Dalat Easy Rider Adventures!

So we were convinced by a man called Nam to go on a motorbike tour with him for the day (he thought we should book in for a week!) around Dalat and the central highlands. We were exceptionally glad that we did as it was such a great day. Nam brought along his touring buddy Hun and Tim rode with Hun and I with Nam. Nam explained that he sued to work for the Easy Rider tour groups, which are people who take you on motorbike tours but that he found that they ripped off tourists and the tour guides equally so branched out on his own, recruiting customers from hotels and the street. This sounds dodgy (maybe it is?) but Hun and Nam were such great guides and really nice guys that we didn't care.

After taking us for breakfast at his mates cafe 'The Peace Cafe", we learnt that Nam (I suppose he would be about 50 or so- Hun was 30) fought on the South side in the Vietnam war. He didn't actually participate in armed combat but flew helicopters to spy on the movements of the Viet Cong. He was adamant that he didn't want Communism then and still does not. I learnt a lot from Nam throughout the day and feel exceptionally lucky to be offered his personal perspective on the war and Vietnam today (although he spoke in hushed tones and cryptic messages for concern that communist Party members should hear him and report his negative ideas). Nam told us that he wanted to be a teacher or a doctor (and as we got to know him over the day his high level of intellect became apparent) but because of the war he said he was about 20 when we joined the army his dream could never come true. In 1975 when the South surrendered to the North all soldiors from the South were taken to the North for one year to live in "re-education camps". Basically these camps indoctrinated them on the merits of communism- Nam didn't go into much more detail so I am not sure how well the pupils were treated during camp time.

So after breakfast we rode to this magnificent Buddhist Temple where Nam explained the various Buddhist ideologies that were reflected in the architecture, the dragon statues etc. Nam was actually Catholic but told us that every night he does more research on various things to tell people on his tours. A very well read man. This temple was extremely colourful and was influenced by the Indian Buddhist principles. The whole front felt like a strange quasi-religious theme park with this massive, rainbow coloured dragon snaking around the whole front area. There were colourful pheonix statues as well. Nam told us that the dragon represents the beginning of the Vietnamese people. A dragon marries a pheonix and has 100 children- then they seperate and the mother takes 50 children into the hills. These children become the current hill tribe people and their last names are taken from their mothers line. The dragon (father) takees the other 50 children into the midlands of Vietnam and these become the current populations of Vietnam and they take their fathers last name.

At the back of this temple was the largest happiest Buddha statue ever. It was white and laughing so hard if he was alive the whole town would rumble. Very beautiful and hilarious at the same time.

Next Nam and Hun drove us out of Dalat and through the mountainous country side, stopping frequently to tell us about the beautiful country side and various farms etc we could see. We stopped at one hillside where they directed us to go for a short hike to the top to check out the view of Dalat in the valley. We wandered up (wuite steep) and indeed the view was spectacular. Tim stopped a lot to take photos of various bugs, fungus and flowers. We were supposed to walk down the other side and meet the guys but got a little confused and wandered down the wrong side- luckily Nam found us!

So off to a coffee farm- where we checked out some plants etc. It was hilarious to see the coffee berries lying in mounds to dry out- complete with pig and chicken sitting amonsgt it. Vietnam is the second highest exporter of coffee next to Brazil. Recently the farmers have been recieving a higher price per kilo for their coffee which has resulted in some new fabulous houses being built around the area that Hun calls the "coffee houses". I have to say watching the farmers and their families slave away proves they deserve more than the 10 000 dong they were getting per kilo before. Always buy free trafe coffee! These people deserve something for their backbreaking work!

Next we rode to this magnificent waterfall called "Elephant Waterfall". Hun took us down a very steep and slippery (it was raining and a little dangerous but very fun) walk to get right down to the bottom of the waterfall, even then walking through a small cavern to go behind the waterfall itself. I was slightly hopeless and ended up getting mud all over me after deliberately sliding down a rock to get to the waterfall. I think the dirtier you get the more fun you end up having in these situations. Needless to say I need new shoes when I get to London as I stepped through mud so sludgy it went nearly to my ankle.

After this Hun and Nam took us to a place to eat lunch where they ordered us traditional Thai Pho- and proudly explained how to eat it. It is basically a noodle soup which is served wqith a range of spices and flavours to add according to your taste- eg: garlic water, chilli, lettuce, lime, mint. It was really delicious. We also hooked into a Saigon beer on Hun's recommendation and it was pretty great too. The whole meal cost 40 000 dong for both tim and I (beer included) which is less than 4 dollars. Unbelievable. I felt like I was robbing them. Here Nam also got us to try a shot of rice wine as we hadn't tried any yet- it tasted similar to vodka but ten times more drinkable. Im sure it gives a nasty hangover though.
But the best part about lunch was that I got Nam talking about Vietnam and I learnt a lot. I asked him about the popularity of Ho Chi Minh in the South- to which he said he could not give a direct answer for fear of who might be listening. Basically the walls have ears in Vietnam and you don't know who is or isn't a loyal Communist Party Member. I think Nam really wanted to communicate his distaste for the regime and we ended up chatting about it for a fair while. He told us that Ho Chi Minh has become a God in Vietnam- which he doesn't agree with because clearly how can any human be a God. He also told us about how the history taught in schools in distorted and every student has to learn the COmmunist Manifesto and study Karl Marx etc. but they don't learn anything about Vietnam before the Revolution. He told us that you cannot ciriticise the government or you will be imprisoned- yet people in the Government can't even operate computers properly. he knows this because his son is in IT and installed computers for the Communist Party in Dalat and yet they ended up not using them and selling them back to him because they couldn't figure them out. these people are not educated and only aquire power thorugh birth and other corrupt means. Vietnam holds elections but the counting of votes isn't made transparent to the people and their is no way to scrutinise the results. Basically the elections are a sham. The same people get into power and won't be removed because to criticise the way they operate would mean imprisonment. These same politicians may hold official positions fpor only 4 years before retiring and living on an infalted pension. The common people of Vietnam do not recieve a pension- when they can't work anymore (and only then) do their chidlren look after them. The homeless and other disadvantaged people recieve no financila assistance from the government. Although Hun said that poor students have free university- but I don't know how poor you need to be and I am supposing that the homeless don't count! It seems very much to be in opposition to the ideologies of Ho Chi Minh we have been reading about on our travels. I do beleive Ho Chi Minh had a great vision for his country but it has been severely distorted and corrupted by greedy and stupid power mongers. Nam also told us that the internet here is censored so it is difficult for people to get real news stories. The only people who can easily travel outside Vietnam are the government officials. He tried to go to America for his nieces wedding (who was going to pay for eveyrthing as the Dong is worthless) bvut America wouldn't let Nam in for fear he would stay. It is the same for many Vietnamese trying to holiday or visit family in america as well as Australia. Very sad. I can't see how the system will change if the people can't get access to the real world to make life comparisions. They are trapped.

After lunch we went to a silk worm factory and a rice wine farm.

Finally we made our way back into Dalat where we went to this place called 'Crazy House"- and it lived up to its nickname and then some. Designed and built by the dauighter of the Secretary of the COmmunist Party and official for Propoganda ( I love it how they openly admit to having an official for propoganda- in a democracy we would call it Public relations!)- the house is built to be like a giant tree. It is massive and each bedroom has a different animal inside it - basically its a kids cubby house dream and Tim and I ahd an excellent time wandering around, climbing up the drum like stairs and crossing the rickety bridges. I can't explain what it was like in words- so if your interested google "crazy house Dalat"- Im sure there will be pictures.

This marked the end of the day and it was sad to say goodbye to Hun and Nam who were so wodnerful. If we had met them at the beginning of our trip we would have definitely signed up for a week long adventure with them- if you go to Vietnam we will give your their email- amazing!