Da Lat

Molly and I went to Central Vietnam and really enjoyed our time there. It was about an 8 hour bus trip north into the mountains. On our way, a bus side-swiped our bus and we swerved off the road. Everyone was talking loudly and looking out the window; of course, Molly and I had no idea what was going on. So, we got off the bus and looked at the damage. Nothing major just a broken mirror and some scuff marks; however, we were stuck on the side of a mountainous rode for about an hour with random cows running around everywhere!!
The city of Da Lat was beautiful and the weather reminded me of Michigan Falls (which I am really missing)! It is located high in the mountains and is surrounded by many beautiful flowers and waterfalls. The first guesthouse we went to had a room for $10 and internet, so we decided to stay. It was a great choice, because the woman owner was very helpful and the breakfast was amazing!! I got to try every kind-of fruit that Vietnam had to offer, and as most of you know, I LOVE fruit!
On our first day we decided to ride motorcycles with men called "Easy-Riders." They are a group of men that drive tourist around a teach them about the area and Vietnam. To become an "Easy-Rider" they have to take classes in English or French and also have to pass a test in tourism. We only went on a one-day adventure with them, but they offered anywhere from a two-day to a 16-day adventure all around Vietnam!! They took us to waterfalls, silk factories, pogodas and even let us hike up a mountain. My "Easy-Rider" taught me a lot about Vietnam history, the health care system, and the politics in the country today. Even though there have been a lot of rough patches in Vietnam's history, he was extremely proud of his country and all the changes it has made in such a short period of time. I thought about how much my mother would have enjoyed having her own personally tour-guide for the day. She would have asked every question in the book!!
That night we decided to delay our bus trip back to Saigon and book a canyoning trip. We were so glad that we did! We first learned how to rappel down a small hill and then went down an 85 meter cliff!! I was very surprised how easy it was and how both Molly and I just went down without even blinking an eye. We then went down more cliffs and even jumped off some into the water below. Plus, we got to rappel down two waterfalls, which was very interesting and fun. It was a totally different experience rappelling down something that has a ton of water coming at you. The tour was suppose to take 6-8 hours and it took us four. Our guides told us both numerous times how impressed they were that two girls all by themselves were doing this and how fast we went. Who knows, maybe they tell everyone that....but it made us feel really good!! Afterwards, our hotel owner let us take a shower in her bathroom and then we were back on a bus for our 8 hour journey to Saigon.