We went to Yok Don Park in central Vietnam and rode elephants through the jungle. It is just the end of the dry season, so it
is a bit less lush. But the elephants were good fun.
highlands
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We went to Yok Don Park in central Vietnam and rode elephants through the
jungle. It is just the end of the dry season, so it
is a bit less lush. But the elephants were good fun.
The guy riding my elephant had this pink hat and I just kept thinking of Curious
George and the man
with the yellow hat. Almost the same thing, but in this case the Man with
the Pink Polka-Dotted Hat.
Rachel and I took the chance to climb up and ride on the head.
After leaving Yok Don, we rode for a couple of days with the Easy Riders through
the highlands to the city of Dalat.
They were fantastic--excellent English, knowledgeable about the area, and we got
to experience the sounds, smells, and
sights that you miss when you are sitting inside a train or van.
There was a very cool moment where we got to hear Dennis tell stories about his
time in Vietnam during the American War.
The riders had a great time hearing the stories and sharing their own thoughts
and experiences. Watch the video.
We stayed overnight in a longhouse in a Mnong village in central Vietnam.
We got to see the whole process of rice cultivation during different parts of
our trip. Here you see a guy cutting the rice at harvest time.
And I helped.
A family living on the river came up to see us when we paused in our moto-trip
to see the river. The little children came
up to see us and we played with them for a little while. As a rule the
Vietnamese people we met throughout the country
were welcoming, hospitable, and went far beyond the basics of showing us
kindness and welcome.
We stopped along the way to see a waterfall and swim in the "Fairy Pool."
It was one of those moments where we said
"I can't believe we are doing something THIS COOL!" We had a fruit picnic
with fresh mangoes, watermelon, and bananas.
We spent a night in Dalat and Dennis had the chance to see the Palace Hotel that
he had visited 39 years ago during the war.