Biking Da Lat to Nha Trang
The next day we set out for Nha Trang, from Da Lat. It is approximately 130 KMs from city to city, and it takes the bus between 5-7 hours. We decided to make it much more exciting and bike from one to the other. We set out at 8am, and our driver took us 18 KMs outside of town, through some particularly bad roads. We then stopped, and got out with our guide and bikes, and set out on our way. The first 30 KMs or so was rolling hills, with some pretty solid uphills. After about just 20 minutes of biking, it started to rain. Within another 20 mins, it was a torrential downpour. I mean, every single inch of me was soaking wet, and it didn't let up for two hours. Thankfully it was in the low 70s, and I had my rain jacket.
We finally reached the summit of 5500 feet after two hours of riding. We then got a glorious downhill of 31 kms, that took us all the way down to 300 feet. It took us over an hour to get down the section because it was raining so hard, and we had to squeeze the crap out of the breaks in order to get our bikes to slow down. The greatest part was that I could feel it warming up as I descended through the mountains. By the time we reached sea level, I was half way dry, and feeling good. The last 43 KMs we rode after a hearty lunch, and it was lots of rolling hills and flats. Once again, the people drained out of their houses to say hello to us. At one point there was a line of kids asking for high fives as we rode by on our bikes. (Such a high! I can only imagine what it is like for the riders in the Tour De France.) Unfortunately, at one point, I tried to capture this on video tape, and a dog ran in front of me and I took a digger, and scraped up my right shin. Yes, I have it one video, so if you get me drunk enough, I might show it to you.
We finally reached our hotel after a grand total of 104 KMs (just over 60 miles). Ah, and then we hit our first snag in the trip. Our hotel only had us booked for one night instead of two, and they didn't have room for us the next night. So, that was a bit of a downer. We figured it out though. However, when we first got into the room, I decided to wash my torched clothes. Well, I started washing them in the sink like I normally do. (Can you see where this is going?) After washing them for 1 minute, the sink broke right off the wall (I am sure it is because I am so ripped), and I was stuck there holding it while Ryan ran downstairs and told the reception. They didn't care and were super busy. So, I just sat there in the bathroom holding a sink for a solid 15 minutes while Ryan tried to get someone to help.
We finally reached the summit of 5500 feet after two hours of riding. We then got a glorious downhill of 31 kms, that took us all the way down to 300 feet. It took us over an hour to get down the section because it was raining so hard, and we had to squeeze the crap out of the breaks in order to get our bikes to slow down. The greatest part was that I could feel it warming up as I descended through the mountains. By the time we reached sea level, I was half way dry, and feeling good. The last 43 KMs we rode after a hearty lunch, and it was lots of rolling hills and flats. Once again, the people drained out of their houses to say hello to us. At one point there was a line of kids asking for high fives as we rode by on our bikes. (Such a high! I can only imagine what it is like for the riders in the Tour De France.) Unfortunately, at one point, I tried to capture this on video tape, and a dog ran in front of me and I took a digger, and scraped up my right shin. Yes, I have it one video, so if you get me drunk enough, I might show it to you.
We finally reached our hotel after a grand total of 104 KMs (just over 60 miles). Ah, and then we hit our first snag in the trip. Our hotel only had us booked for one night instead of two, and they didn't have room for us the next night. So, that was a bit of a downer. We figured it out though. However, when we first got into the room, I decided to wash my torched clothes. Well, I started washing them in the sink like I normally do. (Can you see where this is going?) After washing them for 1 minute, the sink broke right off the wall (I am sure it is because I am so ripped), and I was stuck there holding it while Ryan ran downstairs and told the reception. They didn't care and were super busy. So, I just sat there in the bathroom holding a sink for a solid 15 minutes while Ryan tried to get someone to help.
posted by Brian Katzman at 3:51 AM
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