Back way to Đà Lạt

After a brief tour of the Ta Lai village, I choose the longest, but most scenic and rewarding route to Dalat by following the back roads. In excellent condition, the road 600A follows the Dong Nai River through a mixture of lush farmland and tropical rainforest until it meets the intersection of the DT725 and QL20.

After facing up to the bully boys on the highway yesterday, today I choose to avoid them further and follow the DT725. As I head further north on this road, the scenery gets greener, lusher and brighter. Rice paddies glow in the sunshine, lakes shimmer in the heat, eucalyptus trees line earthen dykes that divide the fields, and forested hills begin to appear on the horizon: the highlands are getting closer.

The road begins to head in a more easterly direction and, with the hills to the north and wide-open spaces to the south, it is a pleasant ride across to meet Highway QL27 and eventually rejoins the QL20.

With my wheels hitting the smooth tarmac of the highway, I am able to fly along the surprisingly empty roads. My confusion slowly subsides as I see a toll booth in the distance. I stop to check the map and discover that I have accidentally joined the CT14, a toll road parallel to the QL20. I search my pockets for enough money to pay the toll and I notice, out of the corner of my eye, a scooter peels off the main carriage way to what looks like a slip road. I watch, to my amazement, the scooter skirt the toll booths and rejoin the road to Dalat. Despite being unclear about the legality of this move, I stomp Harry into gear and mimic the manoeuvre to continue my journey.

I enter the outskirts of Dalat, the gateway to the southwest highlands. Grand gallic villas are dotted amid pine groves and the whole town is centred on a pretty lake. Before heading to my hotel, I stop to gaze at the wonderfully art-deco Crémaillère Railway Station. 

As I wander the streets of Dalat, the cooler air is a welcome relief to the stickiness of Ho Chi Minh. Tourist time ends at the joyously designed and outrageously creative Hang Nga Crazy House. This architectural exploration of surrealism is a B&B (which was sadly fully booked when I first arrived) and tourist attraction. I explore the maze of precarious tunnels, high walkways and steep ladders until darkness descends.

Distance: 256.5km