Mopeds, Bicycles and Rollercoasters!

---

Da Lat is almost like a French town in its layout and style. It is a lot cooler due to being higher up and even has a mini eiffel tower. While in Da Lat we did a day tour on mopeds and went round a place called Chicken village. It is called this because it has a large statue of, yes you guessed it, a chicken! It is a very random statue but the village was nice and I got to have a go making some incense sticks there. We then visited Dataula falls where you take a drive your own rollercoaster down to the waterfall. I think you are supposed to go slowly and take in the view but we sped down waking up some track supervisors on the way. The waterfall was pretty stunning and was even better due to rain increasing the flow of the fall. We then visited the Tiuc Lam Pagoda where we saw how buddhist monks live. The pagoda also overlooked the Tayem lake. The pagoda had a very serene feel to it but was surprisingly modern. We also stopped at Da Lat railway station and the Chinese pagoda. There is a place in Da Lat called the crazy house which is a guesthouse which tourists can walk round. It is almost like something from Alice in Wonderland. Each room is named after an animal and for example the kangaroo room has a big statue of a kangaroo in. We also visited possibly the worst tourist attraction I have ever come across in my life. It was called the magic table which was in fact a round table in some guys house which spins around when you put your hands on it and concentrate. Personally I think the magic was in the owner pushing it round while your doing it!

After Da Lat we wanted to head to Mui Ne beach. But to make a change we decided not to get a coach and do a mountain bike trip from Da Lat to Mui Ne. After an hour ride in a mini bus we were dropped off and started the supposedly 70km ride. The first bit was mostly uphill and it killed me and I ended up getting a lift in the minibus for 15 minutes. Lazy! But after that it was mostly downhill. Just before lunch we stopped at a little village which had a great view over the mountains and a distant waterfall. The ride from here to where we stopped for lunch was absolutely class. It was all downhill! We wove down the traffic free mountain rodes which were covered with dense jungle. Unfortunately after that it was all flat but it was a really rewarding and tiring journey. My arse however is still bruised as the seats on the bikes were not in anyway forgiving.

Mui Ne beach is a beautiful beach but there was very little to do and not many people there. Maybe it was off season, Im not sure. The sea had some good waves but the current is so strong that you end up halfway down the beach within minutes. From Mui Ne we are now in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) which is huge in comparison to Hanoi. It is extremely busy and is full of western bars and neon signs. It is truly unbelievably how many mopeds there are here. If India be the land of taxis and tuk-tuks, then Vietnam is definitely the land of mopeds. We have only been here one day and we have walked round most of the city taking in the markets and visiting the independence palace. Tomorrow we are going to go to the Cu Chi tunnels, which are proper Viet Cong tunnels and then the day after we are heading on boat across the Cambodian border. I cannot wait!

---