Dalat - Part 2

Today was the best day so far in Vietnam. I'd decided to take a tour with one of the "Easy Riders" - a group of tour guides who drive about on motorbikes, and which has become something of a Dalat Institution.

It seems everyone with two wheels in Dalat claims to be an easy rider, so I did some digging, and found out that they meet outside the Peace Cafe, and all wear blue and black easy rider jackets. My guide was David Khoa, and it was great fun to cruise around on the back of his bike, stopping along the way to see things.

David clearly knows the area really well (he's lived here all his life), and his explanations were really interesting. He was also a great person just to chat about life in Vietnam.

On the day out, he took me to loads of places, including: a view point, along one of the mountain passes to see unspoiled jungle, a Buddhist temple, and then on to a coffee plantation, a silk worm factory, the Zen Meditation center, and Elephant Falls.

Lunch was traditional Vietnamese food with roast pork, pan fried shrimp, various veg, and boiled chicken. I wasn't that keen on the chicken, but David showed me a traditional dip they use here which is salt and pepper, mixed with lime - which tasted really good.

But the best bit, was just cruising along the incredible mountain pass, around tight hairpin bends, watching the world go past.

Here are some pics:

A Dragon at the temple we stopped at:



Beautiful garden at the same temple:



Fields and Mountains:



Incredible view of the South Central Highlands of Vietnam:



A coffee plantation:



Silk Worms munching on Mulberry leaves:



Silk Worm Cocoons:



Shells from coffee beans - being used to heat water:



A video of silk being spun, and then dried. The final bit shows the dead silk worm larvae, which people eat...



And another one of silk being woven:



Silk being woven:



The finished product - I asked how they got multiple colors, but was told it's a trade secret:



Elephant Falls:



Zen Meditation Center:



One of the statues inside:



Lunch leftovers being fed to the dog - with chopsticks:



Just before lunch we stopped to see silk being woven by hand, and I got chatting to the lady whose shop it was, and she asked me loads of questions - including if I was single. There was then a long conversation in Vietnamese with lots of laughter. At the end the woman points at the woman who was doing the weaving, and says: "She say you very handsome, she single - no married."

Okay...

Here's a picture of David with his bike:

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If your in Dalat and want a great day out, then I'd recommend the Easy Rider Tour, and in particular David. You can check out the easy Rider website by clicking this link. Alternatively, David's e-mail address is: davidkhoatour@yahoo.com.

Or if you just want to sort something out when you get there, wander around to the Peace Cafe on Truong Cong Dinh. It's next to the Art Cafe (marked on the maps in the Planet and Rough Guide). You'll know your at the right place because of all the bikes!