I didn’t sleep that well as my mattress was uncomfortable, but most of us were awake by 630am. The little cat was lying on a cloth by the fire.

After breakfast, one of the women from the host family led our trek through the mountains. She did the whole walk in sliders and long sleeves and hardly broke a sweat. Again, we walked through some amazing scenery.

We crossed through paddy fields and cornfields and saw some women working, drying the rice in the sun.

We passed by more tapioca and star anise plants and through remote villages where the livestock were kept in small barns.

The hike was pretty strenuous, with lots of uphill sections and very little flat.

But we had a few rests in-between to help keep our energy levels up.

There were also more bugs and butterflies to spot, as well as cows wandering through the forest.

After trekking for around 3 hours, we came back to our homestay. It’s the one right at the back in the photo below.

We had some lunch and a cup of tea /coffee before embarking on the afternoon activities.

The ladies of the family showed us how to embroider the bags and also how to weave using a very basic weaving machine. Some of the group had a go at weaving.

A number of the older generation in Vietnam have black teeth. Partly this is due to the fact that they don’t brush their teeth and can’t afford to see a dentist – there are always toothpicks on the tables in Vietnam. But it is also due to the fact that they chew tobacco leaf filled with ground betel nut or betel leaf and limestone,allegedly to be able to keep their teeth longer. The betel nut and leaf juice makes their teeth red from and then over time, black. Betel is addictive.

And then it was time to go out and cut some grass. In the mountains, it is mainly the Vietnamese women who do all the hard physical work in the fields,as well as looking after the animals and children. But we did see the elder man of the house doing a bit of chopping too.

A number of women who live in the mountains often end up committing suicide. When the women get married, often at a young age (14+), they move to their husband’s house. They are often mistreated by their husband or his family. If they were to get divorced, they would have no income and nowhere to live. They would rather kill themselves. Only 7% of the Vietnamese population get divorced.

One of the ladies of the family showed us how to cut the elephant grass and tie it up into a bundle.

And then we were all able to have a go. It was easy to cut the grass, but it was backbreaking work in the heat.

We then carried the grass to the barn where it had to be chopped into smaller pieces using a small hand chopping machine. The lady showed us how it was done and then fed the grass through as we chopped. Normally, she does both the feeding of the grass into the machine at the same time as chopping it. It was hard work.

Once the grass was all chopped, it had to be bagged up and left to dry for a few days.

And then it was time to feed some already dried grass to the pigs and the cows.

The chickens were also hanging around for some food.

Back at the homestay, the sun was setting, and it was time to cuddle with the cat.

Dinner was once again prepared over an open fire, and it was very tasty, especially the spring rolls.

After dinner, as it was still early, we played a game of charades. Alex downloaded it on her phone, and you had to guess the person or activity that everyone else acted out. It was quite funny, but we had to be careful not to be standing up with our backs to the shrine in the house as that was disrespectful. In this homestay, the men and women had to sleep on different sides of the room.

Shortly after, we went to bed. The little cat came and cuddled up with me and went to sleep on my bed.