Arriving back in HCMC from Cambodia Suzi wasn’t happy. She had developed a tapping top end which meant one of two things, either the valves required adjustment or the rockers were gone. Making matters a bit more stressful, I had not thought ahead and had zero Dong when I arrived back in Vietnam. I had filled up with fuel just after crossing the Cambodia/Vietnam border (they accepted US), but 200km later Suzi was now running low and I hadn’t spotted an ATM for a while. Getting close to the center of HCMC I was scouting for an ANZ bank with a bike running on fumes and sounding worse by the minute. Half an hour out of the city center I found an ANZ and a service station. With at least some cash and fuel I was ready to navigate the traffic back to Lofi Inn. At Lofi I was greeted with a warm welcome from the staff and, after traveling for a few days on my own from Siem Reap, was immediately assimilated into the group of other travelers out for dinner and drinks on Bui Vien.
The mission for HCMC was simple. Get the bike fixed by Dhan and his crew, buy the gloves I had seen the last time I was in town, and get some extra foam put into Suzi’s seat to make the long days more comfortable. The gloves were an easy but expensive trip to the other side of District 1. Next door to the bike shop I get some extra foam put in the seat ($3). Back at Dhan’s mechanics I find my old mate and his chief mechanic and, after a bit of bad Vietnamese and sign, established that the rockers have worn flat and need replacing, together with a new cam chain, oil filter, and oil. Establishing (watching over) that he is competent with the task, I sit back and wait in the café over the road. Enjoying a café su da I spot a guy looking for bikes at the mechanics and beckon him over. Daniel has looked at a few Honda Wins and wants to buy one to ride north. Not knowing much about bikes himself, I offer to take a look over the ones he’s interested in. I wait to establish that my mechanic has pre-oiled the new rockers and set the timing right (the hard part of Suzi’s fix) and head off with Daniel to check out the Wins. We find one that is in good nick and after taking it for a test ride and exchanging mobile numbers I leave Daniel to negotiate a price.
Getting back to Suzi, I find her almost finished. I buy the mechanic and myself café su da’s and also ask him to replace the front brake pads. Total damage for this work, 600,000VND ($35). The night before I’d met Jen and we had arranged to go to the Water Puppets together at 6pm. The Water Puppets are well worth it are located next to local dance studios where we see large groups of Vietnamese learning ballroom. Getting back to Lofi we meet the others and head out for dinner and drinks on Bui Vien where Daniel meets up with us. We agree to ride out together the next morning. Destination Dalat.
Daniel and I get an early start but don’t make it to Dalat as planned. The Dambri Waterfalls (80m) distract us for too long and we only make it to Bao Loc. Like many tourist attractions in Vietnam the Dambri falls have had the Disneyland treatment including a bit of a lame theme park, shops and a vulgar lift built on the left side of the falls which take away from the natural beauty, but they are still impressive. Bao Loc is a nice enough place but few tourist stop there. We enjoy walking the town, checking out the lake, and the interesting sculptures of the Jesus Story around the perimeter of the local (massive) Christian church. We later find that Bao Loc has made its money from the tea plantations that surround the town.
Riding to Dalat from Bao Loc we pass though Di Linh and also stop off at Pongour Falls which luckily are still in thier naturally beautiful state. The road to the falls is also one of the nicest we’ve ridden so far. Beginning the ascent to Dalat it starts to rain which is something that we’ll later get used to while in Dalat. On the mountain pass we find a great little waterfall which provides a nice rest stop, including a friendly Vietnamese stall owner. Getting into Dalat we find our preferred hotel full, but the family own one opposite which we decide to stay in. This proves to be a mistake the next night.
Walking around town that evening we find the town square full with a clothes market while the main market (Cho) is pumping in the terrace below. Checking out both we’re surprised when we find a nightclub looking place. Standing outside were can hear a band, so we go in to investigate. We’re quickly ushered to a booth and shown an expensive drinks menu (100,000vnd for a beer, $5!!!). The place has a strip club ambiance, but its not. The six piece band is playing a vaguely familiar song but being instrumental its hard to pick. Only where the flute comes in do we realize its Hotel California. Surreal. A Vietnamese instrumental rendition of Hotel California in a whiskey bar/night club. We stay to hear what they have in store for the next song. Much to our surprise they have a vocalist and even more surprisingly, she’s not bad. But, as the drinks are crazy expensive we head off. We stumble upon a small basement bar which has a cowboy theme, but its warm, dry, has a pool table and is also deserted.
The following day Daniel and I checkout the Chicken Cathedral, Crazy House and The Royal Palace. The Crazy House is a highlight and generally evokes a love or hate response. Dalat has spectacular mornings but it rains most afternoons. Walking back from the Palace in the rain im not feeling too great so turn in for an early night. At 10pm I wake up to banging that continues for 10 minutes before my phone begins ringing. Its Daniel. He’s come back to find the gate at the front of the hotel locked and no one around. I go down stairs to find a guard who usually sleeps in the lobby, but its empty. Exploring the rooms out the back I see a guy passed out on the bed with the TV blaring. Giving him a poke gets no response so for the next few minutes I escalate my efforts to rouse him which ends up with a smack to the face. The guy is blind drunk and can barely walk. After 10 minutes of fumbling though all the hotel keys, cash and passports he falls asleep slumped over the reception counter. another poke and he stumbles down the corridor and crashes face first onto his bed and passes out. After going through the desk myself and chatting with Daniel through the gate, the owner walks though the rear door with the key and opens the gate. We decide to find a new place the next morning.
Feeling like crap in the middle of a cold, Daniel and I walk around to find a new place to stay. Caught out again with no rain gear it smashes it down and we get stuck in a small local café for a few hours. We end up checking into the hotel next door but one to the one we are already in. Its cheaper, nicer and we get a top floor corner room with great views. There are also a few other travelers staying so we meet some new travelers. While searching for a new hotel I find one with a piano which is a rarity in Vietnam.
Waking at 6am im still not feeling 100%, but with good weather outside and only one more day in Dalat, its time to climb Lang Bien Mountain. At 2169m it’s the largest mountain around and offers spectacular views over Dalat. Arriving at the base we’re met with the typical Vietnamese Disney land. Jeeps to lazy tourists to the lower mountain peak, dodgy souvenirs and a horse painted like a zebra with a Vietnamese rider dressed as a gay cowboy. WTF. Getting an early start we’re the only people at the summit, and after waiting 20mins the clouds clear to give a spectacular panorama. On the climb back down we cut through a small resort where a group of young Vietnamese are roasting a chicken and sinking a few beers. They invite us to join them and share a beer. They all work at V-Club, one of night clubs in town, DJ, door men and dancers, we get a kick out of the male dancer who shows us his moves and another invites us to come and check the place out that evening.
Getting back to town around midday I head over to the place with the piano and make the most of it for an hour or two. It’s unlikely I’ll see one again for a few weeks. I meet up with Daniel back at the hotel and run in to some crew from Saigon - Jen, Conner and co. Daniel and I head out to play some pool at the again deserted cowboy bar. Its not deserted for long as we’re met by a Canadian couple who kick our ass at pool. Before turning in for the night we want to go and see our V-Club crew in action. The club is typical of any back home, but the doof-doof V-pop is turned up to 11 and drinks are similarly ridiculous. We’re disappointed not to see our dancing friend in action. We get back before its too late as we’re riding down to the beach side town of Nah Trang tomorrow.
