Little Russia Town Nha Trang.

I reached Nha Trang in good time since it was only a 150km ride from Dalat to Nha Trang. Nha Trang is really weird. A total blend of Russian, Korean and viola China.

Nha Trang was planned for two nights but after one night I am already planning to run tomorrow. My plans keep changing these few days. I have no idea why. 

Nha Trang

Nha Trang

I tought it would be a chill 2 nights each location with 1 extra spare before I reached HCM. Now I am contemplating dashing and spending lesser nights at each location just so I could reach Can Tho and explore a little side of the Mekong Delta.

I feel that I am rushing through this Vietnam travel and I know I should slow down and really understand what the place is about and immerse however the moment I reach a new place, I just balk not bothering much about sights or about immersing at all.

Its like I am just passing the day but then its too boring and I push on to another place making the journey a rush and superficial. I know it yet my instinct tell me go. While writing this, I can confidently say that I would not move to Vietnam on my own. Thailand however is a possibility. Laos maybe, Cambodia only if I’m settling down.

Traveled on: Jan 2024

Making Decisions in Dalat

I spend a total of 2 nights in Dalat however with the short distance travel between Midori Coffee Farm to Dalat city center which was only 2km, I basicly got a full two days in Dalat proper. Initial plan was to chill out three nights but I only booked two night for I had an inkling that I might go faster if somehow Dalat changed in the last 10 years.

I decided I still like Dalat after staying for two night and wandering around. The place has changed slightly compared to when I was there 10 years ago. A proper city in the mountains and not a resort mountain which always tugs a little string in my heart just like Cameron Highlands in Malaysia.

Dalat

Dalat

Dalat

I spend two days mostly just wandering around Dalat not realy bothering with clocking the tourist sights. This time I had a bike and it was fun biking around all the alleys in Dalat seeing the local residents and shops going about their own stuff.

The only proper tourist thing was Lang Biang peak. I never been there before but it seams that other than the bus tours that comes in waves, the peak as a visiting photo stop stayed the same. 

Hiking up Lang Biang Peak along the Road

Lang Biang Peak

One thing that I did notice was most of the high quality fake apparels that used to be in Dalat market was gone. These days it was just cheap and normal apparels and mostly selling second hand apparels.

The very few shops that still sell the fake north face or nike apparels looked worst in quality compared to the second hand apparels. That threw a wrench to my plan to stock up on gears for the upcomming China and Central Asia trip.

Dalat Market

Dalat Market

Dalat Main Square 

With a friend (TK) giving me the confirmaton of flight to HCM next weekend, I made some critical decisons in Dalat. Flight home to KL on 23 Jan 2023 was booked from HCM. The price kept going higher every day I checked so it was time to book it anyway. The riding journey would come to an end before Feb 2024 base on this and I would have to reach HCM by 19 Jan 2023.

A little bitter sweet for I feel like a trip is ending and I don’t really want to go home but then I had so many erends to run when I get back to prepare for the big one in May 2024. Its time.

So with the gears turning faster now, I did not linger in Dalat for the thrird night and ride on to Nha Trang. This was the revised route where I did a double U-turn or a S-Loop to ride this strech of the road for it was famous for being scenic and a great ride through good curvy mountain roads.

The Scenic Route from Dalat to Nha Trang

The roads were ok at best but in Vietnam standards it was marvelous. The view while beautiful seamed a little oversold in my opinion. Then again maybe the ride to Yading-China has spoilt my expectation of a great scenic ride.

Traveled on: Jan 2024

Money Money .... The Police said to me ....

The ride from Buon Ma Thout to Dalat really was slightly shy of Dalat. I ended up in Midori Coffee Farmstay and just my luck the dorm room was full. Private room which was a double bed cost VND 350,000 but I had only VND 400,000 in my pocket. Some fast negotiating got the price down to VND 250,000 which left me just enaugh for dinner and a few coffee.

The ride was quite nice with little detours done at Lak Lake near BMT. A quint little town that sports tourism by offering elephant ride through the lake. I know lots of people have their own opinion on elephant tourism however this part of Vietnam seams to attract more of the local tourism instead of international tourist. They must have done this a few generations probabaly.

Lake Lak

Elephants at Lake Lak

I did stop for Lunch and finally started splurging a little again by getting the one person Hot Pot for VND 150,000. Fish hot pot which was pretty nice and should be for two people really. After lunch the ride continue shortly and quickly another coffee break as I saw the viewpoint of a beautiful lake. 

Hot Pot Lunch at Lake Lak

I tried to have the break as quick as possible but Coffee in Vietnam is just not meant to be drank quickly. I have no idea why but the coffee, as little as they brew would give me a kick to the brain where my eyes would twitch uncontrollably if I drink it too fast.

Supposely an easy ride of 170km became a time rush as I left the coffee place to really put some distance from BMT and try to reach Dalat before sundown. Along the way, I got pulled over by a police checkpoint. This was a first for me in Vietnam for the whole time I was riding.

Scenic Lake along the way from Buon Ma Thout to Dalat

Coffee Break by the Lake 

I have passed many police checkpoint throughout the ride but was never pulled over. Usually they would already have someone they were focus on that I would blend in with the local bikes and just skirt on but this part of the road was just too quiet with barely any vehicle.

Bike stopped and I got a lot of question in Vietnamese. Gloves on, mask on, full helment with Visor, I guess there was no way the police knew I was not local.

Sorry English ? No Vietnam. ...

With some effort the Police seam to understand and slowly speak the words in english.

Where you come from ?

Malaysia ....

WHERE YOU COME FROM ??

MALAYSIA !! ...

He talked something in Vietnamese with many body signs and hand signs which I guessed he was trying to say no speeding, slow down or something like that. I was pretty sure I was within the speed limit. I just kept nodding ... dumb ...

OK go ! ... and he wave me on ..

Time to run but before I could push off, the police on the other side of the road called out to me.

Money , Money .... with a big smile on his face ...

I tried to smile with my eyes as my mask was still on, giving the police across the street the most

“I dont understand English” look and thank you good bye ...

Just slowly started riding away. Crisis avoided and no bribe involved. An hour later while stopping for a smoke break, I realized that even if the Police wanted to ask for money, I had literaly no money on me, barely VND 400,000.

Sunset at Midori Coffee Farm - Dalat

So back to Midori Coffee Farm. Woke up in the morning and checked my balance of exzactly VND 60,000 left. A mere SGD 4 and I bought expensive organic coffee for VND 40,000. Somehow I am quite comfatable now traveling without money unlike old times when I would get a little paranoid.

Traveled on: Jan 2024

Staying a Little longer in Buon Ma Thout.

The ride from Pleiku to Buon Ma Thout was ok. Good roads great view but no photo opportinity. You know how sometimes riders enjoy the view with our brain cencering out the tree and trucks and all the other noise and just enjoying a good long distance scenic view? 

It was that kinda of view most of the journey where one could enjoy but flipping out the phone for a picture looked like a boring view as the good parts are too far away to have any depth.

Windmills along the way to Buon Ma Thout

Windmills windmills were everywhere in this part of Vietnam. Coffee and windmills. I am supprise this little nook has not been popularized yet on the motorpacker route that homestays and lookout cafe would spring up like mushrooms.

It was a good distance this time from Pleiku to Buon Ma Thout, a good 200km journey which took me nearly 7 hours since morning with all the slow cruise and pauses. I booked a single night in BMT, but arriving at 4pm tired made me decide to extend to two night in BMT. That gave me a full day to contemplate BMT.

Buon Ma Thout

Buon Ma Thout

Buon Ma Thout

BMT I could feel was a good proper size big city yet the lack of tourist is supprisingly jaring when comparing to other cities in Vietnam. BMT was the coffee capital of Vietnam and in a way there was no need for tourist money. There was still small bits and things to do in BMT like in Pleiku or in Kon Tum that a full day felt a bit too long but a overnight stop felt a bit too short.

World Coffee Museum at Buon Ma Thout

Ottoman Coffee Sampling at World Coffee Museum - Buon Ma Thout

Morning I went to the World Coffee Museum in BMT. Paid the entrance ticket of VND 150,000 which after seeing the museum felt not worth the price. The building architecture was unique and the exhibits were ok with translation into English but the price did not feel worthy of the effort I put to reach BMT to see it.

My hotel was friendly and with limited interaction still managed to dig out one local recommendation from them. Arul House, for food. I went the next day and saw that Arul House was a local house built in the traditional way. In fact all the houses around that area had their own distinctive traditional built.

Traditional House in Buon Ma Thout

Arul House Gate 

Arul House - Buon Ma Thout

Arul House - Buon Ma Thout 

Low elevated floors with short roof and long span going deep into the back seams similar to longhouses concept in South East Asia. This one had been turned into a restaurant / cafe and for once after so many days I decided to splurge a bit on food. 

My bill came out to be VND 297,000 which was a splurge in Vietnam since the average good meal would have cost VND 80,000. This was nearly 4 tines that but still very affordable to a tourist.

Leaving Arul House, I decided to track one of the many waterfalls that was nearby BMT. The first one about 25km outskirt Trac Dray Sap had a entrance fee of VND 90,000 which I balked and did another 30km detour to see Trac Dray Nur Waterfall. 

Trac Dray Nur Waterfall - Buon Ma Thout

If you can’t tell, they were like twin waterfalls on either side of a small island but can’t be seen from one side. The detour was 30km to get to a spot less than 200m across due to me having to backtrack finding a bridge upstream to cross the river.

All things done, BMT was a good stop if one have time to pace slowly.

Traveled on: Jan 2024

Exploring Small town Kon Tum and Pleiku

Kon Tum turns out to be a great place to relax as I extended to two nights instead of one. Initially the plan was to ride by the coffee region of Vietnam knowing that there wont be much to see but ever since reaching Plei Can, I somehow slowed down not feeling the need to travel every day.

Around Kon Tum was not much to see really but there was still many little things around the town that makes it worthwhile exploring. The traditional houses were all over the place and after a while I realized that it was actually the central communal meeting hall.

Traditional Rong House of Kon Tum Ethnic Minority 

There was also this Indochine Cafe that was built purely out of Bamboo including the roof which was pretty and I end up going around Kon Tum gorging on Coffee. Kon Tum also had this one famous church made out of wood but chared black which made a good 10 minute pitstop for photos.

Indochine Cafe with its Beautiful Bamboo Structure

Not really exciting but also not really that boring. Kon Tum was just like that. I did do some chores while I was there getting Zuki fixed up on the horn and oiled the chain.

The third day I headed from Kon Tum to Pleiku. Again I was debating in my head many times if I were to just ride through Pleiku and go all the way to Buon Ma Thout but along the way with my little detours, I ended up staying in Pleiku for one night.

Kon Tum to Pleiku was not far in fact. Merely 50km in distance but in between through google map, I saw some bouble markers that indicated tourist spots. Tourist spots is a bit overstating it as it was more like locals visiting spot.

Mt. Chu Dang Ya 

View from the base of Mt. Chu Dang Ya

The first spot was the inactive volcano named Chu Dang Ya. Google map showed great views looking far into the horizon from the top of the volcano. But as I ride around the mount, there was no track to the top. One needed to hike up and I was way too lazy to do a trek.

Nearby thou there was a ruin Church called H’Bau. Did not expect to see this kind of structure in the middle of central Vietnam much less in the open fields countryside. 

H'Bau Church Ruins near Mt. Chu Dang Ya

Incense Offering to Statue of Mary at H'Bau Church

The insight however of this ruin Church was still functioning in a sort that the statue of Mary on the altar had prayers josstick as one would fine in chinese temples. Interesting spin where religon goes.

Riding through the countryside road parelel to the main highway going to Pleiku was a nice leisure pace that I had no worries since I had plenty of time to reach the destination. At Pleiku there was really only one place to visit, Minh Thanh Pagoda. 

Minh Thanh Pagoda Entrance

Minh Thanh Pagoda at Pleiku 

The temple was partially closed when I was there but part of it was still accessible to visit. A serene place but not very old. I tried visiting Pleiku Central Market to see if I could uncover any hidden gems but turns out it was a waste of time.

Pleiku for the night and resume the next long ride to Buon Ma Thout.

Traveled on: Jan 2024