Another magical ride through the perilous mountains of Vietnam…

Leaving Da Lat, a town that is situated in the mountains, I realized the knock-off NorthFace jacket I bought in Hoi An for $25 was one of the best purchases I’ve made so far on this trip.  (Renting this bike is pretty damn high up that list too…)  It was a brisk 66 degrees this morning, and at 30-40 mph the wind in your face makes it feel much colder.  Whereas the trip to Da Lat consisted primarily of driving up the mountain, today’s ride was mostly a down hill event.  Down hill, and lots of turns.  Naturally all of this is on a road that isn’t wide enough for two cars, let alone the random truck that will appear out of nowhere as you’re banking around a turn.  While at no point did I think that the ride was unsafe, there certainly were some points where I was glad that people honked their horns as they came around the corner.

You can the route on the map below.  I have no idea how many turns there are – left, right, “U”, and some mirroring a pretzel – but I can assure you it was a blast to lean into the bike as I coasted down the road.