To Mai Chau, and back to Son La.

I had realised the night before that I had left my laptop charger in Mai Chau, which was extremely frustrating. Having called the lodge, I had ascertained that it was there, so I resolved to return and pick it up. Also of great frustration was my need to have the oil changed on my "re-built" bike after two days of riding.

Retracing my steps to Mai Chau was unfortunate but far from unpleasant, for I think that a road looks different every time you pass along it. The scenery was resplendent for third day, with the sun shining again, and the road easier as I recognised most of the twists and turns from the day before. Aside from an incident involving a pothole and an over-zealous calf between Yen Chau and Moc Chau, the journey was fine.

Around the corner was a lovers' hideaway. The evidence was indisputable.

We did, however, spot something which we'd missed the day before. A wooden suspension bridge spanned a small river and we simply had to cross it on the bikes. To my surprise, the bridge had been built in 2008, despite it looking much, much older. I would later find out that it had been a 'gift' to the local people from the military, who had built it.

Unsure of whether my bike would make it across, my fears were assuaged when a young boy crossed on a sled pulled by a large water buffalo, so I gave it a go.

We made good time to Mai Chau, where we discovered to my chagrin that my charger had been sent to Hanoi by mistake. The good news was that it would arrive there the next morning. Here I met Truong, a tour guide from Hanoi who was there with a group; he agreed to answer a few questions for the blog, which shall be printed here soon as part of the "Perspectives" series. We rounded off by watching some tribal dancing.

Although I hadn't intended to go back to Mai Chau, I was pleased that I had, for I had gained insight into a young Vietnamese's view of his country, which is rare given the widespread lack of English language skills. The charger arrived the next morning and it was time to head back to Son La. However, taking a trip to a nearby cave in the morning meant that we didn't leave until 15:00, which was a serious error, since it resulted in us riding for nearly fifty kilometres in the dark, an experience which I don't wish to repeat in a hurry: patchy road surfaces, terrible driving and my motorcycle's dynamo powered light make for an experience bordering on the very scary.

The cave was worth climbing one thousand, two hundred and twenty-seven steps...

In Son La, which was resplendent with Christmas lights, we took the first hotel we could find, the Rose Hotel (VND200,000 for a twin room). Everyone was very friendly there and the room was cheap enough, so we took it. When I went to the café downstairs, I was perturbed to find three ladies sitting in the room. After ordering a coffee and beginning to read my book, I noticed that one of them was sitting rather close to me, attempting to read over my shoulder and be generally distracting. All became clear when another woman came in, enthusiastically asking if I wanted a "massage". I could have slapped myself in the face there and then: we were staying in a brothel. For God's sake. They made a mean coffee, at least. It's probably best to avoid this hotel if you're not interested in being "massaged".

Dinner brought yet another act of random kindness, the sort which is rapidly becoming commonplace rather than random! We struck up conversation with a group on the next table over another bowl of pho bò, joining them and toasting one another. Having enjoyed their company awhile, the lady informed us that they were leaving. She went to the back of the restaurant and came back, telling us that she had paid our bill and refusing our insistence on paying for ourselves. She climbed into her car outside with her three companions, leaving us dumbstruck in the restaurant. Given our karaoke experience here, it would seem that Son La is just about the friendliest place in Vietnam!