DaLat – Easy Rider
I’ve never been a big fan of motorbikes. Even when, as an impetunious teenager, I spent time on the Isle of Man, world mecca for bikers, I always resisted offers to be a passenger – I mean, the TT Course? People die there! Proper bikers and everything. So coming to South East Asia, where motorbike taxis are very often the only way to get around town, was a bit of a shock to the system. I survived my very first time on a motorbike, in Battambang, and haven’t looked back since. Although now I know not to wear a short skirt. I’m now fully au fait with the rules of the road (there aren’t any), and have even bridged the ettiquette minefield of do you hold on or not? Local people just balance on the back of the bike with their hands on their thighs or by their side. I’m not that foolish – yet – but I don’t want to grab my unknown moto driver round the waist (not unless he’s very cute, anyway), so I hold on to the bar at the back and try unsuccessfully to look cool, while not falling off. Nobody here wears a helmet or biker gear, so it’s a relief when you have a driver who goes at a sensible pace.
I’d first heard about the Easy Rider Motorbike tours in Dalat from Brad, when I met up with him in Cambodia. He handed me a card, and told me all about the trip he took for a week or so with a driver. It sounded like such a wonderful journey – an amazing way to get off the beaten track. However, at $50 a day just for the tour (no accommodation included), it was way over my budget. When I got to the cool, rainy hill station of DaLat, though, I was delighted to find I could take an Easy Rider tour just for one day, and at $15, it was definitely affordable.
Dean and Richard had signed up for a bus tour of DaLat, while I set off in search of an Easy Rider. The promise I’d heard of “Don’t worry where to find them; they’ll find you” indeed was true, as I heard a call from over the road and there was Sinh, ready and waiting with his big shiny motorbike to take me off into the hills. But first, he dropped me off at an ace place so I could have breakfast while he went to get me – joy of joys – a raincoat and a helmet. This was boding very well indeed.
I told Sinh I trusted him to take me to all the best sights in and around DaLat, and this was a wise decision. First stop was the Crazy House. This has been designed by a Vietnamese woman (now 62 but looking flipping fantastic – plastic surgery, surely) who studied architecture in Russia. It’s built to be a series of tree houses, with surprises thrown in, like spiders webs, giraffes, nekkid lady statues. It’s a guest house (although I saw no guests there), and each room has a different theme. Most wonderful, and I loved it. I couldn’t help laughing, though, when Sinh said to me “She designs this crazy house because she is not married. She is crazy. Are you married?” Me: “Erm, no”.
DaLat, being up in the hills, is blessed with gorgeous views, so my next stop was at a cable car. The ride took about 15 minutes and was ace, nothing to see for miles and miles except greenery. That is, when the howling gale outside wasn’t making me think that the car would just flip off the cable (is that technically possible? I’m not sure and couldn’t work it out when I was up there). Sinh met me at the other end with the bike, waving at me from the bottom when he saw me coming.
Next stops were a couple of waterfalls around DaLat – one of them had the steepest path to and from it, but I was too cheap to pay to go on the strange ride that would take you there, and so wheezed my way back up. It’s the Vietnamese holidays at the moment, so the place was very busy, but great to see people enjoying the sights in their own country. At the second waterfalls, I got to walk behind the sheet of water for the first time in my life (it was lovely, but wet) – also, bizarrely, there was a small zoo with crocodiles and bears. Animal rights in Vietnam aren’t exactly top notch, so it was quite distressing to see the bears huddled in a tiny stone pit. The crocs, though, were so still that at first I thought they were faux, until I saw their eyes moving. They were just the other side of a flimsy fence, so I kept moving sharpish, especially when a guy poked one of them with a stick to get a reaction. Clever crocs did nothing.
I saw lots of other things that day, including some Buddhist pagodas (one of them looking like a theme park: The Life Of Buddha!), a farm where they grow flowers for Buddhist donations, and coffee plantations (Vietnamese coffee is some of the best I’ve ever tasted), but the thing I enjoyed the most was just being out in the open air up in the mountains. And that, obviously, is where motorbikes have the advantage over buses. The day ended up in a fruit shop belonging to Sinh’s friend, where I was given – for free – a huge bowl of delicious, locally-grown fruit with ice-cream. I’d had an amazing day, and just wish that the funds would allow me to go further up the country with Sinh – what a way to travel.
I don’t think I’ll be taking up biking myself – I am, after all, the person who can’t even handle electric bikes – but next time I’m offered a go as a passenger, I think I’ll be saying yes.
Tags: Travel, Vietnam
Suzanne
Hey Suzanne,
I’ve done my usual and have been starved of the blog for a short while and now as I start my week off I have over indulged and have been sat here for about 2 hours. However, having now got myself up to date with your fantastic travels and brilliant blogs there are some things requiring comment:
1. Popular because of chubby digits – that is genious. If you can find somewhere in the world where muffin-tops are considered sexy also then get back here and set up a travel agency cos you’d make a packet. It’s been 30+degrees today and I’ve been to the beach and I’ve seen a few (I kept mine covered fyi)
2. Just how often have you ridden on (albeit dodgy) roads with the front seat to yourself whilst others diced with death strapped to the top of the vehicle? Did you wave at them from the (relative) security of your roomy surroundings?
3. The quote from Sinh about being married is a classic, it made me laugh out loud! Spinsters beware of the imminent madness…
4. And finally being a Sunday and being a good boy – I’ve been to church today and the gospel was about travelling light (well I think it was more than that but I think one key message is enough) Basically the apolstles got sent on their way with one tunic and a pair of sandals. All I’ll say is that your hair looks remarkably straight in your pics!
Missing you lots, thanks for the mesmeric blogs and the great pics.
God Bless.
Elephant Apple (Snr) x
Ps. In answer to your question about cable cars – I presume that technically they can flip off as it happened last week in Scotland. Though it seems to be a very infrequent event.
Suzanne,
My last blog states that it was posted from the United States (and, unless I missed it the expansionist goals of the Bush Administration haven’t yet reached County Durham)
Now this suggests an error. For the last however many months I have been reading your blog I thought you had the most geographically diverse blog readership ever. Am I misled? I really hope not…please advise.
EA,
x
Hi Suze
Sounds like a great day out.
Would you like me to make contact with any bikie gangs in Perth before you arrive?
Mike
Hi Suze, just back from 8 fantastic days in Greece where everything was just perfect. There were times I though, yes I too could go travelling (or even just chill out in Greece) for 18 months.
I, like Andy, have had lots of your blogs to catch up on. I had to laugh at Andy’s comments about the occasion when you managed to secure two seats for yourself in the somewhat overcrowded vehicle whilst travelling in Cambodia. O.K. you can argue you’d paid for them both but didn’t you feel just a few pangs of guilt as the rest of the passengers ‘diced with death’? I really thought your blog would end by saying you gave up your spare seat and even offered to have someone sit on your knee!!!
Sorry to hear about the accident to your foot. Perhaps you shoud have started out your journey complete with bilateral PoP from ankle to toes – just as a precaution of course. You’ll probably get to the stage where you’ll only be able to purchase travel insurance with an exclusion clause relating to your feet.
Love and miss you lots.
Mum
Hi Suzie:
You know what I’m like about motor-bikes – hate the things! so don’t get too used to them will you? Sounds like you’re having fun and seeing so much too. Your mum came over for dinner last night – she’d only had about three hours sleep before she went to work on Monday morning (don’t know how she does it!) she was looking very healthy and tanned and both she and Irene had really enjoyed the holiday. Will see them again on Friday night when we go to the Charity ‘do’ Irene is organising. Hope all’s well with you – it’s really hot here – hope it continues! Take good care – Missing you lots. All my love Auntie Rosemary x
Hello trouble!
Glad all is going well. Not keen on bikes myself, of any variety! Do be careful! Weather here soooooo hot, and our poor kids are doing all sorts of physical activity based lessons for three days. I’m staying in the shade as much as possible!
Keep blogging – it always lifts my spirits!
Love and miss you lots and lots!
xxx