Day Forty-Eight

Our Easy Riders Tour Around Dalat

Early start for Andy as I never managed to get much sleep in the end. We had agreed for the Hong of the Easy Riders to come to our hotel & pick us up for 8.30am. It had been raining heavily through the night but what do you expect we were high up in the mountains. When we looked out of the window it appeared to still be raining so we agreed to put on our waterproof gear & still head out. I still wasn't feeling great but I pulled myself together as this is something I really wanted to do.

Sure enough as we left the hotel, Hong was sitting in the cafe opposite waiting for us to come outside. We sat with Hong drinking some Vietnames tea whilst he explained that the other Easy Rider driver we wanted has had to take a German couple on a tour for a few days & that he couldn't be our other driver for the day. Yesterday when we were speaking with Hong we had warned that we didn't want to riding with a young man as one I didn't want them staring at me (as they do) & I wanted an experienced driver as some of the roads are tricky to navigate - he had promised us that or we said we wouldn't go with them. Hong took us one by one on his motorbike to the Easy Rider office which is more like a cafe whilst he got us another driver.

True to his word he said that he was waiting for his friend to come who was older than most of the other drivers & more experienced. He showed us in to the Peace Cafe next door where we sat & had breakfast & waited for the other rider to turn up. Whilst we sat eating breakfast there was a fun-boy looking American man that was sitting next to us & we soon realised that there was going to be three of us on the tour & not just me & Andy, we didn't mind though - more the merrier!

The other driver had turned up & he wasn't young but he wasn't on his death bed either so we felt more comfortable. The rain had started to get worse outside so I put on some waterproof trousers which Hong provided & I also put on a big massive green poncho over my waterproof coat. We were all set to go! Outside I put on a big massive helmet & adjusted the strap to fit my small head whislt Andy made his strap bigger for his fat head & that was it - we were perched on the back of our riders motorbikes.

We began zipping through the steep roads of Dalat before going down a small road & pulling up outside our first port of call. We had stopped at a temple.... Off the bikes & all snugg in our waterproofs the American fool pulled out an umbrella that matched his rain coat. Me & Andy just look at each other & started laughing. Hong began to explain the temple & the designs. He continued to explain about the statues & the different meanings that they have in the Buddist religion. We had some time to explore around the temple & go inside if we liked but it was too much hassle taking our shoes on & off in the rain so we peeked through the door & stayed outside. When we had finished looking around we returned to the bikes ready to go to our next sight.

We travelled further in to the countryside & down narrow lanes, passed lots of farmer land & fields & many strawberry fields till we stopped by some workers in the fields. We got off the bikes & went over to the fence where we watched them work. The were cabbage farmers & they spend all day in the rain picking the weeds of the cabbages so they can grew at their best. Hong explained how people especially farmers got land back from the government after what had happened during the Khemer Rouge era. We were told that all the best produce is shipped around the world & whatever is left is used for use in Vietnam. There field workers were husband & wife. We soon came to realise that the women in Vietnam work as hard as the men if not harder.

Back with our riders we travelled even further in to the countryside. It was really great to be seeing the real Vietnam & Dalat properly without being stuck with a big gang of tourist on a stupid bus. We could spend as much time as we liked looking around & discussing information or anything we wanted to know with Hong. The bikes came to a stop again & we got off. We crossed over the road & went up the side of a house in the field. These people were growing flowers in their fields. At the side of the house we could see like big makeshift greenhouses but instead of glass they were using plastic. The flowers where lovely & even as good as the produce in Holland - we were amazed by the beautiful roses that were growing!

The tour continued.... we then stopped at a coffee plantation. We went over to the coffee trees & we got to try the coffee beans straight from the trees. Surprisingly they tasted really sweet & they were a very vibrant red colour. We got told that the trees could grow really high but because the Vietnamese people were really small then it was easier for them to keep the trees shorter so they could reach. They explained the life span that the trees have & how they are cultivated. It was really interesting & we were actually learning lots of useful information.

Back on the bikes we spend ages exploring around Dalat. We went right the way through the country. We went around big mountains & passed lots of farms. We were then taken to the river where the local villages caught the fish & sold it on the side of the road. There was a big massive bridge that had iron grates as walkways. We got off the bikes before the bridge so we could look around at the river & see if there was any local fisherman around. The river was amazing, the current was exceptionally fast & the water was gushing through. We walked over the big iron grates of the bridge which was a bit scary as you could see the river below.

On the other side of the bridge was a tiny little hut/shack which had been made at the side of the road. When we approached we realised it was a fish shop where people from the villages could buy the catch of the day. On the floor infront of the threee women in the hut was big sliver bowls. Inside the bowls were fish including small catfish. At the back of the hut one of the women was sitting on the floor with a great big knife & chopping board & she was gutting & cutting the fish in front of us. This was great to see how life is lived by the minorities in the countryside.

We caught back up with our drivers who had been waiting further up the road for us whist we finished looking around. Now back on the bikes we had been told that we were on our way to see the Elephant Waterfall & then to have dinner in a place near there. It didn't take too long to get to the waterfall as we were already three quarters of the way there. At the waterfall we got our tickets & were ushered in to a small tapesty place as the rain started to come down more heavier. Inside the tapesty place we sat & drank Vietnamese hot tea & learnt about how the fabirc was made. The conversation then turned to Vietnamese food & what the people like to eat. We jokingly mentioned about cats & dogs & they didn't batter an eyelid. In fact they offered to take us to get some dog meat after the tour was over!

We had free time to explore the waterfall & look around. There was a little pathway that you could climb down in order to see the waterfall better so we decided to follow it to take a look. The pathway was really slippery & the rain was making things a hell of a lot worse. We had to make sure that we were being really careful when climbing down as one silly mistake & we would have been goners & down the side of the rocks & in the cold water. The stupid American was climbing around with his umbrella up, he really did look like a prat... I was being to wonder whether he was gay as any chance he got he had the umbrella over his hair & he was constanely fixing himself. Of course me & Andy just kept laughing at him the whole time.

The more we climbed down the waterfall the more dangerous that it became. There wasn't really any walkways that we could follow it was more a case of climbing over rocks. We eventually made it to a point where we couldn't actually go any further & we could see the waterfall in all its glory. The water was gushing down the side of the rocks & we weren't sure if we were getting soaked because of the rain or because of the spray from the waterfall. It was really amazing to see & it was such a beautiful place. I think me & Andy had made the right decision by going on our Easy Riders tour.

Completely sopping wet we climbed back up the waterfall & we walked over the to restaurant over the road where we were having our lunch. There was a big round table that was set our for the six of us & the food started coming thick & fast. To start the meal we go to try the rice wine which had the snakes heart in it... by golly it was super strong & left a strange after taste. Once the table was full of food we began to tuck it. There was tofu, beef, chicken, goat, spring rolls, rice, fish - you name it was had it on the table. It was really delicious & a quarter of the price you would pay back in Dalat town centre.

After we had dried off a bit & let our food digest the tour then continued. We thanked the ladies in the shack for cooking us food & we jumped back on the bikes. It was great & by far the best tour we have done so far... It will take a lot to top this! It was not long before we reached our next stop off. We had stopped at a silk factory where we could see the fabric being made. We had seen this done on a smaller scale in Hoi An but this place was massive. There was lots of machinery & lots of young girls working away. When we first went in we saw how the silk worms where in the cocoons. The next section we where the girls were soaking the cocoons in hot water & then pulling the silk thread on to big turning wheels. I was allowed to have a go so I started working like the girls, it was fascinating.

On the next machine the girl was pulling the silk thread through another machine to make its thickness & bind it all together to make long thread. Further round the factory we saw the fabric being made. There was a big weaving machine which was turning out patterned material according to the pattern that had been placed through the machine. At the far end of the factory there was a place that had this really huge tubs which were filled with coloured water. This is how the fabric is dyed different colours. There was a room where you could see all the fabric which had been made. In another room there were tables of women who were cross stiching designs free hand on to fabric so we stood & watched them for a while.

Driving to our next destination it was to see how the rice wine actually got made. The bike stopped at this little house in a village where we went inside. We we led through to a big massive shed which contains tons & tons of rice & even more rice wine. We got to see the big boiler where the rice was placed in to cook. Once it was cooked it was transfered to big sacks in order to let it cool down before the alcohol was added then seived through this big machine & in to different strength containers. I tried to shovel the rice out of the big boilers but it was really strenuous work & one that I wouldn't like to be doing on a daily basis.

In another shed around the other side of the house they people where growing mushrooms. They had a dark shed area which had big bags of soil & compost hanging up & when the soil becomes fertile they make holes in the bags for the mushrooms to start growing through. The mushrooms certainly didn't look like the ones we buy in Asda but I am sure we have eaten them somewhere down the line already.

The last place that we had to visit was called the Crazy House. I had read a little about this place in the Lonely Planet book but I wasn't 100% sure what it was till we got there. The Crazy House was a place designed by a lady architect which had crazy ideas. It is now a hotel where you can pay $50 per night to stay. Each room is different & the whole place reminded us of Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory. The staircases where mad & not straight, the weaved up to different floors & even took us outside. There was a theme of spiders where one section had cobweb designs as windows etc. To be honest we were disappointed to be wasting our time looking around a stupid expensive makeshift hotel so we left pretty sharpish.

Back on the bikes & as the tour was coming to a close the conversation was turned back on to eating dog. The Easy Riders said that if we wanted to try eat dog then they would happily take us. After thinking about it for a few minutes we thought why not, if they can munch dog then so can we. We jumped on the bikes & the riders took their time in riding us back in to town as the roads where wet & slippery. We stopped just by the old cog railway station where we were yesterday & then we were led up this pathway around a building & in to a small little shack.

Inside the shack we were ushered to sit down on this round table. Running around the shack where two little dogs totally unaware that we were about to purchase & eat its once was pal. There was a little kitchen area which had a big stove & pan on the hob. Inside the glass counter as all the dog meat you wanted. The lady pulled out a dog leg & was offering it too us but that was a step too far for us... we looked at each other in shock. I asked if I could try a little piece & that when a healthy chunk dipped in a vietnamese sauce was handed to me! Down the hatch it went! I chewed it slowly so I could get a proper taste & to be honest it was a lot like beef & the taste wasn't strange at all.

As the lady danced around the kitchen preparing more dog meat for us to take away I just sat there looking at these little dogs running around the shack as pets. I thought it wont be long before you'll be goners....hahahaha! With our meat & crackers in a bag we thanked the dog meat providers & we left. We jumped back on the bikes & headed for the Easy Rider den where we could share out the dog meat properly.

Back at the office we sat around tables Andy with a beers & me with a nice hot cup of tea. The dog meat & dog ribs were spread across the tables for us to try. It wasn't long before we had our knashers around a healthy helping of dog ribs. There was other dog meat that had peanuts in it but it looked like dog food instead of dog meat so we opted out of trying that one & stuck to the ribs (which did have some fur on it)!

Soon out came the strong rice wine & everybody was drinking & having fun, chatting away & making fun of things. Until, the cheeky American got a bit too big for his pumps. He started being really disrespectful towards me about us being English. Andy had totally had enough of him all day anyway & offered to take him outside. The American was being a complete prat but he was making things worse because of the drink. As soon as Andy showed his aggression the American's tune soon started to change & he was trying to be all nice & laugh it off... we weren't having any of it!

We settled the bill of what we owed for the tour & we said thank you to our drivers & especially to Hong for sharing all his knowledge & we left. It was handy for our bus office to be the shop next door as we popped in there to arrange the bus to Muine for tomorrow. With everything all organised we headed back to the hotel. I still wasn't feeling great & as soon as we were back at the hotel I started to be sick again. Ana was in the hotel room & had told us that she hadn't been outside all day. We told her that we had booked the bus for tomorrow so we would be leaving her in Dalat.

As it was late none of us had eaten we the three amigo's headed out on to the streets of Dalat in search for some food. We walked up & down the streets but it was difficult because I didn't really want food with not feeling well, Ana wanted street noodle soup again & Andy fancied anything with rice. We all finally comprimised & headed to the Peace Cafe where we had breakfast earlier as they done a massive range of food to suit.
Back in the hotel I packed ready for our early departure to Muine tomorrow. It didn't take long before I was in bed completely shattered & low in energy. Sleepy time for me whilst Andy pottered around doing whatever it was he was doing.

Beach here we come tomorrow..................