Sunday, November 16th, 2003 – Day 271
I was up at 6.05am and paid the 10 USD for 2 days accommodation. It was very reasonable. I was in a bit of a rush as I did not know how long the bus journey would take me, what the road conditions were like and if the weather had affected the route. I was only taking my day pack with me and my tooth brush. I left my backpack with the hotel manager and promised him I would be back in a few days.
I walked to the bus station. The Lonely Planet says the station is 500m west of the Cathedral. Its more like 1.5km. It was 6.45am when I got there. I don’t know why I do not take moto taxis. They are only 5000 (.25 Cent) per trip.
There was a bus going to my destination (a mini bus). It was filling up. I knew that there are two public bus prices in Vietnam,m: a local price and a foreigner price. There are no ticket booths here and lots of companies. The conductor will charge whatever he feels in right. HE asked for 50,000 Dong but said he would be there at 11.00am. I did not think it would be so short a journey.
The scenery was great for the first 40 minutes as we traveled up the coast and along a bay shadowed by forest covered mountains. There were hundreds of fishing boats in the bay and it was a beautiful site.
As I was told, we arrived at 11.00am. The bus station is about 3km from town so I took a moto (5000 Dong) to my chosen hotel called the THANH PHAT hoel. The lonely Plant: Vietnam is strange on Vietnam. It seems to be written by some one on gap year. Its biased against the government and only recommends middle range hotels and travel gents.
It recommends staying in the Dam San hotel which is about 30 USD per night. I bargained for a really nice room in the Thnah Phat Hotel for 5 USD. It was nice and early and I should have hired a motor driver to take me to some water falls outside town.
Instead (because the rugby is on today) I decided to walk around town. I really like this town. Its a market town and it was really busy. I spend a good amount of time in the market watching the going ons. It was a bit like been back in Java, Indonesia as every second person was shouting HELLO. 95% of them are just looking for a reaction. If you acknowledge them by saying hello or nod, they are happy.
Tucked deep into the Central Highlands, about 360 km from Saigon, Buon Ma Thuot (pop. 200,000) is much farther off the beaten track than Dalat and sees far fewer tourists. But Buon Ma Thuot is certainly worth the trip. The region is home to a number of ethnic minorities, including the Rhade and Jarai groups. Buon Ma Thuot has the distinction of being the site of the last major battle between the North Vietnamese Army and South Vietnamese troops during March 1975. As a testament to that battle, the first North Vietnamese Army tank to enter the city is perched in the center of town as a monument to Buon Ma Thuot’s “liberation.” There has been talk of moving the tank into a museum, and indeed, some travel publications say it already has, but the tank still has it’s turret pointed skyward, looking still quite capable of spitting out a 120mm shell.
)
Click on the picture to see it in it´s original size
Buon Ma Thout – Tank Monument (16-11-2003)
Buon Ma Thout makes a great base for trekking to ethnic villages. The longhouses of the Rhade and M’nong groups are particularly impressive – try to spend a night or two. A popular stop is at the Rhade village of Buon Tuo, about 13 km from town.
Though located about 200 km farther north than Dalat, Buon Ma Thuot is at a lower elevation and is warmer year-round. Neither does it possess Dalat’s over commercialization (nor Dalat’s beauty, on the other hand). Coffee is the major cash crop here, however, this mountainous region is heavily deforested, the hillsides bald and brown during the winter months. Much of the region’s wildlife has been driven away by deforestation or through the misfortune of getting stuffed by wannabe taxidermists. The best time to visit Buon Ma Thuot is during the dry season, between November and May. Though the scenery isn’t as lush as it is during the rainy season, it’s a lot easier to get around!
I was had about 10 ice coffees. The highland region has the reputation as having the best coffee in Vietnam and they also have great cafes. You can usually sit outside watching the world go by. For a ice coffee and a pot of tea, the cost is 3000 Dong. I walked out to the Dam San Hotel as the Lonely Planet recommends their tours. What a joke. It looked like they haven’t a customer for years. The cheapest tour for an afternoon and a morning was 147 USD. What!!!!! I said good bye. It was a good 20 minute walk out there and then back again.
I enjoyed walking round the town. I love busy towns. Dalat wasn’t one of them and I find this found much more interesting. At 4.00pm I headed back to the hotel only to find out that electricity is rationed in this town. They expected the power to be back on at 5.00pm (the rugby was startinga t 4.00pm). I headed down town to check out the five star hotels as I was told they would have generators. I tried in vain for 30 minutes. I did walked the 20 minutes back to the Dam San hotel (ironic). They had the game in reception. They were happy for me to watch it. I saw the last 10 minutes of the first half and 30 minutes of the second half (until their generator died).
)
Click on the picture to see it in it´s original size
Buon Ma Thout – Market (16-11-2003)
)
Click on the picture to see it in it´s original size
Buon Ma Thout – Market (16-11-2003)
The weather ruined the game. Pity. England as TOO clinical (Wilkinson ) and cycical. They have no passion or flair. Looking at them they seem to think rugby is a job/profession rather than a sport.
Elaine Davidson of Brazil, who holds the Guinness world record for being the woman with the greatest number of body piercings, 1,903 altogether, poses at the Tate Modern art gallery in London, November 11, 2003. The gallery held an event to mark the release of the 100th millionth copy of the Guinness World Records books. (Lee Besford/Reuters)
I had to walk back to town in the dark. There was no place with hot food (no electricity) so I had a bread roll. Electricity came back around 7.00am and I took a stall meal. I had a nice Noddle Soup with Chicken for 10000 Dong (0.56 cent). There was nearly a 1/4 of a chicken in there. I was approached by a moto driver he said he would take me around to the sites tomorrow for 15 USD. I took his mobile number. After thinking about it, I thought it was a bit much just to see a waterfall and a village. I decided to head away tomorrow. I headed back to the hotel and had an early night.
I had been told that there was only one bus to Kon Tum and it was 6.00am. The hotel said all buses leave at 6.00am for all destinations and that’s about it for the rest of the day.
I told the staff to wake me up at 5.30am. I had a good nights sleep though.