3
February, Di Linh to Phuong Lam, 93km
Phuong Thao Guesthouse 200,000VND
“There
ain’t no such thing as a free lunch” say economists. Just now and then,
however, on the bike, we are presented with something unexpected, something
delicious, something free. Our road to the city of Bao Loc, 35km southwest of
Di Linh, meandered and undulated through green hills planted with coffee. In
Bao Loc we took a coffee break at M2 Coffee (“Where you think about life!”) –
strong, iced, with a dollop of vanilla ice-cream. A few kms beyond the city we
found ourselves at the top of a pass not marked on our map; a pass which
dropped us through mountains for km after lovely km. The road smooth under our
tyres, the curves flowing, the scenery pretty, the traffic minimal. A Buddhist
temple and Catholic shrine providing additional eye-candy in the green, green
hills. A free lunch... Around 14km before our destination we stopped for a
drink and could not resist buying and consuming two sausages, one prawn in
batter and one chicken leg in batter from a young man with a
beautifully-presented, spotless roadside vending cart. He deep-fried our
selection in fresh oil and presented it to us with tiny plastic bags of chilli
sauce, each sealed with an elastic band. Yum.
Between Di Linh and Phuong Lam
Between Di Linh and Phuong Lam
Between Di Linh and Phuong Lam
Between Di Linh and Phuong Lam
Between Di Linh and Phuong Lam
Between Di Linh and Phuong Lam
Between Di Linh and Phuong Lam