I was up at 7. I went for bánh mì ốp la and coffee, and leisurely read the paper. I hit the road around nine.
The 160 km ride to Đà Lạt was fantastic. The road was small with no traffic. First I went past deserted beaches and sand dunes. Then I turned inland, and went through beautiful countryside, past fields and plantations. The mountains loomed on the horizon. The road eventually came to the mountains, and I started up. I went slow because I took so many pictures.
I had never seen so many foreigners on bikes before. This was like the bikepacker highway. Several groups passed me.
It got cold after I got up into the mountains. I had phở in a rustic wooden restaurant in a small town. I rode on until I got to the highway, then the ride stopped being nice. Compounding the misery of the busy road, it started to rain, which is never pleasant in the cold on a motorbike.
I stopped for coffee, then set out on the final push down the busy road in the cold rain. I made it to my hotel in Đà Lạt by 3 pm.
