Central Highlands Road Trip, Part V

It's our last day road trippin' and our flight back to Saigon doesn't depart until 4pm this afternoon.  Les is kind enough to hire a guide from "Easy Riders-Dalat" who will escort us around the greater Dalat Metropolitan area for a couple of hours while he attends to some business. 

With the guide, we decide to head south out of Dalat to an agricultural valley with a few interesting places to see.


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It was another spectacular day as we headed out of town.  Overcast and cool and perfect.

Dalat is the growing capital of Vietnam.  There are greenhouses everywhere, growing all sorts of agricultural produce and especially flowers.

Driving down into the valley, there were coffee plantations up and down the hillsides.  The crop is another 2-3 months from being ripe, but the plants were loaded with tons of green coffee beans.  Trivia fact: Vietnam is the world's second largest coffee producer after Brazil (and before Colombia; Juan Valdez, chop, chop!).

Fresh fish being sold next to the river we crossed on the bridge above

Coffee beans drying in the sun

Jerry standing next to an old coffee grinder

We next stopped at a silk making factory which was pretty fascinating.  Our guide attempted to walk us through the process, but it was so loud, I couldn't hear much, so you'll have to make up your own story.  Note the amazing, old equipment which dates back to the 1920s.

Silk worm cocoons

I thought this was especially fascinating: the "punchcards" above wound through the
weaving machine to produce the pattern on the silk being woven.

Next up: a quick trip to Elephant Falls.

And lots of schools kids on their way to (or from) school:

And a stop at a rice wine distillery.  Something about rice, yeast, fermentation, big vats and a goat.  Ok, maybe not the goat. 

After returning to Dalat, we made one last stop at the "Crazy House", built by the daughter of Vietnam's second President.  She studied architecture in Moscow apparently, but she looked more like a student of Gaudi (for those of you who've visited Barcelona).  I'm thinking heavy drugs were involved.

It was a strange, fascinating house with corner nooks, bizarre staircases, hidden bridges and odd-shaped rooms.  Unfortunately the pictures here don't do it justice.

After a fantastic three days through an especially scenic part of Vietnam, it was back to the airport for our trip home.

Half of Air Mekong's fleet on the ground at Dalat Airport.

As for now, I'm on my way to Noi Bai Airport to pick up my nephew for his week long stay here in Hanoi.  I'm really looking forward to sharing with him all the great things I've discovered here in Vietnam and will hopefully have lots to post while he's here.