The twelfth week

Day 78-84

On December 25th we drove to a waterfall called Thác Dray Nur. The edge from which the water falls is probably 100m long. But currently, in the dry season the waterfall is only 20m wide. In the rainy season it has to be louder, wetter and more impressive!

We crossed the river below the waterfall via a suspension bridge. Paths led through the bushes. It didn't look official, but there were definitely several people walking along the paths.

We found the path to the river above the waterfall. We weren't close to the edge. But you could already see the people down by the river. A guard below saw us and signaled with his megaphone. It probably means “get out of there!” Or so. So we went again.

On the way back to Buôn Ma Thuột we followed a road along a reservoir. At first the asphalt was good, then it became coarser, sometimes just gravel. It was really funny!

On December 26th we drove to Yok Don National Park. There are still wild elephants there! We booked a 1/2 day tour. Because of the elephants you are not allowed to enter the park without a guide.

The first step was to drive a few kilometers into the park in an electric car. A Vietnamese family was also part of the troop. Then we walked into the forest for about 30-45 minutes. The first signs of the elephants were already visible: huge footprints in the mud and huge piles of carrion.

Locals believe that fresh warm elephant carcass is good for treating skin diseases. Therefore, as soon as they find fresh piles, they immediately smear them with it. The father of the family joked that his daughter (8 years old) should kiss Aa because she had broken lips. Luckily she didn't.

Shortly afterwards we saw the elephants. At least one female elephant named H'Blu (63 years old). She is walking around with her friend Khan Phanh (47 years old). Both women once worked in tourism, but were then sold or donated to the national park. Now they can enjoy their retirement. There are several released elephants in the park. They all have mahouts who follow them and look after them. The really wild elephants in the park sometimes attack the semi-wild elephants.

H'Blu is a leisurely lady. Slowly pluck the leaves from the bamboo and chew them with pleasure. Unfortunately the end of her tail was cut off. An elephant's tail is said to bring good luck. She keeps going and we follow at a distance. Feeding or touching is not allowed.

Once H'Blu wanted to have a drink by the river. But Khan Phanh wanted to go further and suddenly came rushing out of the bamboo. That looked very impressive and made it clear that these animals can easily finish you off! The femur is the largest and strongest bone in the human body. For such an elephant it is certainly as easy to break as a small twig that has been left in the sun for too long, dried out and deprived of all vegetable juices. Maybe it cracks so nicely.

We probably spent 1 - 1 1/2 hours with the elephant. But it was also really nice!! Sometimes the female elephants got lost while walking around and then found each other again. Although they weren't far apart or separated for long, they always trumpeted happily to each other.

In the evening we drove to the next town and stayed in a hostel. At first it took a bit of getting used to. Typically Vietnamese: hard bed, colorful bed linen, simple bathroom. But for 5€. Little did we know that we would be hit even harder...

The next day we drove on. Our destination is the coastal city of Nha Trang. We were either driving down the main roads with the big, rolling, honking critters, or down a mountain road with unknown conditions. It was impossible that we would complete the route in one day anyway.

We decided on the mountain road. On the first day we drove to the end of the paved route. It ends in the village of Buôn Chám A. After that the route is uncertain.

When I think back to the village, the first thing that comes to mind is mud. Also, here came the worst hostel ever. The host was nice, even if he had a swastika tattooed between his eyebrows (Ivar just calls him the guy with the tattooed swastika).

The room was... super basic. Hard bed, toilet, sink, no door between bathroom and room (for 7€). We felt very uncomfortable. There was also a bit of a smell. The host sprayed some men's perfume. Bah. We mostly stayed outside the room.

We went for a walk in the village. Everyone is incredibly nice and says hello! Two teenagers came towards us on their scooter. One guy got off and practiced his English with us. He tried very hard and we gave him credit for that! We praised him and talked to him for probably 30 minutes. Afterwards he wanted photos with us.

A family that came by on a scooter also wanted photos with us. Sure, let's do it! The smallest girl would have a beautiful costume. When I asked, they explained to me that the family were from the Ede people. Unfortunately, before I could process it mentally, everyone was already gone. The Ede people! I had so many questions! And the only person who could have helped me translate was gone!

The Ede are a matriarchal people! This means that the family succession is regulated by the woman! When a young woman gets married, the groom moves into her house and not the other way around. The Ede live in long houses. There is a common room at the front. The rooms are at the back. When a woman in the family gets married, a room is simply built in the back. So the houses are getting longer and longer.

I would have liked to know more about this people, if only because I am fascinated by the matriarchy.

The next day we left Buôn Chám A hoping we hadn't caught any bugs. Unfortunately it rained that night and everything was even muddier.

The road was good at first! Nice asphalt! Then it stopped and we came to the first mud pit. A truck had already gotten stuck in it. We watched the locals do it: ride in a channel, walk along with your feet and go slowly. I had my doubts. But a woman with a baby on her back got through it too, so I can do it too. We arrived on the other side with only slightly dirty shoes.

Then there was asphalt again, then bad asphalt with potholes, then gravel and mud pits again. This sequence was repeated a few times.

At one point a huge machine came towards us and was being pulled by a truck up the muddy hill.

The area was scenic! Pineapple fields, forests, rivers and hills! But unfortunately you had to concentrate a lot on the route. It drizzled every now and then.

It took us about 3-4 hours to cover the 40 km (including a coffee break). In the end our shoes were completely covered in mud. The scooters looked good too.

Once we hit the main road we were muddy and happy! The adventure was cool and fun, but such a beautiful road without holes and mud is also great!

Sometimes you don't appreciate things until you've had the worse version of them.

Nha Trang is a tourist place. Therefore there are many hotels. We stayed in a 4* hotel (for only €14! Mind you, twice as much as the scary room from the previous night but with 10x as much comfort!). The hot shower felt extremely good and so did the soft bed.

Our room is on the 15th floor and has floor-to-ceiling windows. The monocular was often used here.

We spent the time in Nha Trang strolling, eating, lying on the beach and finally went diving!

Unfortunately the diving spots are not that great. The visibility was not good. But hey, I finally went diving again!

On New Year's Eve we went to the beach promenade. A huge stage was set up there. Unfortunately, the music that was played there wasn't quite to our taste. Ivar's stomach reported. We searched more energetically for a toilet. Instead of beer there was now tea.

We stayed on the beach promenade until midnight. There was a small fireworks display and as soon as it was over everyone flocked to their scooters. That's it.

Western New Year's Eve is not widely celebrated in Vietnam. The turn of the year is celebrated in a big way by the lunar calendar. 3 days long. And everyone is free. But that won't be until the beginning of February.

We are excited!