Easy Riding Around Crazy Da Lat

When: 4 July 2018 - 7 July 2018

Where: Da Lat, Vietnam 

This post covers Da Lat briefly but is mainly about the company Easy Riders Vietnam and our unique tour around the real Vietnam. All the essential information you need to know for booking your own tour is all listed at the end.

DA LAT

Our next pinpoint on the Vietnam map was Da Lat. We booked a sleeper bus with FUTA bus lines (they have an office in the HCM centre and are amazingly cheap) and expected an eight hour drive but arrived after six. Just be mindful that buses NEVER arrive on time but seem to get you there on time or early and for the whole journey you will have no idea what is going on: that’s Vietnam. 

Da Lat was originally made to be a French resort town and you can still see those details in the architecture. Now it is still used as a resort town but mainly for Vietnamese people. We rarely saw many other travellers; only at the touristy attractions and we got a lot of stares from the locals when walking around in the day. 

We visited their day markets and purchased a cup full of strawberries (I’m sorry NHS advice sheet) and then sat by the lake and watched the world go by. 

Although a huge tourist attraction, the Crazy House definitely has to go on your list of things to do, or even a place to stay if your budget allows. Designed by an unconventional architect, Đặng Việt Nga, she still lives there and is always expanding the Crazy House. Her inspiration comes from nature and you can see that throughout the different rooms that all have their owns themes. It’s got a lot of twists, turns and narrow staircases that call for more support than a pair of flip flops but it’s just fun, fascinating and a totally new look on what buildings could be like. 

Luckily one of my friends from school, Katie, who had been travelling the year or so before had sent us a bar recommendation which I would definitely recommend doing after your explorations of the Crazy House. 

It’s called Maze Bar/100 roofs and is similar to Crazy House in that you will have never experienced anything quite like it and it has different themed sections. Buy your drink at the start as your kind of admission fee and then start downstairs in the underwater world. This is like Jungle Run for adults. There’s hidden passages, holes in the walls and staircases all over and I have no idea how many floors it actually covers. Just go and be prepared to down your drinks and revert to being a big kid on a jungle exploration. My dream is to play a huge drunken game of Hide and Seek in their for hours. 

That night we enjoyed dinner at Artists Alley Restaurant which was a nice quiet place in a town that felt constantly busy. We didn’t drink that much as we had an early alarm call the next morning for our trip with the Easy Riders which this post will mainly focus on. 

EASY RIDERS VIETNAM

We first met the Easy Riders as soon as we departed the FUTA bus. Waiting for tourists they had little pieces of paper with their information handwritten on. At first we were very apprehensive. As a traveller you will constantly be approached and quite often it can end up in a scam. We have read so many of those stories so we were always so cautious and careful. We took the paper mainly to be polite and carried on. When we arrived at TaSme Hotel (definitely a hostel, not hotel) we googled the Easy Riders and found so many positive TripAdvisor reviews so we decided to go for it. A few texts later and we were booked in for 8:30am the next day. 

My (pronounced Me) and Tunn met us at our hotel and first off had a chat with us about where we would be going that day and other bits but mostly to talk about their longer trips. The Easy Riders do many different trips all around the Central Highlands of Vietnam to give you a taste of Vietnam that most travellers miss when usually travelling along the coast. This was probably the only downside to our day. We had already booked our next hostel which was non-refundable and we were travellers - we didn’t have that kind of budget! For four days or so it was about $300-$400 which covered overnight stays but you still needed to pay for other things during the trip. That was completely out of our budget and although we explained this and the fact our next room was booked they continued to try and sell us a bigger trip for about an hour. 

Then the fun began! It was a particularly grey and rainy morning but My and Tunn provided us with full waterproof outerwear and helmets. And their bikes were great. They were not your classic Vietnamese mopeds. They are bad boys with some serious power (please note I do not know anything about bikes but they were big and powerful and James liked them). Once we were kitted out we were off. 

First of all we drove right out into more rural areas and stopped to look at a lake and My offered to take pictures of us (and continued to all day). We rode around big beautiful swooping roads with the sun making a pop up appearance and for the first time I saw how beautiful Vietnam could be. Rural and urban Vietnam are two different worlds. Then we carried on and stopped right on a main road to watch the local women do some rice farming. Tunn explained the process and how rice is so essential. The lovely women waved to us and we learnt that the several rice fields all there were just to feed the locals and not sold on which was amazing as back home everything is for sale for someone else. 

Next up was a mushroom farm (see what I mean by they take you to places you would never usually go?!) which My showed us around and taught us about. Those mushrooms were named after ears because - guess what - they look like ears! The whole day is based around driving around a little bit and then small but often stops to different little areas. This saves your bum from bike ache and keeps you always on your toes as you have no idea what’s coming up next. 

Next on our agenda was Pongour Waterfall. My and Tunn drove us in and explained a little about the falls. Fun fact: the last King of Vietnam stated that Pongour Waterfall was the most beautiful waterfall in the whole of Vietnam. If it’s good enough for royalty then it’s definitely good enough for me. My and Tunn then wait at the top and let you explore yourself which we thought was a great touch as you are with them all day so it’s nice to be able to still have time to explore on your own. Plus there are no time limits or pressure to hurry. They are there to make sure you have a great day and it’s your day. 

We ventured down the many stairs and found the waterfall which was huge, sweeping and layered. Many travel sites will tell you that you can swim in the different pools but you can’t. These are closed off for safety reasons but there is a very small part at the bottom where local children splash around if you’re that desperate to dip your toes in. The sun was shining down on us again so it was truly beautiful. We read that it could get touristy around here but there were hardly any tourists but rather loads of locals, young and old, all just hanging out, manning food stalls or playing about on the rocks. All in all if made for a beautiful stop. 

Our next stop was a little unexpected as we stopped roadside and headed towards the barking guard dogs and to a locals house. Unbelievably this is where silk farming begins. The family home has several boards outside with little holes which is where the caterpillar begins its journey and cocoons itself in the silk threads. The family grows them all year round and then sells them on to the silk factories. We even popped our head in to the house to see them taking the cocoons out and there were two gorgeous little girls enjoying their lunch. 

Then it was time for lunch! We parked up outside a very basic looking building and My ordered us Cơm Gà: Vietnamese Chicken Rice. If you don’t know what to eat in Vietnam then always go for this. Each local or restaurant cooks it slightly different but it is usually cooked chicken and fried rice and it’s super simple and delicious. Honestly, the westerners in us judges these rural places and questions what is going to end up on our plate but lunch was so cheap and so good. If you travel Vietnam find the quiet places that you would never usually consider and then  dive in. 

Then right round the corner was Elephant Falls. Again My and Tunn waited at the top and let us adventure on our own. It’s definitely and bit a scramble to get down which random pieces of metal questionable places for you to balance on. Let’s just say if the UK Health and Safety system visited here they would probably die in shock. We only went down to the first part because it gets very wet and James was getting a little concerned about getting me back up (if I even got down in the first place). 

Elephant falls was probably a little less amazing due to visiting Pongour Waterfalls earlier but I imagine if you went all the way to the bottom it would be much more awe-worthy. The highlight however was as we went to leave Elephant Falls. A Vietnamese family stopped us and gestured the camera and asked “photo?”. As some of them were stood on a boulder already we figured they wanted us to take a family photo for them... no, no, no. They wanted family photos with us! So we clambered up the boulder and posed as each of them took it in turns to swap one in and out and take photos. Is this what it feels like to be Chrissy Teigan? 

Back on the bikes and soon after we popped in the silk factory to see what happens after the families send the cocoons. You can see all around the factory and there is a shop where you buy little keepsakes, cloth or even clothes. On the way out Tunn presented us with a little snack... the left over silk worms. Surprisingly very meaty but I can’t imagine I’ll be snacking on them on my next film night. James’s definitely won’t. 

The rest of afternoon was mostly spent drinking peculiar drinks. First up was rice wine which burns your insides. My encouraged to try shots after teaching us how to cheers in Vietnamese... Một hai ba dzô! Meaning one, two, three, cheers! Shout it before every drink and then knock it back. 

The next stop was a coffee stop but don’t get any ideas about a tall skinny caramel soy latte with an extra shot. No no, this is weasel coffee. The coffee trees are planted all around and they harvest the beans and then feed them to the weasels. Weasels apparently are coffee snobs and only eat the good beans so the ones they...poop out...are the best...again, apparently. There is a big shop with lots of different trinkets and a lovely view over the coffee farm where you can try the coffee. There are lots of flavours and you don’t have to have weasel coffee but of course we did. It drips through so you get this amazingly clean, smooth but bold taste. There is definitely something amazing about drinking coffee whilst looking out over where it was grown. 

Once we joined My and Tunn ready to get back on the road, Tunn tried to sell us on a bigger trip again. Honestly it is such a great day out but Vietnam Easy Riders are persistent sales people as well. Literally the only downside which shouldn’t put you off but it can get tiring explaining your financial situation doesn’t stretch to that. Get these guys in the shops at home; you wouldn’t leave anywhere without buying something! 

The last stop was a rose farm which was lovely but the heavens had opened and monsoon season was well and truly pouring down upon us. At the end of the day they take you straight back home and then you pay at the end. It was honestly a great, non-stop day out and we experienced so much that we otherwise wouldn’t have. I would definitely go on another tour with them again if I return to Vietnam. 

How much? (US)$34 per person for a one day tour of Da Lat. Different prices for different tours but all in US dollar. 

How long? 8:30am - 5:30pm

Who? Easy Rider Vietnam: fantastic Vietnamese men who in 1990 had no postwar jobs and began taking tourists on unique and fulfilling experiences. 

What? One day to one month tours travelling the non touristy spots of Vietnam. Offering new and unheard of experiences that you will not forget. As Tunn called the “Real Vietnam”!

Where? 67 Truong Cong Dinh Street, Da Lat 670000, Vietnam. 

I hope you found this post interesting but also useful if you’re looking for something different to do when, or if, visiting Vietnam. If you have any questions about this, any other parts of our trip, food or anything else then please feel free to leave a comment - I would love it! 

Love, Rachael x