Everything started two years ago when I had just come back from New Zealand. It was my birthday and I asked my sister to go trekking with me, at first she was reluctant to join as she told me and I quote "I'm afraid of dying", she made me laugh so hard, of course, it comes with a risk, but it is not that easy to die, I told her.
This was the first time we went trekking together and it turned out great.
It was a week before my birthday this year, I was working and got my sister's message, she asked if I was down for another hike to celebrate my birthday. Can you believe it? The one said she was scared last year, now suggesting we should go trekking π. Life really turns around, don't you think?
A disadvantage of living in the South of Vietnam is that we do not have many mountain ranges compared to the North and the summits are also much lower, but it is good enough for a weekend getaway.
Since we did Ba Den Mountain in Tay Ninh last year β the highest summit in the Southern region, we turned to the second-highest summit this time β Chua chan mountain.
Where is it?
Chα»©a Chan is also known as Gia LΓ o or Gia Ray to local people, the mountain is located in Xuan Loc, Dong Nai which is about 100 km from Ho Chi Minh City.
The best time to go on this hike is during the dry season which lasts from January to April, you can also make an attempt during the rainy season, but it is riskier because of torrential rain and landslide. My birthday is in March, it's just a perfect time.
Standing at over 800 m above sea level, you can totally go on a day-hike in Chua chan, however, we always prefer to camp overnight to enjoy nature to the fullest. Besides, I had a birthday to celebrate LOL.
The journey.
We departed from HCMC late in the morning, 4 people in total, my sister, me, and two of my friends. Though it was Saturday, the traffic was not really busy, we got stuck a bit in the city center, then it got better when we headed out.
We also stopped at a street vendor to have lunch and drink cane juice. I would recommend the cane juice here with anyone, it tastes much better than the one in the city, it was sweet, fresh with added slices of kumquat and pineapple, not to mention it is cheaper. I felt like I was fully recharged after a long way of riding in the heat β I like to call it "the energy drink with natural sugar", LOL.
It took us almost 3 hours to reach Xuan Loc, we parked our scooters at a local parking lot, they also offer renting service here, so if you lack any equipment at last minute, this is the place.
From the parking lot, we followed the small path to start the hike at the foot of the mountain.
There are many routes you can follow, but we decided to go up following the utility pole and go down by passing the pagoda as the review says it is safer and easier. Since we all did not have much experience with this mountain, that was the better way to go.
It is an uphill climb from the beginning, the track is clear and it is hard to get lost if you follow the utility pole.
As it was the weekend, there were many big groups also starting at the same time as us, I guessed everyone wanted to catch the sunset. The summit must be crowded tonight, that was something anticipated.
We were walking and looking for a pole with the number 20 on it as it is a sign that we are on the right track according to the review.
It was funny 'cause everyone was so excited to see it as it was the greatest discovery of all time LOL.
As we were going up, the track was covered in more shade from the lush trees, we also saw lots of bananas, cashew, and large areas of bamboo.
Most of the track is paved with different shapes and sizes of stones, it is amazing how everything has perfectly shaped a path that we can follow.
My sister and my friend were quite fit, so they were always ahead of us. The other was not in good shape, so we made a lot of stops along the way. In the end, we divided her stuff to share the load with her, she ended up carrying her backpack and the birthday cake which is the slightest thing among the food we brought with us. π
It was refreshing to see the surrounding landscape and the town downhill as we went up.
It is funny because whenever I go trekking with my gals, I am always the "cheerleader", you know, walking and chanting "We're almost there".
When we passed the 135th pole, we saw a small area for camping that overlooks an amazing view of the town, but it was taken, of course.
We continued to pass an area of elephant grass, it looked stunning under the last rays of sunshine.
My friend and I finally reached the campsite after 4 hours, the other guy and my sister were there 30 minutes before us though. LOL.
We started to pitch our tent to save a spot as we were worried that there was only limited space for camping. How wrong we were! Later we found out that on the other side of this campsite is a larger one. π€£
This one is large and open, I suppose it could fit up to 50 tents. I did try to count the number of tents the next morning, it was totally packed.
We missed the sunset, but we were able to admire the sky as the dusk fell.
Who's hungry? We were starving.π
We brought some pre-cooked food, but we also got some marinated pork for a small BBQ.
We looked around and everyone was very well-prepared, they brought all kinds of food, even big iceboxes to reserve the food and cold beer. Don't get me wrong, I like to party, but I also prefer traveling light, it means only bringing the necessities. π
OKay, another thing is I'm lazy π, dragging myself to the top is hard enough.
Are you ready for dinner?
Wandering around, we found quite a few dry logs, leaves, and fallen branches to start the fire. After 10 minutes, the dried leaves and logs all burned out but the coals only got amber a bit, we figured it was easier to add some dried alcohol from our neighbor nearby, and it did, voila! We literally added fuel to the fire, it was glowing and crackling like in a minute.
As night fell, it got chiller, some groups were still coming though. Even it was the end of springtime, it felt like winter as it got foggy around the campsite, we finished dinner and warmed ourselves by the fire, it was enchanting.
And it is not a birthday celebration without singing happy birthday. My friend also brought a small stick of fireworks. It really made my day that everyone was having a good time.
My friend did go out of his way to bring a book as a gift for me, and he said "Now, it's your turn to bring it down, LOL", I was happy and all, but I was thinking he could have given it to me at the parking lot, so I could leave it there, but he did not. ππ
We couldn't sleep in the next morning as everyone was making a lot of noise waking each other up and cooking breakfast.
Later we also joined the line around the highest stone at the summit to check in with a small pyramid that marks the name of the mountain and its altitude.
We were just in time to take in the paranomic view from the summit with the sea of white clouds around or others also refer to it as "cloud hunting", everything looked so different from yesterday, but we must agree that it was so rewarding.
Descending.
We started descending via the track that passes Buu Quang pagoda, the highest one in this area.
It was hotter than yesterday and the track was covered with fewer trees on one side, it is still steep though.
There were many pilgrims going up along the way, they looked ill-prepared as they only carried a bottle of water. I guessed they just visited the pagoda and decided to check out the summit. Some gave up halfway and came back, maybe they found it too challenging.
When we were passing the pagoda, it was packed with tourists and pilgrims. It is also common to see pagoda on many mountains in Vietnam. I figure it is a great place for worshiping and isolating yourself.
Back to the track, from this point forward, it is all staircases passing many small shrines and vendors on both sides. I found it exhausting as it felt like never-ending stairs.
We stopped to have some snacks when we nearly reach the end. I also noticed lots of kids help their parents sell the souvenirs and I was curious if they go to school. They told us that they had to get up early, around 5 o'clock, walk down the stairs, and take the bus to school. We looked at each other and felt so embarrassed, we were nothing compared to the kids here, how strong and persevered they are.
If I did it again, I would descend the same way which is following the utility pole as it is more natural and less crowded.
Birthday tradition
Even I just started trekking to celebrate my birthday recently, I hope to make it an annual event. Living in the city is convenient and all, but sometimes I feel disconnected from nature and myself, it would be amazing if I could stay close to nature and cherish this time with my loved ones.
What do you usually do to celebrate your birthday? I'd love to hear it.
Thanks for reading and see you next time!
All photos are taken by me and my friends.