By some apps, we climbed more than 6,000 feet in 44 miles on our way to Da Lat, an area renowned for its temperate climate, great produce, and romantic vibe for Vietnamese tourists. The climbing was only possible as we traded the upper 80s of the lowlands for the 60s of the mountains.
miles of greenhouses, primarily for the commercial flower trade, but also for vegetablesDa Lat, high up in the mountainsThe Crazy House is a fun architectural attraction and a whimsical boutique hotel where the owners also live.I thought this was the best market, by far, in Vietnam.
The next day was 42 miles back down to the coast. An amazing 15 miles of that were downhill through coffee and dragonfruit farms.
This was the second “traffic jam” (or “cow jam?”) of the day. It’s a different kind of rush hour, I suppose.This is a building for luring swiflets to build their nests, the key ingredient in bird’s nest soup. Loudspeakers play a soundtrack of bird sounds to further the attraction. The nests are primarily sold to China, where a bowl of soup can set you back $30-$100. photo by MickiThe quiet coastal town of Phu Thuy was a good stop for the night. Granite is plentiful in south Vietnam, so it is used for public spaces where we would use concrete.
It was 36 miles to finish outside of Saigon on Friday; rolling hills along the coast flattening out at the end with strong headwinds. Throughout the tour we dealt with headwinds in pace lines when possible, drafting off each other to ease the strain. I brought a few of us home, several folks jumping on the Jane Train to finish out the ride.
That’s 400 miles complete, with about 400 more to go across Cambodia to Thailand.
Celebratory bia (beer) at 11am. Congratulations!
Saigon
I had a little more than a day to explore this lovely city, which is not enough. View from my hotel rooftop bar.central post office, constructed 1886-1891view from Independence Palace roofI became fascinated by the restrained, modernist interiors (not so much the exterior) of this (south) Vietnam “White House,” 1955-1975.state dining roomNow THAT is a closet! Note the shoe drawers on the left.Though technically no longer a communist country, there are still a lot of hammer and sickle images everywhere.Bitexco Financial Tower is currently Saigon’s tallest building. I’m quite taken with the 52nd floor’s helipad that juts out to the right. Of course it has a bar! the Heli BarBen Thanh, the central market“Madame, you buy Prada, Michael Kors, Gucci bag, yes? Good price, good price!”
Birds nest soup has to be one of the most bizarre foods I have ever heard of. Who in their right mind ever looked at a nasty birds nest and wondered how it would taste in soup? I like to think I would try almost anything once, but I’m not sure I really want to try bird’s nest soup.
I like that helipad, too. Fascinating the way it sticks out! You look fabulous. Before you were here in DC, out on Wilson in Clarendon, it was Little Vietnam. There was the Queen Bee, Cafe Dalat, and Viet Garden. Viet Garden lasted longest. It’s nice to see the place Dalat was name for. I ate there fairly often. Keep enjoying your adventures!
The Journey in Between 
The Jane Train is my favorite train
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Birds nest soup has to be one of the most bizarre foods I have ever heard of. Who in their right mind ever looked at a nasty birds nest and wondered how it would taste in soup? I like to think I would try almost anything once, but I’m not sure I really want to try bird’s nest soup.
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I like that helipad, too. Fascinating the way it sticks out! You look fabulous. Before you were here in DC, out on Wilson in Clarendon, it was Little Vietnam. There was the Queen Bee, Cafe Dalat, and Viet Garden. Viet Garden lasted longest. It’s nice to see the place Dalat was name for. I ate there fairly often. Keep enjoying your adventures!
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