Finally, a bit of action in Dalat!
Trip Start
May 12, 2005
1
8
33
Trip End
Sep 11, 2005
Dalat,
Vietnam
Sunday, May 29, 2005
I had planned on doing a two-day 120km mountain bike ride to Mui Ne, on the coast, but instead was persuaded to do a one-day, 90km ride from Dalat to Nha Trang, as a group of four Kiwis had already booked to do this. 90km in one day sounded like a lot, but I was faithfully PROMISED it'd be almost all downhill and very pretty...
The day before the bike ride I did a 14km trek with a guide through pine forests and coffee plantations near the Lan Bien mountain, across wire suspension bridges on the Lan Bien river, to Tiger Falls. Huong, my guide, told me about the legends connected with the mountain and river (a good old tragic love story, with the lovers turning into mountains and the river being their tears) and the waterfall (heroic local maims tiger and stops its wicked man-eating ways). He also told me lots about life in Vietnam, the education system, the policy of having only two children per family, etc. It was all very interesting.
The bike ride was fantastic. The 90km from Dalat in Vietnam's south central highlands most of the way to Nha Trang on the coast turned out to be Vietnamese km (so I suspect more like 70!). All on-road, which was a bit disappointing, but in places the road more like a track anyway and there wasn't much traffic at all. It included two big mountain passes - one 10km downhill on a fairly steep winding road, one 20km downhill, less steep.
So - almost DOWNHILL ALL THE WAY!!
Our guides, Ding-dong and Scorpion (yes, they insisted these were their names!), looked after us very well, but we also had a back-up van to carry the rucksacks, food and extra water - and to take us the rest of the way to Nha Trang.
Have planned in a relaxing day on the beach tomorrow, but am already sunburnt in weird stripes, so not sure whether that's a good idea! Hope I can find shade on the beach.
Cathy
