. But he is looking forward to seeing you have more adventures and meeting all his animal friends along the way. Stay safe, sail safe ⛵??
Special indeed ?. Man Mây and her family were incredible hosts Mabel. An experience etched on my heart forever. Thank you for sharing it with me virtually and for your generous compliments.
I can’t wait to get underway and introduce Mr Wobbles to many new friends. Still no ETD. Our rigger hopes to fabricate a solution to get us sailing soon ⛵️
A wonderful way to live Vietnam, away from the crowds and at the same time benefitting your friend and her village. It’s a beautiful countryside. Thanks for the tour there.
I am blessed to have experienced Vietnam in this way. Thank you for sharing the moment with me virtually ?
I’m thrilled to know about Ethos Tours. Equally thrilled to see Vietnam through your eyes and the lens of your camera – what stunning and intimate views of this family’s life … and the new world arriving.
Ahoy from Phuket Diane! Always a pleasure to see you here! I thank you for traveling Vietnam with me virtually and for your very kind feedback. I hope that there is an Ethos Tour experience in your future.
I too loved Little House on the Prairie and read every single one of them. I just love loved this post, with the beautiful photos, beautiful women in their tribal outfits and the scenery (that first photo!!) and description of what sounds like a perfect adventure. We did not get to that region of Viet Nam as the motorbike ride we did was through central Viet Nam, but reading this I can see that if we and when we get back, that is definitely where I would love to be! And just reading this post makes me miss Viet Nam and the people. Your photos of these women are so wonderful, they absolutely capture their spirit and beauty.
Fabulous!! but I am wondered how the herbal bath went??
Peta
OMG the Red Dao Herbal Bath was glorious. In the winter months, Man Mây prepares them in her home, but in the other seasons, she enjoys them here. Aromatic, soothing, transformative. Heaven on earth with bubbles.
I want to circumnavigate Vietnam on a motorbike next time I go back. I only did the northern bits but just enjoy a brief tour of the center on your blog. Now I am longing to return. Was lovely to travel Vietnam with you even if our visits were at different times and locations. Delighted that you liked the images of the Red Dap Women. I hope you get to meet them in person someday.
What a beautiful, astonishing and heartwarming experience. I’m so glad you shared it, as I know I can’t get there myself, but was still able to see and imagine from your images.
I am delighted to share the experience with you Hilary and am moved by your response to it. I am hopeful to hear from you on your blog again soon.
Wow that trip looked amazing! And the photos — Glorious! Love the Heaven on Earth and waterfalls but my hands down favorite is San May. Love her smile.
? San Mây was quite a wonderful woman. It was a treat to spend time in her company. Thank you for your visit and very kind compliments on the post.
I love reading your blog and exploring the world through your words and pictures. You are such a cool cousin! Stay safe and good luck when you set sail. Good to hear you’ll have an extra set of eyes ears and hands on deck.
?Thank you for all the love Julie. The biggest benefit of being the baby cousin is that I had lots of training from the ‘cool’ cousins that came before me. I understand you are organizing a conference in Dublin this year. How cool is that? Love Dublin!
Stunning photos – especially the portraits! Lovely post and, wow, look at the comments! Have a safe voyage and more wonderful adventures to share with us all. Cheers!
So much kindness in your comment Rawls! Thank you. Great to have you along for the ride!
Hi Lisa, as always, your photos just make these people jump off the page and enter my heart. The little girl with the phone- both beautiful, hopeful and heartbreaking. It is a perfect juxtaposition of tradition and technology.
I, too, was a big Laura Ingalls Wilder fan. I loved her pluckiness and determination. She was braver than I am, like you are, and I admired that greatly. I used to make little “log cabins” in the backyard with branches or even snow in winter and pretend I was a brave pioneer. My adventures then were very much in my head and I got most of my ideas from reading.
I’m glad the Amandla is getting fixed NOW and not while sailing. I look forward to your future adventures. Safe travels and fair winds!
I am not at all surprised Michele that you shared my childhood love for Laura Ingalls. And we’ve both got it all going on, we simply chose to display our bravado in different ways.
The rigger has fabricated our missing link which we shall have installed tomorrow. Now we just have to wait for sufficient tidal height to exit the marina. I am so ready to go! Thank you for sharing the adventure with me and for all of your love.
Such a beautiful post and photos, Lisa. Wishing you and the crew smooth sailing when your rig is ready. I’ll be following along virtually via your blog.
Thank you so much for your kind compliments and well wishes Natalie. I am looking forward to traveling with you on your March trip to Chile. We are planning to sail there in 2020, so you are an ‘advanced party’ of sorts for us.
Your posts are still not coming to my mailbox. This one I just found in a spam folder. Sorry – I will figure this out eventually.
Like Badfish, I’ve never watched Little House on the Prairie. Growing up in a small isolated community in Northern Canada, it just never appealed to me. I was more fascinated by shows that involved cities ?
What a unique experience to see VN from the back of a motorcycle with someone like Man Mây!! I was most fascinated by the photo of the mountain landscape with the twisty ribbon of road.
What’s not clear to me is your comment about not requiring her daughter to wear the red scarf. What is the significance of the red scarf? Is it related to being part of the Red Dao tribe?
Safe travels! Looking forward to the next update ?
Ha, I totally get that. I wanted what I didn’t have/know. I grew up in the burbs and spent most every weekend in the city.
The legend of the Red Dao scarf as I understood from Man Mây is as follows… a couple of hundred years ago, a Red Dao woman was cooking for her husband, the tribal chief. One of her hairs was in the soup that she served him and he was so put off that he commanded all women to wear the red scarf.
Thank you as always for sharing the adventure with me and for your well wishes for our upcoming journey. That ribbon of highway was a glorious thing to travel upon. Almost zero traffic.
Next stop: Sri Lanka ⛵️
Ahhh – so it was a common sense reason for the scarf, much like the hair nets required by many restaurants/fast food chains.
Looking forward to reading about your adventures in Sri Lanka ?
So glad to know that I have a fellow time traveler out there.
? I always knew you were a kindred spirit Allan. Love from Sri Lanka ?
In love with the photo of the two of you on Man May’s motorcycle. You are both inspirational and I can only hope to experience a similar journey at some point in Vietnam.
I do hope you experience a similar journey when you next visit Vietnam! I am certain you will love it as much as I did. Wonderful on so many levels.
What a beautiful post, Lisa! So glad to have come across your blog. That ‘heaven on earth’ is aptly captioned. When one visits these places and takes in the wonder, the word ‘negativity’ ceases to exist – isn’t it? Look forward to more posts from you. Best.
Delighted to have you aboard Mahesh! I agree wholeheartedly that travel is the best cure for pessimism. So much awesome to be experienced in this world.
What a memorable experience, your days of portal travels have come true indeed. Cheers to simple, sustainable and a beautiful way of life and to Red Dao Baths of course.
I feel blessed to have had the experience – the friendship, the freedom of the motorcycle ride, and the tranquility of that herbal bath. Highly recommend. Thank you for your visit and kind comment!
Wonderful anecdote at the beginning… And so nice to learn that you became friends with Man May.
The photographs are amazing… what an awesome trip, dear Lisa. Sending love & best wishes 🙂
Ahoy from Sri Lanka Amalia. Always a pleasure to see you here. Thank you so much for sharing the experience with me virtually and for all the love ?
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Nice post and amazing photographs!
Thank you so much for your visit and lovely compliments!