Da Lat - December 7th

Yesterday it was slightly overcast so we didn’t get too hot cycling, but today it is quite sunny as we board the bus at 07.30 for our trip to Da Lat.  I think a few people are looking longingly at the pool which we never had a chance to use.  Once we get back to just off the main National Highway 1 (from Saigon to Hanoi) we start cycling straight into the country side.  It is hot, but still not too bad as we climb slightly from the coast through field after field of dragonfruit, the unusual fruit grown in these parts.  Again the first section of the day is 20km, and we again have all sorts of goodies, including the aforementioned dragonfruit, at our first drinks break.

As I said the first section is straight, as is the second section, we hardly turn at all, which is great because it is actually taking us far from the crowds and in the second half of this section we begin to travel into the foothills of the central highland mountains, so the scenery is getting better.  As with the previous day cycling is sometimes with one or two others from the group, sometimes on your own, so there is a chance to socialise a little with the other trip members.

We have climbed about 250m today, but we stop now because there are 10km of almost 10% climbs ahead to bring us up to 1200m.  So we get into the bus as this climb is never part of the trip.  We stop for a tuna sandwich lunch about 3/4s of the way up, and then we continue to where we get back onto the bikes.  This final 20km section is a lot tougher than before, with climbs and descents, but it is though a much more interesting landscape up in the mountains.

Finally after having done 60km today we finish and get back on the bus for our transfer to DaLat.  This is a former French town built in the mountains to give the colonial rulers somewhere to go to escape from the heat.  Now it is just Vietnam’s premier honeymoon destination.  We arrive in town with just about 30 minutes of light left, just enough time to run around and take some snaps, although it doesn’t seem that great a place.