30 June 2016

Since we had spent the night in a Nha Nghi, it was the usual early start with an 8 a.m. check out time. After carrying out bags down from the top floor to start loading up, I head over to pay. I hand over the 200,000 VND which I thought was the price for the night, only to find out that the room was actually only 120,000. The cheapest room of the trip to date, but certainly the worst equipped and a definite need to make use of our silk sleeping bag liner and t shirts for pillow cases!

We take the time to grab a delicious Pho Bo at a roadside cafe in the next village up the road. The heavy rain had caused the ground to become waterlogged, so parking up the bikes outside was a touch tricky to stop the stands sinking in to the mud, and then a walk across some rickety planks to get in to the eating place.

After breakfasts it was just a short dash in to Buôn Ma Thuột. We were blown away by how big the town was. Signs of the coffee industry are everywhere and you can’t ride more than 10 metres without passing a coffee shop or cafe, afterall Buôn Ma Thuột is the Vietnamese home of coffee. We check out a few hotels online and decide on the Coffee Tour Resort based on reviews and price. When we ride up outside we are happy with the choice. A nice quiet hotel just off the main road set in scenic gardens. As we’re checking in we become surprised to hear that it’s more expensive to check in at the reception than to book through booking.com so we book on the website whilst stood at reception to save a bit more money. We then unpack the bikes and take our bags to our lovely room before deciding how to spend the rest of the day since it’s only 12:30.

We decide to take a ride to check out some of the infamous local waterfalls and to get lunch on the way. We are looking for and hoping to find a nice banh mi stall, and pull over to one only to find the owner is asleep. We head a bit further down the road and stop at the next one. We assume it to be banh mi, but after taking a seat we realise it’s something different. The woman serves us a thick curry broth with fresh French style bread rolls. It’s absolutely delicious. A great find.

Heading out of town towards the waterfalls (Thác Đray Nur) we took the AH17 and then turned left on to the TL682. Whilst this was a beautiful road with some very scenic local villages and amazing views from up near the dam and reservoir, it is also the wrong way! The bridge at the reservoir is closed off and in disrepair making that route impassable. This all meant we had to find another route. We first took a quick ride to the top of the hill above the reservoirs dam to take in the views, and also saw a few chipmunks running around near the road.

The correct way to get to the waterfalls is to head down the AH17 and turn left on to the DT684, which we made our way through to via some interesting a fun back roads, but watch for the gravel and potholes.
As we turn in to the waterfall area, it’s clear that it is quite a touristy set up, with paid parking, a small zoo and some fairground style rides, as well as very loud music coming from the restaurant attached. That said, we arrived in late afternoon as coaches were leaving, and other than one or two other people we had the place to ourselves. The waterfalls themselves are stunning and very peaceful.

After spending an hour or so at the falls we start off back to Buôn Ma Thuột to try and make it home before the dark and/or rain sets in. Just outside the waterfall park gates a snake slithers across in front of us on the road. The shape resembled a cobra, but unfortunately couldn’t get there quickly enough to get a photo to confirm it.

After a quick wash up at the hotel, we load up on one bike to head down to a local pizza place (King Pizza) that gets amazing reviews from TripAdvisor.com. Run by an Italian who lives in the town, we can confirm the pizzas truly are excellent and very well priced. A delicious feed before heading back to the hotel for the night.

Full days routes here:

Chợ Phú Nhơn to Buôn Ma Thuột:

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1236132317

Thác Đray Nur Waterfall ride:

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1236133067