Describe a place where you would like to go to relax.

1:26

The place I’d choose when I really need to unwind is Ba Vi National Park, just west of Hanoi. It’s roughly an hour and a half from the city centre, but once you’re on the mountain road, it feels much further away from everyday life. I first went there with my friend Minh at the end of May, after a particularly demanding semester. I remember the air getting cooler as we climbed, and I could feel myself relaxing before we’d even reached the forest¹. I’d like to go back in late June, once my exams are over, and stay for a quiet weekend instead of squeezing everything into one day. We’d set off early on Saturday by motorbike and take the winding road up into the park. During the day, I’d sit beside a stream with a book, although I wouldn’t pressure myself to finish it. The main thing would be taking in the scenery and listening to the water without checking my phone every few minutes². In the evening, Minh and I could cook something easy and chat under the trees, and then catch up on sleep with a proper lie-in the next morning. I’m drawn to Ba Vi because it would let me get away from it all without costing a fortune. My classes and part-time job can leave me mentally overloaded, so I want a place that lets me clear my head, not somewhere that just gives me more to do. I’d turn off my notifications and switch off properly - I mean, I’d make a serious attempt to³. It’s the kind of weekend I could actually manage, and I’d probably come back ready for normal life again.

What would make it a 9 For Band 9, change “I’d sit beside a stream with a book” to “I’d sit on a flat rock by the stream with my feet in the cold water and a book I probably wouldn’t open”.