It was a hell of a ride. With a bus from the centre of Buon Ma Thuat, it takes about 1 hour to get to Buon Don Village. I settled myself in a hotel in the centre of Buon Ma Thuat and directly took the bus to the village. The bus ride must be the scariest one that I have ever had. I arrived safely in Buon Don which was a miracle.
Buon Don is known by its Cầu Treo (the Hanging Bridge/Suspension Bridge) which is made by bamboo and rattan and connected by iron cable and its elephant races which is held every March. I gave a try crossing the bridge and ehm… I truly need to practice on my balance. The bridge looks quite fragile but it is actually very stable. The bridges are tighten on huge ancient trees that are hundreds years old and grown along Srepok river. It is so calming with the sound of the stream around and being surrounded by nature.
It is also possible to try riding an elephant here in Buon Don, either around the village or through the stream. However, I refused to take that ride. The elephants look not so happy so I would prefer not to exploit them.
One thing that you will find everywhere here is Nhà Sàn (Pfahlbau/Stilt House). They are built with wood on stilts. People here believe that they build their houses above the ground to prevent wild animals to get in. The wildness from the outside looks interesting. I could imagine the life in that wooden house must be fascinating – living so close to the nature, feel every single draught…
If you have more time, try to take a visit in the village to see the lifestyle of this place. People here are extremely kind and friendly. I felt so warm and welcomed. Buon Don is not very popular among tourists but once you are here, you will see another culture of Vietnam. It’s nothing like the city.
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This is really off the beaten track!! I know Vietnam quite well actually, but don’t know where this is. Looks like you had a really good time 🙂
That bridge looks like the most terrifying thing ever! Good for you for going through with it. The elephants remind me of the ones we saw in Chang Mai Thailand which also made me very sad because of the hooks they were using to get them to move.