Wednesday - the first full day of riding, from Dalat to the Po Klong Garai Cham Towers, near the coastal town of Phan Rang. While the itinerary said the ride would be predominantly downhill, we began with a 40 km climb, before we descended nearly 1,500 metres through pine forests and paddy fields over another 45km. The total ride was about 110km, but Tony and I got to the 85 km mark before the bus "swept" us up. We all met and walked up to inspect this memorial (just what you need after an 85km ride!). Tony and I were pleased with our effort as it was the furthest we have ridden by about 20km and we had so much up hill riding to do.
The four brick towers that constitute the Po Klong Garai Cham Towers are among some of the best-preserved in Vietnam; they were built in the 13th century, during the reign of the Cham monarch Jaya Simhavarman III, as Shiva (Hindu) temples. After visiting the temples we drove to Nha Trang (120km). Nha Trang beach is idyllic, with swaying palms, golden sands and the beautiful deep blue water of the South China Sea (although we didn't get to see much, arriving after dark).
The pictures show Tony and I at the top of one of the hills we climbed and then later at the local butcher shop in one of the villages we passed through. The last picture shows Don working in the rice field with some of the locals (he's the one wearing the cycling knicks).
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