Solo trips are always the best experiences for a person who loves to explore and enjoy being in nature like me. Two very important criteria in all of my trips are always a wide-open view of nature and a complete loss of connection with modern society.
This time, the place I chose is an area near the waterfall located in the Bach Ma Mountain range in Hoa Bac commune - Da Nang city. This area is located quite far from the residential area, so it is very quiet and also less affected by the light and noise of the bustling city.
My travel buddy @whynotcamp joined me on this trip for 2 days next time I was back here and he helped me to take those photos
I started my trip at 6pm, traveling by motorbike to Loc My village, which is the farthest residential area, 40km from the center of Da Nang city. From here, I started to wade through the shallow stream and then drove along a very bad gravel path along the edge of the forest until I couldn't move anymore because the road was too steep. The road has many turns and small trails, it was also night time so it’s easy to get lost. It took me about 30 minutes to go all that way, even though my steering is pretty good and I know the way here well. I left the motorbike in the bushes and continued climbing the small path for another 30 minutes to reach the end point located about 2/3 of the steep cliff (it took me 10 minutes to climb from the bottom of the cliff to the end because this section is quite steep and dangerous).
About food, I prepared just enough food for 2 weeks, most of these foods are easy to store and preserve. I brought 5kg of rice, 1.5kg of fresh pork, vegetables such as water spinach, vegetables, squash, potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, peanuts and a few cans of fish. The necessary cooking tools and spices that I brought with me were kept to a minimum, including 2 cooking pots, 2 cups, a few sealed waterproof boxes to keep food soaked in cold streams for storage instead of using the refrigerator. Because there’s only me, I ate quite simply and without fuss, sometimes I caught some stream fish and find bananas in the forest to add to my meals.
Being alone in a place where there is absolutely no technology to interfere, I have enjoyed life as peacefully as possible. In the morning, I had breakfast, then sat down to drink coffee, read a book. Until 8:30 am, I brought my waterproof shoulder bag with my phone and a pack of snack in it to go to explore the surroundings and climb further to the top of the waterfall. At noon, I came back to take shower, cook, rest on a hammock, listen to music and then get up again in the afternoon to read a book and watched the sunset. Evening is the best time; I lie down and listen to offline music from my phone or listen to the sounds of nature and look at the starry sky.
Traveling alone always has its own advantages, no one will stop or object when I decide to do something reckless like climbing dangerous cliffs, swinging trees or jumping from one rock to another in the distance. Even though there are scratches or falls, when I'm alone, I feel happier without human contact, surrounded by nature.