And Then I Came Screaming Down This Mountain
Trip Start
Feb 18, 2009
1
25
42
Trip End
Aug 10, 2009
Dalat, Vietnam
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
We drove in the van for about an hour and the area outside of Dalat is really lovely... the evergreen forests in the highlands seem so out of place for your typical image of Vietnam. Once on the bikes, the first 7 or 8 km were mostly uphill... what a way to warm up!! The views from the top were spectacular but we had to push hard to keep going. After the initial uphill the road was up and down for a while... the downhill sections were a welcome break from the uphills!
When we started the downhill portion I had to try really hard not to use my brakes... not that the brakes worked well anyway (don't even get me started on the condition of the bikes)!! But I do not have 'the need for speed' like some people so I tend to be very cautious. Plus the road had about a million sharp corners around the mountains... and did I mention the steep drop-off??!! When I did manage to let the bike go I loved roaring down the mountain at break-neck speeds! What a rush! We stopped for lunch once we reached flat land and had a nice picnic... ON the road! Ok, maybe not the best place but we survived and lunch was delicious! The last 15 km was flat and took us through very poor minority villages. It was unbearably hot the closer we got to Mui Ne and we were relieved to get into the air conditioned vehicle for the last few km's. It was a fantastic day and you can't beat being on a bicycle to get the true feeling of a place. And I could not have asked for a nicer cycling partner than Stephanie.
Comments
Hey sis
What a marvellous adventure. I am so happy for you. And looking forward to the stories and images. This day was my birthday and Alix and I missed you that day.
Ken