Vietnam - ACE MTSG Bike Club - Dalat tour for a weekend

Discussion in 'Trips & Events' started by VietHorse, Dec 20, 2011.

  1. VietHorse

    VietHorse New Member

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    Location:
    Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, Vietnam
    Close to X'mas, ACE MTSG - a big bike rider group in Hochiminh City - set up a short trip during weekend.
    Trip destination is Dalat (Đà Lạt) - a beautiful highland City in southern part of Vietnam.

    We divided in two group, first one departed from Friday PM, the second one, just me and a friend departed Saturday early AM as we still had to work on Friday.

    This thread reports from my departure.

    And here is the tracklog for the trip:
    [​IMG]
     
  2. VietHorse

    VietHorse New Member

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    Location:
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    Departed from home about 4 o'clock plus, the City seemed still asleep, yeah, no wonder, that 's Saturday AM.
    Heading to Dalat with thinking of all the twisty passes ahead, Bao loc and Prenn passes.
    Weather is too nice for a morning ride. It's quite cool, abt 18 degree C.

    Stopped beside a artificial lake - it was a valley, then a dam has been built and the valley become a lake, utilized for a hydro-power plant.

    The Sun was rising, but still yet to appear on the sky:
    [​IMG]

    My bike:
    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    My friend's:
    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    Took a last shot before getting back on my ride - The Sun still yet to come:
    [​IMG]

    This time, we did not see any fog along the way, different from the last time, even though it's colder.

    Stopped by beside La Ngà bridge:
    [​IMG]

    So peaceful river:
    [​IMG]

    People make the cages and tents on the water to raise fish
    [​IMG]

    Rode on for about 60km more, we stopped for breakfast.

    My friend's Hornet 919 - I had own two of Hornet 919 previously. That bike damn strong with high torque and stable performance.
    [​IMG]

    Crazy heavy VFR made me do a reversed parking to avoid rolling the bike after a full breakfast:
    [​IMG]

    (... to be continued...)
     
  3. VietHorse

    VietHorse New Member

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    Location:
    Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, Vietnam
    Reached Bao Loc pass. Photos again:
    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    Then keep riding toward the cool highland:
    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    Here's how I can have the riding photos:

    [​IMG]

    Green along the road:
    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    Do you know what 's on the ground?
    [​IMG]

    The things in brown on the canvas - anyone knows?
    [​IMG]

    (to be continued...)
     
  4. 34468 Randy

    34468 Randy Secret Insider

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    Well. You are in Vietnam so it is not likely to be BC Bud. A friend of mine was over your way a couple years ago for about 1 1/2 months and raved about his trip. Wished some day I could make it over there but I don't think my wife is too interested. And my up coming solo retirement tour to the Pacific South West in US is not going over that well with her either. I will buy her a brand spanking new vacuum cleaner when I get home. She will love me I am so romantic.\

    Great pix.
     
  5. stewartj239

    stewartj239 Member

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    Awesome. Keep the updates coming.
     
  6. VietHorse

    VietHorse New Member

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    Location:
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    Stopped for fuel:
    [​IMG]
    Just a little chicken strips as I have passed the Bao Loc pass with about 10km twisty road.

    [​IMG]

    Took a clearer photos for the thing I asked: [​IMG]

    Most of the houses beside the road having such thing spreaded for drying: [​IMG]

    That's coffee, guys. Vietnam is famous with Coffee, just Vietnamese coffee style - stronger than any coffee from Starbuck, Highland, etc...
    [​IMG]
    (Coffee with hot water in filter)

    Here 's how we make a cup of Vietnam coffee everymorning:
    [video=youtube;zu0P61U36ac]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=zu0P61U36ac[/video]

    Kept riding:
    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    Kept shotting:
    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    My friend might say chees:
    [​IMG]

    Clear road:
    [​IMG]

    Unclear road:
    [​IMG]

    Gotta stop for a while as they are prioritized: [​IMG]
    (to be con tinued...)
     
  7. FoothillRyder

    FoothillRyder New Member

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    Great stuff lad, keep it coming!
     
  8. VietHorse

    VietHorse New Member

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    Thank you. But what u meant "lad"??

    -------------------------

    Let me move on...

    ----
    Almost 10:30AM, we reached Dalat, called our friends who have been there for the meeting place.
    They all were ready and awaiting for us before going to a friend's house.
    Met and waited infornt of a Tourist place, called Golden Valley:
    [​IMG]

    This place is very nice, peace full and very cheap for any kind of services, from accommodation, food, etc...
    [​IMG]

    Here is where the Forestry station:
    [​IMG]

    What 's hell this guy doing?
    [​IMG]

    And here, this guy must be taking care of trees:
    [​IMG]

    We took aout 15mins at this place to get all of our lunch to be arranged. We would be heading to my friend's house, it 's about 15km deep inside the forest with very limited of service if not saying no services.

    Got on bike, we took abt 10km twisty roads, then about 5km offroad - damn really offroad. Will have a video for this later on. After this, found that VFR can do offroad also! Dude!

    All team stopped beside the stream. This season, there is not much water. But during raining season, this gonna be a flooding source. There were at least 02 offroad cars has been drifted with the stream.
    [​IMG]

    Our bikes were not advised to pass the wooden bridge:
    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    My bike with the stream:
    [​IMG]

    I passed the bridge, then looked back:
    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    (to be continued...)
     
  9. squirrelman

    squirrelman Member

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    Really great international thread, an ethnographic travelogue. !! Please keep it coming, and watch out for wandering water buffalo and UXB as you ride. Gotta ask, any squirrels there ????
     
    Last edited: Dec 21, 2011
  10. fredsncoma

    fredsncoma New Member

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    Great pics. Sounds like an awesome trip. Keep them coming.
     
  11. crustyrider

    crustyrider New Member

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    Lad it is not a bad thing ........ just another word for a male person.... that's all.... nice pictures.. and a nice variety of Motorcycles..... I have had Vietnamese coffee... good for a real wake up that's for sure...wish I could find some here in northern NY.... hpe the ride is uneventful...
     
  12. FoothillRyder

    FoothillRyder New Member

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    Similar to 'buddy', or 'pal' really, maybe even 'friend' in some ways. Definitely a term of common appreciation VH.

    Carry on... :cool:
     
  13. VietHorse

    VietHorse New Member

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    Hahah... As per the local pepole, there are many kinds of animals. Squirrels are not exception :cool:.
    Thanks.
    Thanks for clarification. I was thinking of a short-term of Lady! Dude. :wink:
     
  14. 34468 Randy

    34468 Randy Secret Insider

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    A lady is called a lassie. Ever hear of the lads and lassies fo Scotland. They both wear skirts.. The lads have hairy legs. Some of the lassies do too. Great thread Bud (another friendly term, short for buddy). I love that burgandy colour of your bike. So what is that stuff laid out on the canvass?
     
  15. VietHorse

    VietHorse New Member

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    Thanks Bud.
    Things on the canvas is coffee. People took from coffee trees and dry them naturally like that.
     
  16. VietHorse

    VietHorse New Member

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    Location:
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    Okay, now we done all the difficult parking, moving into my friend's house area - need to pass 02 streams thru wooden bridges:
    [​IMG]

    Where we take a rest:
    [​IMG]

    This area very peaceful, silent, cool and so beautiful. To have this, the owner has spent a lot of money, time, his head and mind. To get here, he did build a temporary road/trail abt 4.5km long. The main road is @ Elev:+1500m and the house area is @ Elev: +1350m. It takes him almost 7 years to get the thing like now:
    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    A building in progress:
    [​IMG]

    Our stuff:
    [​IMG]

    Chit chat:
    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    This is firs house of the owner here. Now he is modifying the basement to make an entertainment room:
    [​IMG]

    We visit the hydropower machine:
    [​IMG]

    It's s hydropower generator - take water from the hill, this could provide almost of the living power users here:
    [​IMG]

    Passed the noon time, looked at this, feel hungry and wanted a bite of BBQ:
    [​IMG]

    Waited to long for the food to come, we gotta satisfy with the instant noodle... hic hic...:
    [​IMG]

    A handy job:
    [​IMG]

    Yamy...
    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    (to be continued...)
     
  17. FoothillRyder

    FoothillRyder New Member

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    Beautiful spot where you stopped to rest!
     
  18. VietHorse

    VietHorse New Member

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    Location:
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    Some more nice spots at the place:
    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    Endless chatting:
    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    Construction is still going on....
    [​IMG]

    What a smell... :cool::
    [​IMG]

    (to be continued...)
     
  19. squirrelman

    squirrelman Member

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    Then nature has BLESSED your country, or any country with squirrels, whether ground or tree. dwelling.

    Pay attention to squirrels not as gun targets, not as pests, but as GODs of a different universe in YOUR backyard or nearby if YOU are so blessed by divinity.

    Remember that in the yellow pages, pet comes just after pest, and that is good international politics too considering previous misguided US foreign policy. The people of the USA owe damage reparations to Vietnam for the civilian deaths, destruction of property, suffering caused by loss of relatives, poisioning the land, leaving mines behind. So many years later people are still being killed by unexploded US munitions.

    It's well known here that many of our USA hill tribe pickup truck- drivin southern remote area ethnic groups prefer their squirrels either deep-fryed or stewed, but up in northern latitudes, where slightly more semi- civilized people, dwelling in sturdy huts, who would never use their guns except for self-protection, prefer to see them enjoying life in parks and urban backyards, scurrying merrily about on their simple daily tasks like they did in childrens' books.
    .
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    Edit 4 days later: Kin anyone tell i wuz a' drinkin'?? I wuz ! It's too easy to veer off topic when you are.
     

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    Last edited: Dec 27, 2011
  20. VietHorse

    VietHorse New Member

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    Thanks squirrelman.
    Sorry guys for getting you guys waiting so long. Let me continue the trip report:
    ==============================


    Lastly, the food came.
    [​IMG]

    We have "cơm lam" - the traditional rice with the cooking style of the remote area people:
    [​IMG]

    For the normal rice, they cook by boiling in a cooker. But for "cơm lam" (~ green rice), they use a segment of bamboo tree instead of the cooker. Rice, with special leaf (to add the flavor) with water put inside the bamboo segment, cover it by another leaf, then provide heat from burning wood. When eating, just pull the leaf then the cooked rice will come out:
    [​IMG]

    Really great:
    [​IMG]

    Some mountain chicken as well:
    [​IMG]

    We have sang so many songs...
    [​IMG]

    This friend came back from Westminster, CA, really enjoy with us there:
    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    The guy was great with romantic guitare:
    [​IMG]

    In the jungle with love :clap:
    [​IMG]

    (to be continued...)
     
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