Easy Rider bike tour

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On a bike for 4 days=sore bum!

Well we decided to hire a couple drivers from "easy rider bike tours", we weren't really sure what to expect or how we would like it. We enjoyed it very much. The trip gets you to places that you would not see at the usual bus stops and tourists hubs. We got to see how the local agriculture works, village workshops in action and coffee everywhere!

We started out from Dalat with our two guides (Wing and Son) going Northwest and stopping along the way every 30-40 minutes to see something interesting and meet some very nice local people. Our anxiety about this trip was put at ease with all the stops, as we felt the guides were working very hard explaining to us about the culture of the different peoples and the work that they do.
What did we see.....every step of rice production up close (fieldwork, drying, grinding, making rice paper, etc...), cashew nut harvesting and sorting, clay brick factory, mushroom and flower farms, local fruits, poor people displaced by the government (building a fancy resort), beautiful scenery, snakes crossing the road, waterfalls x 3, rubber plantations, Ho Chi Minh trail, bridges destroyed by the war, bunkers, and a huge VC cemetary.....for starters!

We saw what we didn't see for three weeks prior, which ultimately made Jodi and I content with the cost. Did you know that Vietnam will be 1st in coffee production export this year? We didn't! Also the forests in the Central Highlands are being cut down at an alarming rate to grow coffee. This is really bad because it rains alot here in the rainy season, and mountains without trees = landslides and flooding like they recently had in the North.

Dan and I (this is Jodi now) also learned alot about the American War as one of our guides spent 4 years in the South Vietnamese army. He had many stories to tell about the HCM trail, the strategic importance of certain parts of the Highlands, and the American involvement in Vietnam. We visited a huge VC cemetary in Dong Xoia (the gateway to Saigon) on the second last day. It is amazing - there are 7500 VC buried there and room for many of the bodies they are still recovering. The motorcycles also took us along the border with Cambodia where you see signs everywhere warning of areas that have yet to be demined from the war...yet people are still living on these lands! On the last day, Dan and I went to the CuChi tunnels. These were amazing - an entire network of tunnels built underground by the VC to help them move people and resources to the HCM trail. They have enlarged some of the tunnels for tourists but they are still pretty tight! Dan also fired an M-60 (?) at the range there. The sound was so loud, it made my insides shake.

The best part of the tour was meeting local families involved in the production of mushrooms, or vegetables, or rubber, or silk - all different types of industry. The children were so funny and it was nice to meet kids who were not trying to sell you gum or postcards. Some of the kids were amazed at Dan's belly and proceeded to poke him repeatedly, while another boy was amazed at how "furry" he was and kept rubbing his arm. We also got used to riding on the motorcycles. At first it scared me a bit as the highlands are very mountainous (obviously) and some of the roads are not that great. The truck drivers also drive like maniacs here so that can be pretty scary... but it was fun to drive through herds of cows on the road, and have to wave hello back to children and people all along the road.

We loved it. Now we are in Saigon....more on that later...here are some pics.

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Photos

Driving through cows
That's Jodi in the pink shirt with the yellow bag strapped to the motorcycle

Comments

[Dougal]

Excellent
It was an excellent idea to have the blog....better still that you figured it out. Really appreciate the pictures and am impressed with what you have seen. Sorry Dan, we don't have that brand of "bucket" here. The motto seems like and awseome way yo go and see things. The little guys didn't wonder how Dan could be so hairy but have none on top? Way to go Jodi....brave enough to go on a motto and also sing in public....ohhhh.Continue to experiance, appreciate, and enjoy.......and stay safe.

[barb]

Hi from Markham!!
Hi you two!! Wow, seems like you are having an incredible time! LOVE your pictures (especially the one of the elephant crossing the lake). Looks like incredible scenery over there. Have fun and be safe .... some of those bridges look a little rickety! We're really enjoying your blog!! Take care! :)