The third day of our trip was to be the easiest so far. We started off with a short trip out to Dray Sap waterfalls. This series of impressive falls (including a mini Niagara) were at the confluence of three rivers. Just as impressive as the roaring, tumultuous descent of water were the colossal, impassive tropical hardwoods that made up the surrounding jungle. Trees as thick as the span of my arms and as tall as the spire of a church steeple, grew in chaotic proximity to both each other and the water’s edge. It struck me that the soil must be of astonishing fecundity to support such a density of life. All around us insects teemed and chirruped – almost, in their exuberance, drowning the cacophonous roar of the falls. The whole place seemed very much alive…
We stopped for a brief lunch at another roadside café. For once the meat, pre-cooked and sitting in dishes on a trolley, did not inspire me with confidence and I made do with vegetable-fried rice. Russ attacked the pork chops with some gusto and certainly suffered no ill-effects later on – so it seems my suspicions were somewhat unjust.
We rolled into Dak Lak in the warm afternoon sunshine and, after depositing our belongings in the long house, made our way up to Ho Lak. This site, on a rocky outcrop above the lake, had once been the winter home of Emperor Bao Dai. The views over the lake, and the far-spreading upland plateau surrounding it, were majestic and the four of us supped well-earned beers in silence as the westering sun sunk to meet the distant mountain tops.
For dinner we went to a restaurant in an Ede-minority village. Whilst waiting for the food to be prepared, Russ and I joined a group of local lads watching the Vietnamese Army playing Indonesia at football. Whilst I’m not known for being the biggest football fan, I can see why its supporters claim that it’s a game that can unite nations. The picture on the ancient television was fuzzy and blurred, the game of no great significance and the standard of play akin to a game between Harrogate Town and East Barnet Wanderers 2nd XI…and yet there we were – ten of us – swilling our beer, abusing the flickering image of the man in black and whooping and cheering at every attack or near miss. In the end, Vietnam were 1-0 winners and Russ and I had made new friends.
After another tasty meal (including, officially, the best spring rolls in Vietnam – according to a committee of experts consisting of…me…and Russ) we went off to another Karaoke bar…things were considerably more interesting than the previous night’s aural purgatory. For starters the waiting staff were female and suspiciously friendly…the next thing I noticed was how eager they were to pour our beer and feed us nuts. My suspicions were confirmed when the bill arrived. The prices were astronomical…and it seemed our gracious hostesses wished to come back to our hotel rooms with us…at a price, of course! I’m sure my face and Russ’s must have been a picture as the wave of reality slowly broke upon the shores of our booze-addled brains…Tin and Tong certainly enjoyed the show. As we rode the bikes the short distance back to our longhouse lodgings, the four of us were laughing like drains…Russ and I with relief…Tin and Tong at their well-executed joke.
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