Sooner or later, it was inevitable that we had to do a "tour" and be proper tourists. We also wanted to find a way to get to an island we had discovered, Phu Quoc. As Tet was almost upon us (New Year celebrations and the main holiday in Vietnam) all flights were full. Phil, at Highland Tours put together a package for us. A 3-day tour of the Highlands and an over-night drive to the ferry port where we would be put aboard the speed boat for Phu Quoc.
     On Day 1 we set off in a very nice Ford Explorer, driven by Hi our Vietnamese driver who loved the vehicle and guarded with his life. Funny was to be our Vietnamese tour guide, a retired war veteran who was always on the look out to get a few extra dong in commission. We were soon up in the mountains with wonderful views. Funny pointed out the hills affected by "Agent Orange" dropped by the Americans in the war. 42 years later and the hills are still barren for miles and miles. We also passed miles of coffee plantations, I hadn't realised that coffee is a main crop in Vietnam. After a few hours we stopped for lunch, the sort of roadside cafe we usually avoided but we decided what the heck, we can't starve for 3 days! Funny organised fried rice and chicken, in fact, he always tried to organise fried rice and chicken. He confessed later that his teeth were bad and he couldn't chew anything else! We ate lunch but declined an offer of snake wine, supposed to have magnificent medical qualities. I couldn't believe my eyes, it's made by putting around 20 snakes in a jar and topping it up with liquid. After 1 year it's ready. I discovered a shop in Phu Quoc that did the same thing with sea-horses. By late afternoon, we had reached an area where the most spectacular waterfalls in Vietnam are found. The hour or spent trekking around the area was well worth it.






     The 1st night was spent in a longhouse in one of the minority villages. We weren't too sure about this but Funny assured us we needed to experience it for ourselves. We also experienced a special "blessing of the elephant " ceremony performed by one of the village elders. We were a bit suspicious of the still bleeding pig's head laid out in front of the elephants and what were the elephant riders passing round and ceremoniously sipping? Where was the rest of the pig? Actually, we were served a delicious meal and offered hot showers before being taken to the longhouse (no running water or facilities here). Just remember Scout and Guide camps I said to Jon and get on with it. Torches off.... dark... and noises! The longhouses are built on stilts for a reason, the animals. There was a constant stream of dogs fighting, pigs runting, snakes hissing and cockerels cock-a-doodle-doing even before daybreak! So much for the peace of the countryside. We were exhausted by 7.00 am but we knew we had an easy day just sight-seeing from the vehicle.




     The 2nd day's drive took us through spectacular scenery, coffee plantations, minority villages, lakes and mountains. We came across numerous busy markets and even the villagers washing clothes in the river. Now we can add more things to our list of goods carried by motorbike, pig (alive), goat (dead) bed (double). We were both very impressed by it all. Finally we reached Dalat, one of the main tourist areas in Vietnam. The town is centred around a huge lake and has many attractions. It's also a centre for the cultivation of flowers so I was in my element. Funny took us to "The Crazy House" and a flower park before finding our hotel. Thank goodness, no longhouses here! Dalat is a mix of many European countries, France, Germany, Switzerland, Holland, even little Old England is there too. We loved it there, it had atmosphere and a petite version of the Eiffel Tower!

     The 3rd day took us back to the coast, a resort town famous for it's sand dunes. We were ready to relax on the beach again. We thought we had the evening to ourselves but Funny organised fried rice and chicken again! This was the main night of the New Year celebrations (Tet) and Hi went off to spend it with his family who lived nearby. For us, we wandered along the main road for a while giving and receiving "Happy New Year" greetings. It's a night for feasting and drinking but mainly family celebrations. Would we see Hi again we wondered.

     We did, and the 4th day was to be a long drive skirting around Saigon and onto the ferry port. Many places closed for Tet and the roads were fairly quiet for the first part of the journey. Funny even had difficulty in finding a place to eat. The roads got busier as we approached Saigon. Families of 4 on one motorbike, with the luggage, sometimes the bedding and the boxes of beer! Kids were asleep in akward positions, I guess they had travelled for miles to celebrate with their families.
    Overall, we made good time and reached the ferry port by 10.30 pm. Funny thought we could hang around at the ferry terminal until 8.00 am but a quick call to our man, Phil, and we found a hotel room. Hi insisted on staying with the vehicle for security reasons and Funny kept him company. In the morning they took us to our boat, as arranged, and we waved goodbye as we sped off for our next adventure.

 

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