From Ho Chi Minh we headed to the central highlands to a town called Dalat. Offering some ‘easy rider’ tours through the sunning and spectacular scenery of the central highlands and supplying us with a cooler climate to that of the rest of Vietnam, this was a welcome stop. But that was not all…this beautiful town delivered scrumptious food and super cheap beer. Our journey here took us through spectacular scenery as we climbed the windy mountain roads. It seemed that at every turn there was the perfect opportunity for a photograph.
Reaching Dalat, which is positioned high up into the hills, we were suddenly at a home from home, the temperature had dropped 10C and farms surrounded us.
Dalat is a picturesque French colonial town and this was clearly evident from the beautiful architecture. On arrival ‘Easyriders’ soon surrounded us (locals offering motorbike tours through the highlands). We arranged a two-day tour to take us from Dalat to Lake Lak through the stunning highlands where we would be staying the night in a homestay in a remote village amongst a minority people who speak a different language to the Vietnamese and have a much more simpler way of life. The ‘Easyriders’ were our guides and showed us a whole array of beautiful sites; coffee plantations, waterfalls, jungles, a silk factory, a noodle factory as well as introduce us to the minority villages explaining their culture and lifestyle to us.
 |
| Our 'Easyriders' |
 |
| Let the adventure begin..... |
 |
| An beautiful organic farm flourishing in Dalat's unique climate. |
 |
| On to a flower farm... |
 |
| Next stop the famous coffee plantations. |
 |
| The world's second biggest exporter of coffee |
 |
| Robusta Coffee |
 |
| On the road again.. |
 |
| Next stop the weasel factory.. |
|
| Weasel poo coffee- can be sold for up to $50 a cup in certain parts of the world. |
 |
|
Beautifully illustrated by Daniel. The weasel's are fed the coffee beans and after passing through them, something biologically magical happens and they all of a sudden considered a delicacy. The weasel digests the soft outer part of the coffee cherry, but does not digest the inner bean and excretes them. Apparently the internal digestion adds a unique flavour to the beans, removing the bitter notes. |
 |
| Brewing the deadly rice wine drunk in very large quanties by local villagers. |
 |
| A rice noodle factory |
 |
| A sheet of blended water and ground rice passes through a steamer |
 |
| The sheet is cut into noodles. |
 |
| On the road again.. |
 |
| A quick waterfall stop |
 |
| Lunchtime roadside stop |
After an amazing morning seeing the sights in and around Dalat, it was time for lunch. What was waiting for us was a true delight! Known as country pancakes locally, this tasty dish was a delicious mix of pork and shrimp served with mint and coriander and topped with a chilli dip. The great thing was that there was an unlimited supply of these pancakes so to say we took full advantage is an understatement.
 |
| Country pancakes dipped in sauce made from a blend of fish sauce and garlic. |
 |
| Shrimp and pork pancakes, served with mint and coriander and wrapped in rice paper. |
 |
| An endless supply of pancakes. |
 |
| Seasoned with chilli. |
 |
| Back on the road munching on a cinnamon leaf. |
 |
| Stopping off at a minority village. |
 |
| In the kitchen making dinner. |
 |
| A floating village |
 |
| Fishing for dinner |
 |
| Water buffalos bathing |
 |
| The rice fields of Lake Lak |
 |
| An early morning elephant ride to see the villagers. |
 |
| Exploring on elephant. |
 |
| Working in the rice fields. |
 |
| Rice |
 |
| A morning fish. |
 |
| Pepper growing at the side of the road. |
 |
| Peanuts drying |
 |
| A mushroom farm. |
 |
| Dried mushrooms for sale. |
 |
| The end of an incredible adventure discovering the best of the food in the Central Highlands. |
So after 2 days and 1 night exploring the picturesque highlands of Dalat, our journey came to an end. We indulged in some lovely food, saw so many interesting sites and learnt so much about the food production and the local villages that it was hard to accept the tour had finished. Our 2 guides were also 2 of the nicest people one could hope to have met so we bought them a beer, reminisced about the last couple of days and then said our goodbyes. This is definitely something we'll never forget.
