After breakfast we drove 250km out of Ho Chi Minh City to the mountain town of Dalat in the Central Highlands. Dalat is a pleasant hill station, formerly known as Le Petit Paris, and has been described as the most beautiful town in Vietnam. Dalat was favoured by the French for its climate, and is now a popular honeymoon resort for the Vietnamese.
When we arrived, before we checked into the hotel where we stayed overnight (in the Novotel Dalat), we went for a 32km ride looping around Dalat in the rain. It was bitterly cold (being 1,500 metres above sea level) but it was great to get on the bikes and shake out the cobwebs (as well as getting some hill climbing practice in).
Showered and refreshed, we headed off to dinner at the restaurant across the road and then into the market area of Dalat for a wander through the stalls (not very helpful for "larger" chaps like myself, but interesting nonetheless). Part of the walk back to the hotel was retracing steps we had taken by bike earlier in the day and when we arrived back at the hotel it was off to bed to get ready for the big day the next day.
When we arrived, before we checked into the hotel where we stayed overnight (in the Novotel Dalat), we went for a 32km ride looping around Dalat in the rain. It was bitterly cold (being 1,500 metres above sea level) but it was great to get on the bikes and shake out the cobwebs (as well as getting some hill climbing practice in).
Showered and refreshed, we headed off to dinner at the restaurant across the road and then into the market area of Dalat for a wander through the stalls (not very helpful for "larger" chaps like myself, but interesting nonetheless). Part of the walk back to the hotel was retracing steps we had taken by bike earlier in the day and when we arrived back at the hotel it was off to bed to get ready for the big day the next day.
In the photo above you see the "3 Amigos", Tony, Hugh Perrottet and myself (someone, I think it was Tony, unkindly suggested the "3 Stooges") are ready to ride. We're all wearing our Parramatta Eels shirts, kindly donated by Parramatta Leagues.
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