Road Trip with the Dalat Easy Riders . 18-19th January - Part 1

A road trip? Have I not been travelling mainly by road this past few months? Well yes, but this time it was a 2 day trip on the back of a motorbike. I have to say that it was the most enjoyable activty that I have done during my travels. So what are the Dalat Easy Riders. They are group who offer motor tour through the Highlands around Dalat. This group are the original Easy Riders. The concept has been copied around Vietnam.

How did we find our Riders? Well we didn't. They found us. When we got up from our post arrival slumber, we found Tin Tin , a senior member of the group drinking a coffee and tea in our hotel reception. Waiting for us? Of course. We presuled they got a tip from the hotel. He made the presentation. We were of course interested. Our main aim was to visit the countryside; The choices were 2, 3, 4 etc day trip. The 2 day trip was to Buon Me Thuot & the 3 day trip to Nha Trang - our next destination. He gave us the price.

During our visit of the town, we visited travel agencies to find out there prices. They were cheaper than Tin Tin. However we liked the Easy riders, we just need them to lower the price. When we got back to the Hotel. They came over & then Ceci - our toughest negotiator - negotiated the price down. We settled on the 2 day tour to Buon Me Thuot - with a night by the lake at Daklak. They would drop off in Buon in time to catch the last bus - around 6pm - to Nha Trang.

During the 2 day road trip, we Visited flower farms, minority villages, Rice Whisky producers, Coffee & Tea plantation - I did not realise that Vietnam has become a major coffee producer - 3 Waterfalls, a silk factory, temples & enjoying the sight, people, and scenery of the central highlands. Many things I have done before but still worth doing again.

Ceci was with Tin Tin, Nora with .... - sorry cannot remember his name - Alex with somebody - we never I think actually knew his name and myself with Scimitar - honest,that was his road name on his card. Tin Tin & Nora's driver spoke French Whilst mine spoke English. Another couple of day of Franglish.




Day 1 : An early start with a visit to Dalat's Crazy House.



The Crazy House was built by the daughter of the President of the reunified Vietnam - around 1975-78 - It is really crazy. Amazingly it is a Guest House. You can rent the rooms out. It is not cheap. We did not see any guests. Its popularity as a guest house has diminished as the clients were a bit fed with all the visitors passing through there room.






Our first stop outside the city was a flower farm. Big business especially a week before Tet - the Chinese New Year.Flower farm






A coffee plantation. Here they grew 3 varieties. Moka, Robusta & Aribica. There is a 4 bean, which is in great demand. These are not grown; they are found on the ground around the coffee tree. They are the beans eating by squirel type animal. They cannot digest them andj are found in there dropping. The coffe we were told is great and expensive...






Silk Production



Part 2 begins with Elephant Waterfall & Temple...