August 24 2007 - Pleyku trip

It’s late but not too late to post something about my back-packing trip to Pleiku-Gia Lai last few days.

Waking up in the morning after the very first exhausted day coming to Pleiku, I decide to buy a map of Pleiku first. There is a large bookstore on the corner of Hung Vuong and Quang Trung str, and it took me 10.000VND for a tourist map of Gia Lai province. Having breakfast and coming back to the hotel, I had a talk with some hotel’s servers there. They did show me some beautiful and popular Gia Lai’s landscapes to visit. Yah, with a camera, a motorbike, a cap, a helmet, a map, a pen, some money ….. and that’s it!

IALY hydropower plant:

Nearly 30’ riding to the North of Gia Lai province, up to 50km from Pleiku, finally I found the main gate of IALY hydropower plant. Actually, the sight here is so so so imposing and impressive. As you know (or not, but right now), This popular IALY fall, now being superseded by the beauty of barrage, spillway, and a huge lake in neglected and imposing Central highland forest. With the area is about 64,5km2, IALY hydropower plant was constructed on SESAN river, in ChuPak commune. This is the second national main construction behind Hoa Binh hydropower plant on Da river.

Luckily, there are nealy 6 ppl from Northern military waiting for their bus to get them to inside (there is 10km far from the IALY main gate to the IALY hydropower plant, and you are not allowed to get inside by bike, you must visit by your own car, or rent their bus - which charges you about 200.000VND for kind of 15-seats bus – to move on). So parking my bike and getting in to their renting bus in order to go to the plant, I have to pay 10.000VND for the ticket of visiting. The landscape on the way to he plant is so awesome. The bus took us along the mountain side. In the bus, I can enjoy IALY fall and SESAN river so closed, as well as imposing nature here. The fog covered heavily.

15 minutes later, we came to our destination and put our very first step inside the plant. Walking along the tunnel, and then we approached 4 turbins which manufacture a huge electricity for the Central Highland and the South.

500KVA Pleiku transformer station:

On the way coming back from IALY fall to Pleiku, I received a call from my brother. Knowing that I was there, he invited me to drop by his work station for visit him. The station is 30km far from Pleiku in the North, and no one could get into this place without any permission except electric workers, experts and the one who are sponsored. It’s one of the 4 largest 500KVA transformer stations in Vietnam.

Then coming back to the city, I got some drink with my brother’s colleagues .

Bien lake:

My last day at Pleiku started with a trip to Bien lake. 8km far from the north of Pleiku, Bien lake – or To Nuenh lake – is a huge lake on the crater which stopped working million of years ago. People here admire it as if it’s a gem of pleiku and Central highland. By the way, I think it definitely looks like Tuyen Lam lake at Da Lat city, but still like a virgin without any touch of human hand. Awesome sight!

Ethnic villages:

They are the typical symbols of central highland. There are about 6 villages around Pleiku, and I had a chance to visit 2 famous ones: Pleiop and Pleingol villages. It was the first time – and one of my awesome time – to see what I have never and ever seen in any where else. What I learnt in textbook before, now appeared in front of my eye in turn. And I like Nha Rong the most.

Pleiku jail:

It’s in the center of the city, about 300m far from provincial post office. Was constructed in French domination time, this place was used to detain our patriots in the anti-french and anti-American resistance war. Now it is considered to be a historical monument.

Dien Hong park:

Like a small clone of Dam Sen part in Sai Gon, it was such a disappointed place I have ever visited: fake, boring … One recommendation: shouldn’t put your step on this place. I’ve heard that there is one more awesome park in pleiku, but what a pity I have no time to enjoy more there.

End a trip to Pleiku, I have to come back sooner than expected bacause of my politics week in my university.

I think if this provincial government don’t come up with policies for developing tourist there fastly, all central highland’s traditional beauties here will be destroyed intentionally or indeliberately .

One more thing I want to recommend those who want to visit here: the cost for hotel is so cheap, but the cost for food and means of communication are expensive (like the price in Da Lat or Sai Gon as well). And have a back-packing trip here with friends is better than going here alone (more convenient for you, not because of this place’s security).