In the late afternoon, we drove to the Pleibloum Village and check in our ‘long house’. Pleibloum is a poor village, but has a strong communal spirit. It lies on a small hill beside a slow-moving river, and has a panoramic view across the valley. It was pleasant seeing local people go bathing, washing in the nearby river and see the children swimming in the water.
We had a short tour going around the village seeing the daily life of the local people. We met many women who are in the same age with us but have at least 3-4 children and most of them are older than their real age due to their hard life.
We had some biscuits and candy for the local children and it was very moving seeing them how happy with this. Some of them had never tried candy before.
We also visited the charnel-house where the dead people rest in peace. Some families in the village share one charnel-house. Charnel-houses are usually surrounded by fences, big trees and statues. Charnel-house statues are the identity of the Central Highlands culture. They represent the conception of existence, the deep and sacred sentiment between the dead and the living.
Our accommodation's today is a long house, which located near a River, where the local people come for bathing and washing clothes everyday. The long house is large and clean and can contain 10 people. Blanket and mosquito nets are well kept in a box.
Our bathroom was around 10 metres away from the house but it was a far far distance and horrible feeling when you had to go in the night. It's me helping colleague 'goi dau' (hair-washing).
We booked our dinner in a local family which is 5 km away from the village and had to take a car to eat. The dinner was really good with local dishes cooked by the owner’s wife. After dinner, we back to the long house and enjoyed the first night in the village, away from modern facilities of the hotel.
The next morning was an easy trek around the village learning about the custom and culture of Jarai minority. After lunch in a local restaurant, we drove to Kontum and again, changed the car from another local partner in Kontum. We visited the beautiful Wooden Church and the nearby Vinh Son Orphanage and Thua Sai Seminary.
The wooden church was built in 1913 by a French priest and is one of the must-see sites in Kontum. The church stands on a vast area with various closed-loop works: church - lounge - exhibition centre of ethnic groups and religions - communal house. From a long distance, the church is viewed as a wooden work in compliance with Roman design and tourist may see imposingly high steeple in sky. Pillars and wooden frames are tightly put together inside the church Ceilings, which have been beautiful and solid for over 80 years, are made of ratters, bamboo battens, soil, and straw. Holy palace of the church is decorated in compliance with design of Tay Nguyen's ethnic minorities, which is solemn but close-knit.
We then visited the nearby Vinh Son Orphanage and had a good time with the children. At the time we visited, most of them just woke up after their noon sleep. When they saw us, they all said ‘hello’ (maybe they’re used to with foreign visitors), they sang us some lovely song in both French and Vietnamese. We brought them some biscuits, candy, some pictures book and pencils. It was very moving seeing them get excited with gifts from visitors.
Thua Sai Seminary located in a busy street in the centre of Kontum District. The seminary was built in 1935 and finished in 1938 by Reverend Phuoc, the first diocesan in Kontum.
After dinner in a local restaurant in the town, we then drove to Konkotu Village for the overnight accommodation. The Konkotu village, home to the Banar ethnic, where we stayed overnight, lies beside a wide river that’s good for bathing. The whole area is very beautiful and unspoilt, the village is very attractive, and the people are welcoming and friendly. It was really funny seeing cows and baffalos crossing the river back home after a day in the fields. We slept in a traditional Rong House (not one with a tin roof!) and enjoyed a very good sing and dance performance of the local young people.
The next day was an outdoor adventure day with trekking, hiking and rafting down the Dakbla River. The trek through different ethnic villages was really, except the heat but the rafting down the Dakbla River was a reward. We then back to the main town and spent the night in a hotel, the Indochina Hotel.
The last morning in the Central Highland was used for shopping (as usual). We did enjoy it very much actually. Boarded the noon flight (small airplane, ATR72, L) to Danang, transit there for some hours and then connected the flight back to Hanoi. End of trip.
