Saigon to Dalat

We grabbed a bus from Saigon to Dalat and thanks to my all natural over-the-counter tranquilizers I was unconscious for most of the winding trip. It was a good thing too because in the moments of wavering wakefulness all I could hear was the wretching of the unfortunate people who are afflicted with such a terrible thing as motion sickness. I've decided that buses suck. I rarely use them but the constant sound of yacking, coughing, sneezing and weezing, coupled with midget seats and varying degrees of climate control they are my least favorite form of transportation.

When we rolled into Dalat we pulled our bikes out of the cargo compartment to inspect the damage which is always inevitable. If memory serves correct there was only minor brake damage and some other insignificant adjustments to be made before we were back on our way.
Almost immediately we were greeted by the ever present moto drivers who would love to show us their "most beautiful clean and cheap guesthouses". We took the offer of one of them and followed him up a series of hills to the elegant 'Pink House Hotel'. It turned out to be a great place and much cheaper than expected. Being the off season this had happened a lot and we usually get the sympathy/hardcore discount because of bikes...even when we don't ride them^^

Dalat was really beautiful and I have been assured they bear a remarkable resemblance to the Swiss country-side, though with the Euro I 'm not sure I'll ever know for certain. The town was and still is used as a getaway and was known as a safe area during the war. The temperature was much cooler and we had to break out the long sleeves. I even remember thinking the heat was better, I wasn't very accustomed to the cold anymore.
We filled our days there by seeing a former Emperor's Mansion, as well as the "Hang Nga Crazy House" constructed by a presidents daughter.

The Mansion was pretty retro but we got to try on some royal costumes and have our own little photo shoot which was pretty funny. The grounds were well kept though dotted with an assortment of psychedelic faux-creatures, vintage Vespa's and a few farm animals.

The Crazy House was then and I assume will continue to be under construction for quite sometime, if not forever. The eternal winding of plaster staircases, intentionally plumb-crazy window frames and animal themed bedrooms (Oh yeah, it's ALSO a guesthouse) seem like they can continue forever.

There are enough intricacies in the plaster work to keep you looking for something out of the obvious odd and still enough perilous incomplete over-head walkways to keep you on your toes. These though wacky and interesting, didn't last long.

Apparently it rains in Dalat. And apparently it rains everyday in Dalat. It usually starts during lunch and doesn't really stop for the rest of the day. It's also a pounding massive rain that seems to shoot from the sky. I've been told if you have a lot to do, you should get up at 5 or 6am. So I'm told.

We ate and drank and watched the rain fall before getting ready to head out to see our hotel manager Rot, sing at a club. He was a total pro and the lounge as pretty high class, though without fail our group still resembled bikers even in our 'non-biking' clothes. While the other singers were decked out in suits and hair gel Rot was running around in a hoody and t-shirt. He has sang for the Royal Family among other prestigious people and was a pretty funny guy. After the show was finished we thought we would take-part in the only other activity available in Dalat: Karaoke. Some hilarity ensued and I ended up using my Krama (scarf) as a bandage to hold in the blood after my encounter with a rogue broken beer bottle. The beauty about not going to the hospital is that you're guaranteed not to hear bad news like stitches or infection or something ;). We (I) were even enticed into a full on arm-wrestling competition post-Karaoke.

We had fun in Dalat but it came time to head back east to the beachfront town of Nha Trang. That trip remains the longest distance we traveled in one day yet, and it was one of the most challenging accomplishments of this trip.

The locals had repeatedly told us that it wasn't that difficult. They must have all been in on some sick joke because over 60kms of road leaving Dalat held perhaps 4 real 'downhills' the rest was up. Up, up and more up. The most difficult thing about riding on a high % grade road up a mountain range is the way the road winds. You keep that shred of hope floating at the surface that reassures you "Around this corner and then it'll go down." More often than not you are wrong.

Though like they say, what goes up must come down (the opposite seems more true to me...) so with exhausted muscles and hungry stomachs we reached the peak of our trial and found ourselves being surrounded by clouds. It's safe to say we were 2000 + meters above sea level by now and the misty sky marked the point where each ascent is worth it, every time.
From the opaque folds of air we began our descent, 30km of downhill.

Not big down little up. Not even little down big up. This was all, 100% downhill. The scenery remains unique to my experience throughout this trip, it was sheer rock face wrapped roads with constant picturesque views of the valleys and lesser mountains below. The trip down flew by at over 40km/h, we got good use out of our newer breaks to dodge landslides and continuing construction.

After the 30kms ended we returned to rolling ups and downs as the sun fell below the horizon. Left in the dust of dusk we pushed our bodies further to continue on. By the time we rolled into Nha Trang, we were literally rolling.

140 kms through the Vietnamese Highlands had worn us down, but we all made it alive and were dying for some good food. Luckily Nha Trang holds a wide variety of great international dishes so our stay here would be well fed.

Underwater adventures in Nha Trang to follow soon^^

Till then, Keep on Keepin' on.