Day 12 & 13 Easy Rider Motorbikes, Lak Lake & Travel to Da Lat

---

Day 12 & 13
Well it's been 4 days of extreme highs and lows so I'm just catching up with my blog and all the photos. There's quite a few! I'll start with the lows.

Day 13 Lesley fell of the steps of a spiral staircase and landed badly on her shoulder and banged her head. We spent the night at the hospital. After various x rays and scans they were happy to discharge her. She has an arm/ shoulder brace which she has to wear for 3 weeks. She is also sporting a large black eye and cheek.

We've had a day to think about what we want to do. Lesley is adamant we are not coming home. We can't continue with our plans and the motorbikes but can make new plans. Lesley needs time to start recovery. Just overnight she is a lot brighter and we've been for a walk and to eat. We decided to stay in Da Lat until 4th to let Lesley rest. Get the overnight bus to Saigon as we've already booked a hotel there. We can rest for 3 more days and see how Lesley feels before we cross over to Cambodia.

It's been a bit of a shock for both of us but I can't believe how well Lesley is coping. Probably better than me! She is so determined to continue. We're both still looking forward to the rest of our travels just at a slower pace.

And now the highs ..... Easy Rider motorbikes. OMG it was so exciting on the back of a bike riding through the mountains. I'd put it up there with skydiving. Here are the details;

Day 12 - Easy Riders to Lak Lake - Our drivers arrived at the hotel, they introduced themselves as Terry and Hoa (pronounced Wa) We packed up, and set off. We are heading for Lak Lake. 230km.
We stop every hour, just to stop numb bum! The first stop was at a fish market; not a pleasant smell but a welcome break.

We passed so much different scenery it is possible to recount it all! We saw
lobster farms, shrimp farms, so many varieties of vegetation; coffee, peppercorns, sugarcane, coca, tapioca, corn, to name a few. With every stop Hoa, told us interesting information to go with what ever he showed us.
We visited an ethnic minority group farm belonging to the Daclay people. They live in very simple houses made of simple wood. They have around 12 - 16 people from 3 or 4 generations all living together in a farming community.

We visit a natural hot spring. A Vietnamese family were boiling some eggs in the hot spring. They invited us to join them. The Dad showed us what to do. He cracked off the top of the egg, put some salt on it, and passed it to me. Then I had to suck it out in one. It was funny! And not quite cooked enough for me!

We stopped for lunch which was chicken and rice. Terry ordered everything for us. He mixed salt and pepper together with lime juice to dip the chicken in.... Really nice!

Another stop was a coffee stop. I feel that I just can not do this justice, in words, or pictures. The feeling of freedom when your face pushes through the wind, the combinations of different shades of green across the landscape, mixed with the ever changing blues, greys, blacks and whites of the sky, the people you pass, workers in the paddy field, happy, pleasant, working, watching.

We opted to stay with the locals at Lak Lake. They live in long houses very similar to the Daclay people. I was originally quite desperate to do a home stay, so we chose it over a hotel. However it was not what I quite what I expected! It was a wooden long house on stilts. The animals lived under the house and around and the family inside. They had curtained off one side for the family and one side for us. It was 2 mattresses on the floor with mosquito nets. That was it. No electricity or water. A bag of corn to sit on. The toilet is across the road in a neighbours back yard. I thought I handled it really well considering!

We settled in then walked up to have a look at the lake, then down to the eating place for the evening meal. They had shower facilities which was welcome.

We had a great, although very unexpected night! Drinking the local ooch (rice wine) with Terry, Hoa, Chris and Evelyn from Germany, and their driver Link ( who looks like Bruno Mars) and Duan. A quiet drink ..... grew....,

We all really enjoyed the evening, chatting and getting to know each other. Evelyn and Chris are staying in the long house next door, so it was good to have others to walk back into the village with! We giggled as we got into bed as the pigs were grunting under the house. I refused to undress and went to bed fully clothed in my mummy bag on Lesley's bed. The end to a brilliant day!



Day 13 - To Da Lat. We were woken at 4.30am by the cockerels and pigs grunting under the house. However we got up and watched the sunrise which was lovely. I was so hungover I couldn't function. Lesley laughed and said she'd never seen anyone so pathetic! She was right I was. She had to help me get ready and pack. We had a leisurely breakfast with all the drivers and Chris and Evelyn who we met last night.

Terry and Hoa loaded the bikes, then Hoa gave us a bit of insight the the Memon community that we were staying with.

We set off for Dalat. With stops on the way. We expect to cover about 130km today.

We stopped and ate Rambutan, or chom chom, a grape like fruit. Also learning about Durian at the same time.

Setting off again, the scenery is really indescribable, continuously so beautiful. It's a pleasure just to be driven through. I feel I should describe more. I just can't do it the justice it deserves.

Just stopped for lunch; it was a never ending mix of dishes; rice, tofu, pork, chicken, different chicken, morning glory, salad, omelette and soup. Again, very nice, and it does make it so much easier when someone else orders it all for you!

After dinner, Hoa and I decided to get into hammocks each for an afternoon power nap. It has already been a long day due to such an early start.

We got about half an hour away from Dalat, when the black sky totally opened. It poured with rain, as heavy as I ever seen it! We pulled into a garage and went inside. It's not as you at imagine if you are basing it on UK garage. We sat on the floor chatting for about half an hour, but there was no improvement. It lashed it down, closely followed by deafening thunder, and lightening. This weather was not going to stop. Terry and Hoa gave us a good quality set of wet gear to put on.

Off we set in the rain. It was soooo cold! We arrived at the hotel in Dalat at about 5pm. It's a spacious room with all we need. I am really looking forward to a hot shower. We are meeting Hoa and Terry for dinner at seven.

We went to a restaurant with a group of the easy rider team that were in Dalat. There was a bit of stock on a gas burner, and a small table top barbecue, then the meal arrived. It was very thinly sliced beef. Some marinated for the barbecue, some plain for the hotpot. Hoa took over cooking the barbecue, Terry on the pot. Terry showed us to get some lettuce, some leaves, some meat, roll it all in rice paper, then dip on soya sauce and eat! As the meat got eaten more came, then a hotpot with chicken and tofu. It was amazing. All the guys really looked after us.

After we had eaten, Lesley told Tuan, the big boss from Easy Riders that I'd never done karaoke, then that was it, off we all went in taxis.

We arrived at the karaoke bar;Tuan has booked a private party room, which is how they do it here! We had such a great time, everyone singing and dancing the night away. We had a table of fruit and beer. I sang Rivers of Babylon and Hello- Lionel Richie and Lesley sang all night!

After the karaoke we got back in taxis to go back to the Easy Riders Hang Out bar. We had a couple of drinks and played pool. Lesley went up the stairs to toilet, slipped off the step, and landed really awkward on her arm and shoulder! She banged my face on a table as she hit the floor. We ended up at hospital having CT scan and x Ray and left around 8am. 4 of the Easy Rider crew came to the hospital. Terry stayed all night with Lesley and I.

---