The remote village of Mường Lòng

A ride into a very remote hillside village - Mường Lòng. I was wondering whether I was on the right track, or indeed country. No maps on Google, no English language either and internet was limited. Somehow I managed and, after a long day of riding ended up at a nice place with a sumptuous meal.
I left the tea plantations of Thanh Chương , followed the river heading in a north - west direction  into the ever increasingly mountainous terrain near the Laos border. The roads were getting narrower and  villages decreasing in wealth the further I travelled.
As you enter a village there is usually a banner or maybe gate proudly declaring its name (I am guessing as I do not understand Vietnamese.)
There are not a lot of people in the villages, maybe many have migrated out to the cities. It is a pleasure to see that there is still life, and some kids around. This school had perhaps a dozen kids in it. 
I was following the route described by Vietnam Coracle  but made a decision to following an alternative route that I thought would be ok on Google maps. The road followed a hydro electric grid line and rapidly deteriorated.
The area became increasingly remote and I lost tracking on my phone. Was I on the right road ? Oh, for a paper map and compass or proper gps device !  After my several exasperating attempts at pronouncing Mường Lòng , these lads had a smattering of English and assured me I was on the right road. They were good value inviting me to play their version of pool and offering me a drink.
Many questions were being raised in my mind - were they leading me up the garden path ? What is going to happen if I run out fuel ? A phone notification came through welcoming me to the Laos network, am I in the right country ?
Faith my boy, have faith !  A village, no idea where the locals are though, maybe in hiding because a foreigner is entering their realm or probably in the fields tending their animals and crops.
Again I am travelling on a goat track over the rugged hills. A fence line and another village in the distance assures me that I am going somewhere.
Parts of the trail widened with intersecting roads. One section was so muddy, I struggled to stay upright, especially with the almost bald tyres on my motorbike. Indeed I had one "off" and was daubed nicely with a mud stain along the length of my right leg. Glad my body wasn't damaged. 
As the day was coming to a close, I arrived in Mường Lòng and found a place that was essentially a grocery store.  I was beckoned to stay and parked my bike inside. It looks like the family is musically inclined too with some strange looking instruments on the shelf nearby.
I was treated to a luxury four poster bed, and the family had some secreted rooms elsewhere in the building. It was strange architecture with the lovely timber paneled walls, essentially one bed in a large room, no furnishings.  
My host was lovely and treated me to a sumptuous meal.  I struggled to consume all that was prepared for me. It would have been nice to dine and share it with others, maybe the language differences proved too much of a challenge. 
I loved today's adventure, it really was one !
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