Day 49 15th.
Today we test the bike... 108km south west from Dalat to Bao Loc on the QL20 again.
The QL20 is a great road....and we both love it.... The road surface itself however we don't love..... its pretty bad.... pot holed everywhere and you'll easily ruin a tyre if you take your eye off the ball... We are sorry to leave Dalat behind... Its a lovely place, so before we do, and because the time is getting ever closer to are arrival in Ho Chi Minh and the inevitable selling of the bike we take some photos after cleaning it up along side the Dalat lake ready for an internet listing....
We leave Dalat being considerate to our new engine parts.... We just cruise along with the flow.... Today's journey is not huge and there's plenty of time.... We've noticed that we are no longer surrounded by rice paddies.... Infact there are non.... Dalat is in the "Central Highlands" so since climbing the mountain road up to Dalat we have not passed one... Now we pass only coffee plantations... The whole area is covered with them.... Some huge commercial ones, and some are done on a personal household level.... We pass many houses that have harvested coffee beans spread out on huge sheets that cover the whole frontal area of the property, from house to road containing coffee beans that are out to dry.... They ride there motorbikes right over the top of them when leaving or arriving home....
The landscape is mountainous..... There are no flat areas at all... And the earth is a strong red colour.... When travelling on the QL20 you only really share it with other bikes.... Its very reminiscent of being on the Ho Chi Minh trail.... If your not passing a coffee plantation on the hillside, then your passing banana trees, or bamboo trees, and many many more that create a thick lush mountain jungle carpet that covers the whole mountain range.....
We arrive at our hotel and we are presently surprised.... The town looks tiny on a map, but in reality its a reasonable size... Our hotel is on the out skirts which suits us.... The rooms huge and ours has a big window with a fantastic coffee plantation view....
We leave the hotel in search of the supermarket...... Tomorrow will be a longer ride so we will get food sorted.....
As soon as we arrive back in our room Shiree spots the sun set, so back out we go again, off up the road to take some photos.... We end up down a quiet country lane where after satisfying her thrust for sunset shots Shiree has another ride on the bike before we swap back over and head back to the hotel....
I've listed the bick for sale on "Craigslist Vietnam" and we've had a tentative enquiry.... We'll be sad to see the bike go, but we can't take it with us....
The bikes advertised as being in Ho Chi Minh so I'll make contact with the guy when we arrive...