4th April 2010
Phat Tires are a company in Dalat who specialse in adventure tours. They do all sorts such as rock climbing, trekking and abseiling, but we had booked a mountain biking trip with them.
Our destination was the beach resort of Mui Ne. This is a four hour drive from Dalat, so becuase we were only doing one day with Phat Tires we drove for an hour and a half down from Dalat before we started.
The first part of the ride was a gentle, windy uphill slope for 5 kilometres. Seven months with very little exercise is not the best preperation for such a feat. I honestly didn’t think I was going to make it. My heart was beating out of my chest. However, once I learnt how to use the gears and things slower I did manage the climb. And what a feeling when we reached the top.
The next section was downhill, then flat. It was great fun whizzing through the rainforest and the views were spectacular. We reached a small village where we took a second break. We were surrounded by mountains covered in jungle and apparently on a clear day you can see all the way to the coast from here.
As we cycled through the village all the children would shout “hello” and wave. The older locals obviously thought us quite bonkers though, travelling by bike when there was a perfectly good support vehicle following behind us.
Again we free wheeled down some wonderfully twisty roads, just having a fraction of a second to catch glimpses of the mountain views before concentrating on the next bend. It was a completely exhilerating experience.
The final section was the hardest. By now the sun was high in the sky and the long straight road we were on provided no shade. We were both really struggling when we saw the welcome sight of the support vehicle pulled up and the driver preparing lunch.
After lunch, we decided not to the cycle the remaining 15km but to use the support vehicle instead. We had already covered 55kms and done the funnest part of the ride which was the long and windy downhill section.
We enjoyed the challenge but definately preferred the downhill sections to the uphill. The level sections were good too, giving you the luxury of enjoying this beautiful country without the sudden fear of impending death like on the downhill.
The remaining stretch of road was busier (not always with traffic though) and although interesting and covered with dragon fruit plants looking like dancing ladies with billowing skirts, we didn’t feel we’d missed out not cycling it. This area produces a great deal of these delicious, refreshing fruits, with their odd red skins, and black and white polka dotted flesh.
Our guide and driver dropped us at our holiday resort in Mui Ne. Since this is relatively close to Saigon, it’s a popular place for weekend breaks and arriving on Sunday afternoon we were greeted by the sight of a beach chock full of kites and windsurfers getting in that last minute ride.
For us however it was a case of a shower, some relaxation time, then food and an early night.
