da lat pt. 3

my muscles are burning. today's ride was as predicted, amazing, but also downright grueling. i'm not used to cycling at all, let alone these long, long inclines!

 

we stopped today at a flower farm that's completely enclosed by greenhouse-like netting. rows and rows of colorful flowers of different types awaited harvest. a guy sat on a cinderblock in front of a HUGE heap of picked flowers, and with lightning-quickness, wrapped each head in plastic, then tossed it to the side in piles sorted by color, without looking.

 

we cruised up and down many hills today that were covered in tall pine trees! there were a couple of spots, if you excused one or two plants, that could easily pass for washington state. the pines aren't native- they were introduced by the french. the sky was huge and brilliantly blue, and we often had sweeping views of rolling farmland, carved into tiny plots. all day it was very cool, with a healthy breeze. the wind picked up a couple times, only when we were going up hill, and only directly into our faces!

 

we ate lunch on another covered patio today, this time at the home of a man who was busy preparing for his eldest daughter's wedding the next day! we watched as the bride and groom created a stage, and a huge truck delivering plastic chairs arrived. he is expecting 500 guests tomorrow, yet he was excited to have us as guests for lunch.

 

the hills killed today; this trip is either going to whip me into shape or destroy me.

 

we're going to a local market soon, and tonight we dine at the hotel.