day 88 - Tan Son to Da Lat

Monday, 20 January 2014

We set off on the road to Da Lat at 7.30am this morning. In the distance we could see the first climb ahead. Pipes from a hydro electric power station run down the face of the mountain, and we would zig-zag under and over the pipes all the way to the top of the first climb.

(Looking back down the winding road of the first climb)

(A temple near the top of the first climb)

The gradient was nice and gradual and with a newly laid road surface for most of the way, the first 30km wasn't too difficult. As we approached the top of the climb, Paul noticed the bike started feeling a lot heavier and realised he had a puncture! Fortunately we were only about 5km from the town of Dram where we hoped to find somewhere to take the bike apart and check the tyre thoroughly for damage. 

After lunch, we pulled in to a mechanic who found a piece of wire in the tyre which he promptly repaired. No matter how we insisted, he wouldn't accept any money for the work and just kept saying "souvenir, souvenir". Still, we were a little uneasy about the thoroughness of the job so we decided to stay out of the hottest part of the day and find a cafe to sit in for a while. We rode through the town and 1km down the road, Paul's back tyre had deflated dramatically. We found a cafe down a side street where we could unload his bike and take the wheel off. Paul found a piece of glass embedded in the tyre. With the tyre and tube hanging on her handlebars, Nicky cycled back to the mechanic. This time, it was only his young apprentice and son, neither of whom would have been older than 14, who were there. After patching the tube, they checked for any more holes but again would not accept any payment. 

(First puncture repair)

(Looking back to the plateau where the town of Dram is located)

After a two hour break in Dram, we felt pretty refreshed and ready for the final 37km to Da Lat. The first 10km was one long climb and from there the road wound over the mountains, through small towns where coffee and tea plantations appeared to provide plenty of work for people. It was much cooler at our new height. Now we were surrounded by spruce trees and cherry blossom trees.

(Coffee beans drying on the ground outside this house)

(A mix of different houses)

(An old French building with coffee beans drying outside)

(On the outskirts of Da Lat, coffee and tea plantations, and perhaps strawberry farms)

We arrived into Da Lat just before dark and made our way to the hotel we had made a reservation at. We passed a few beautiful old colonial buildings, built during the French occupation of Vietnam, when Da Lat was a holiday retreat. Paul navigated us to the hotel and we were delighted to get off the bikes knowing we wouldn't be tackling any more hills for a while. As we headed out for dinner, the hotel owner warned us about bringing valuables out with us, explaining that as the year is nearly over, the "bad guys" will be out in force now so as to avoid doing anything that might bring them bad luck in the new year! Strange to think a new year could wipe the karmic slate clean but perhaps that's what we're hoping for in some way when we make new years resolutions. Thankfully, we had an uneventful but delicious dinner and arrived back at the hotel without any problems.

We'll be spending the next three days here in Da Lat, exploring and resting. Looking forward to it. 

day 87 - Nha Trang to Tan Son

Sunday, 19 January 2014

Today we left behind the sandy beaches and coconut trees of Vietnam's coast and began to make our way inland towards Da Lat. The weather was fine with blue skies and a warm, northerly wind behind us.

(Early morning sunshine in Nha Trang. Sorry about the wonky angle)

(Beautiful blues)

(We thought this building was deserted but there appeared to be people 

living or working there. It had a European style about it)

(At lunch, an elderly Vietnamese lady wearing the conical hat and a traditional jacket)

The landscape changed dramatically as we headed further in land. Instead of rice paddies, we were now surrounded by mountains, sprinkled with cacti and dense bush. Alongside the undulating road we saw goats and cattle grazing. At one point, we stopped to take the photo below and both of us could see a hint of our home countries in the landscape. 

On the road, we passed through some of the poorest villages we've come across in Vietnam and we were reminded of our time in Laos. We also noticed some of the local people had a different appearance to the Vietnamese we had encountered so far. Tim and Tina had mentioned that there are ethnic groups living in the area which might explain the change. 

(The landscape changed dramatically as we headed further inland)

(Two football pitches, with bamboo goal posts)

(We think these may be Government housing as yellow is the Communist colour 

and the houses were all similar in style)

As we cycled into the early afternoon, the sun began to sting so we decided to find some shade and something to eat in a small town. We pulled into a little roadside shop selling coconuts where the husband and wife who owned the shop set about preparing a drink for us. There was one other woman sitting in the shop when we arrived. A young woman who had a fruit stand next door was napping in her hammock when we arrived and having woken up, she came to see what was going on. Once we were given our drinks, the husband climbed into his own hammock and the three women sat around watching us. They chatted away and the husband chuckled every few minutes. One of the women then came over and indicated to Nicky that she would like to use our camera. Nicky showed her how to use it and she then took a photo of the two other women. That broke the ice a little as we were all laughing and the young woman then asked us some questions about where we had come from and how old we are. It was a nice little stopover. 

(Two of the women at the little shop from where we bought the coconuts)

(On the outskirts of Tan Son)

After riding 110km, we arrived into Tan Son by mid afternoon. The first hotel we came across was bright and clean so we checked in. Later, we wandered up and down the main street before sitting down for dinner. It seemed like a typical Sunday afternoon with groups of people out eating together and karaoke blaring from somewhere.

Tomorrow we will do the final 72km to Da Lat. We are 120m above sea level at the moment and will climb 1600m tomorrow to get to our destination. Nicky is a little nervous and Paul is working hard to be reassuring. Physically we are fit enough but sometimes finding the self-belief is the hardest part.

day 86 - Nha Trang

Saturday, 18 January 2014

Having decided to spend only one day in Nha Trang, we thought we would try squeeze in a bit of culture along with some time at the beach, for which Nha Trang is famous.

(The stall where we had our breakfast. The woman had various types of broths, noodles and toppings which she ladelled into big bowls. Each dish was served with a plate of fresh salad and mint leaves to be added to the soup)

We set off early to the Po Nagar Temple which was built by the Cham people in the 8th century. The Chams ruled the area that is now central Vietnam for 10 centuries before their territory was eventually taken by the Vietnamese. Overlooking the Cai River, the temple was built in honour of a Hindu Goddess who was believed to have created the earth and rice. The temple is now used by Buddhist Vietnamese who have covered the statue of the Goddess in Buddhist robes. We have seen a few Cham towers in the distance while cycling through this part of Vietnam but this was our first chance to explore them a little more closely. It was really impressive and nice to see it so lovingly cared for by the local people. 

(Cycling through a busy intersection)

(Po Nagar Temple)

(Two of the four remaining towers at Po Nagar)

(Tower detail)

(Looking out over Nha Trang from the Temple)

(In the distance, the largest over sea cable car in the world connecting Nha Trang to Vinpearl Island)

 

After our little injection of culture, we spent the afternoon by the beach. It's not hard to see how the area has become such a popular tourist destination with such natural beauty. The wind was whipping up the sand and salty sea sprayed up from the shore but that didn't stop many holiday goers from making the most of the hundreds of sun loungers available to rent on the beach. 

(The beach at Nha Trang, looking out towards Vinpearl island resort)

We headed out in the evening to meet our friends, Tim and Tina, who we last saw in Hanoi. It was really great to see them again and to hear about their own experiences over the past couple of weeks. All four of us are heading towards Da Lat and then Ho Chi Minh City over the coming days so we hope to catch up again soon. 

(Just to illustrate the Russian influence - a tourist information office sign)

(The local Billiards club)

(This little kid was prancing around wearing the head of a dragon costume)

Tomorrow we're back on the road. We're still a little undecided about what route to take to Da Lat but we are giving ourselves two days to get there. Maybe we'll be a little more decisive once we're back on the bikes.  

day 85 - Tuy Hoa to Nha Trang

Friday, 17 January 2014

We rode 133km to Nha Trang today. The weather seemed to be conspiring against us as we were caught in one heavy downpour and narrowly missed another two. The first downpour soaked us through but thanks to a couple of mountain passes that we had to climb over, we didn’t have a chance to feel cold and our clothes dried out pretty quickly. 

(Looking back over the valley from the first pass of the day)

We passed some beautiful scenery today, from lush green valleys where we heard the sound of hammer and chisel chipping away at the stoney surrounds, to wild stormy ocean views where small fishing boats were thrown about in the water like bath toys. 

(The first of many islands we would see today and sand dunes in the distance)

(A small fishing village shrouded in rain)

While stopping at a particularly scenic spot for a photo in the afternoon, a man who appeared to us to be a local pulled up beside us on his motorbike and asked how we were enjoying our trip and where we were from. He then told us he is from Australia and pulled out a New South Wales driving licence to show us. He lives in Cabramatta and is here for to visit family over the Lunar New Year period. 

(Nicky doing her best to fit in with the locals)

(Still waiting for someone to stop and charge us at one of these toll booths)

(Two way traffic in the hard shoulder)

(Nothing beats a map and some hand written instructions)

We arrived in Nha Trang late afternoon and found our hotel, which is a couple of blocks from the beach. After cleaning up, we headed out for dinner. If English is the second language here, then Russian is most definitely the third. Almost every shop and restaurant we passed had Russian signage and the waiter in our restaurant spoke both English and Russian. Curiously, this is the first time on our trip that we have knowingly encountered Russians and they seem to be here in Nha Trang in huge numbers. Tomorrow we will explore a little and hope to catch up with Tina and Tim who are also cycling south towards Ho Chi Minh. 

day 84 - Quy Nhon to Tuy Hoa

Thursday, 16 January 2014

We were up early to enjoy a final walk along the beach this morning followed by the buffet breakfast bonanza. If you hadn’t already guessed, we enjoy our food just as much as we enjoy our cycling and the breakfast at Avani was certainly a real highlight of our stay! While in the restaurant, the hotel manager, Sylvie, approached us to ask a bit about our experience on the bikes. We learned that Sylvie, originally from France, also enjoys cycling and was kind enough to recommend a good bike store in Ho Chi Minh City where we would be able to stock up on some new parts for the bikes. 

At 9.30am, we set off to our next destination, Tuy Hoa, 84kms away. It was good to be back on the bikes and to feel fresh and rested. As we headed further along the highway, we passed through lush tropical surroundings with coconut trees in abundance and roadside shacks with inviting deck chairs out the front. 

(A barber at work. Not a bad location)

After a couple of hours, we remarked about what great progress we were making. Big mistake! We then discovered a puncture. We pushed through to find a shady spot and were lucky enough to find a small shop selling coconuts to drink with some seats in the shade and space to disassemble a bike. It didn’t take long to find the small piece of glass that had caused the puncture but to be certain, Paul went to a nearby mechanic in the hope of being able to run the tube through a bowl of water to check for any other holes. The mechanic’s son took the tube from Paul and immediately patched up the hole, and then checked it for any other damage. He did a great job and only wanted 25c for his work. We paid him more, grateful to be given back the time that would have been needed to patch it this evening. The tread on the tyres has become very worn and we’re concerned we’ll get more frequent punctures so buying new tyres will be top of the to do list once we get to Ho Chi Minh City. 

We arrived in Tuy Hoa mid afternoon and made our way to a hotel we had done some research on. The staff were friendly and we were given a nice room. We had a little wander around the town. There is something a little strange about the place, as though it was a developing city that then came to a halt before it was complete and now there are many decaying buildings and overgrown sites. That may be an unfair assessment as we haven't explored the whole town. We certainly encountered lots of friendly locals and it does seem to have a good cafe culture and lots of interesting little food stands where we saw people gathering around to enjoy the freshly cooked dishes. 

(Local men playing football in a sports complex)

(Love the old picture of Arnold Schwarzenegger in his Mr Universe days hanging outside this gym)

(Com Phan, which means workers meal, for dinner)

(Billiards appears to be very popular in Vietnam and 

even the smallest towns appear to have a billiard table available for use)

Tomorrow we will make our way to Nha Trang where we will spend Saturday too. Nha Trang is Vietnam's beach capital, and as a result of it's popularity, the coastline is heavily developed with high rise hotels and apartments. However, the town itself is meant to have retained it's sense of identity and we have hopes for a sunny day on Saturday and of finding a small quiet stretch of beach to enjoy. 

days 82 and 83 - Down time in Quy Nhon

Wednesday, 15 January 2014

We've spent the past two days here in Quy Nhon at the Avani Resort sampling some yoga, enjoying a massage, over eating at the breakfast buffet and admiring the beautiful ocean that is thrashing away just beyond our balcony. We intended to only stay for two nights but decided this morning to extend our visit by one more day as we are not in a rush and it's just such a lovely place to relax and recharge.

(The Avani Resort)

While the weather was warm yesterday, the strong winds made sitting outside a bit hazardous! So we were extra happy we had made the decision to stay longer when the sun came out today and the wind died down. We turned off our phone and the laptop and spent the best part of the day by the pool reading the books that had been left neglected in our bags.

(The ocean is studded with fishing boats and crab pots)

(The gardens set around the spa)

(One of the pavilions overlooking the beach. Used in warmer months for outdoor treatments)

(Poolside view)

Tomorrow we will resume our lycra clad adventures and cycle to a town called Tuy Hoa. We will then spend the next 15 days making our way to Ho Chi Minh City, stopping in Nha Trang, Da Lat and Mui Ne along the way.