Central highlands tour

I decided to do this trip completely by chance. I met my guide- an easy rider-Phu, in a cafe next to my hotel. We talked for a while and he told me what he did- basically taking tourists up to the central highlands, through to Dalat, then down to Mue ni. He show me his book of previous recommendations from previous travelers, and I was soon convinced it was a trip for me- 4 days on the back of a bike, meeting hill minority villages and seeing parts of Vietnam that other travelers do not get to see.

Approaching the dunes.

I met up with Phu on the Thursday and immediately I was concerned- it was a Honda 150 cc. I needed to carry him, me and my 2 big bags up and down hills over 600km over 4 days! Somehow he strapped the bags to the back and we were off- I needn't have worried as it handled the hills no problem and Phu turned out to be an excellent driver- all for £20 a day including accommodation.

View to Mu Nie

The first day we saw a number of vicious rivers and waterfalls- all swollen due to the typhoon in the north. We stayed that night in some bungalows in the middle of the jungle. As we were having dinner I was continuously freaked out by the size of some of the bugs flying into us, attracted by the light, which Phu found hilarious! The next day we headed further east into the areas of minority villages and tribes. These are people who speak their own language and have their own dress, having been isolated from the rest of Vietnam for many years. They are mostly Catholic, having been found by the French missionaries, being left relatively untouched by the Vietnam war due to their remoteness. The people up there were mostly farmers and were much more friendly and approachable than the rest of Vietnam. These days they mostly grow coffee, rubber and rice, having developed from subsistence farming.

Beard

That night, Phu gave me the option of staying in a long house in one of the tribal villages, which I took up immediately. This was one of the traditional houses in the village, raised up on stilts with a wood floor, through which you could see the pigs underneath through the gaps! The family stayed next door (five of them), separated by a curtain. They set up our beds, then went to bed at 9pm. I found out why later, being woken at 4.30am to the squealing pigs being fed below us! The toilet facilities were also 'adequate', when I asked where they were, the daughter of the family (who I quite fancied) came running over to me with the keys to the outside toilet and toilet roll for me- charming! Despite this, it was a memorable experience, with some of the nicest people I have met so far.

Coffee sorter

The next day we headed higher up to the town of Dalat, a nice French colonial town with cool temperatures surrounding a lake. It even has it's own Eiffel tower! That night, I headed out to try to find somewhere showing the England vs. Australia match. As rugby is unknown here, it was nearly an impossible task! Finally, just after the match was over, I found a place in the basement of a 5* hotel, and found to my disbelief that England had won! Even better, there were a load of Aussie girls in the bar to 'analyze' the match with after! They weren't happy, but they were all off to Mui ne after, so I said Id meet up with them then.

Rice Drying

The last day was the ride downhill into Mui Ne, with some spectacular views on the way. It was sat to leave Phu after as he was a great guide and showed me the real side of life of the minorities of Vietnam. Now it's time to take time out and relax in Mui ne beach!

Rice drying on the road

Butcher

Silk worms

View

High 5 to a cow boy!

Eiffel tower at Dalat

highlands2

higlands1

swolen river

waterfall

highlands3

taxi

breaking rocks

traffic

My bed 2

my hotel!

my room!