Terraces on two calendars
For the rice on the slopes, green in one window and gold in the other.
Late May to early June is green young rice. September and October are ripe gold. May–June and September–October are also called ripe and golden. Bản Đôn is busiest in February, March, September, and October. Morning is the hour for mist on the hills.
Bamboo water wheels lift stream water onto the fields. They are a Thai marker, and they are scattered. No single wheel has an address.
A harder line is Son–Bá–Mười and a Làng Bầm forest path. An easier walk is Bản Đôn to bản Ngòn and bản Leo, for people who want the hamlets more than the summit. Newcomers are told to take a guide. Son, Bá, and Mười are three hamlets in old Lũng Cao, now xã Cổ Lũng.
Two rice windows
Late May to early June is green young rice. September and October are ripe gold. Both windows are also called ripe and golden.
The easier walk
The easier line is Bản Đôn to bản Ngòn and bản Leo. Son–Bá–Mười and the Làng Bầm forest path are the harder lines. Newcomers are told to take a guide.