The weather in Ban Me Thuot in the early days of the dry season is truly pleasing to the eye. On Friday, the sun was shining brightly and the wind was blowing so hard that I felt like I was flying away from Mother Elephant Rock when I stood on top of it to take pictures. The sunflowers swayed in bright yellow waves along the hillsides along Highway 27. The rice fields were like velvet carpets at the foot of Father Elephant Rock. The wind made the wind chimes hanging on Bao Dai Palace ring out energetically under the canopy of ancient frangipani trees. The wind blew up the waves of Lak Lake, making it impossible for tourist boats to go out to sea to take passengers...
Saturday was cooler, making my new shirt more than half soaked with sweat after a day of wandering in the deep forest of Yok Don. Then it was wet enough when the jungle rain suddenly passed by and when I stood still watching the Buddha waterfall full of water in the dry season, majestically splashing foam in the middle of the Great Forest.
Coming to Ban Me without drinking coffee is no fun.
Coming to Ban Me Thuot without drinking coffee is no fun. But the first two days, absorbed in the journey when first setting foot in Dak Lak, absorbed in chicken braised with wild bamboo shoots, catfish cooked with sorrel leaves, bamboo rice, wild boar fried with fish sauce... I only had time to drink two cups of coffee during the two breakfasts at the hotel. Consoling myself: since I've been to Ban Me, drinking coffee is the same everywhere. On Friday night, because I felt that the amount of caffeine in my blood was not enough after the bad morning coffee at the airport, I walked to Ngo Quyen street to have a cup of black coffee with ice and then tossed and turned all night.
On the last day in Ban Me Thuot, I asked the hotel receptionist to rent a motorbike, put on a thin shirt, carried a backpack and went around to explore the rest of the Capital City of the Central Highlands, asked my friend who was originally a "native" of Ban Me Thuot but now lives on planes more than at home: where can I drink good Ban Me coffee? She directed me here with a bonus: go there, and you won't regret it.
In Ban Me Thuot, there is no shortage of cafes that fascinate tourists.
Ban Me Thuot is not inherently noisy, and Nguyen Khuyen Street where Soul is located is not in the center of Ban Me. Soul suddenly reminds me of the cafe nestled on a hillside full of flowers in Sapa in the past, when I also wandered on a cloudy afternoon like this. In front of Soul is an ancient villa, outside the alley are all kinds of purple, yellow, white, red, and green flowers competing to show their colors. Stepping into Soul, the spacious and airy look of a modern cafe in the style of the Central Highlands: tall, wide, and full of light makes a city dweller who often has to sit in cafes in narrow spaces: turn right and bump into things on the left, turn left and bump into things above - a bit overwhelmed with an undisguised joy.
And unlike the usual cafes I often go to, the area in the middle of the shop is mainly reserved for counters, places to store cups, filters, coffee machines, etc., at Soul, these things look quite small and reasonable, as if they were used to "make up" the spaciousness of this place.
Central Highlands style decoration.
It was late afternoon or early afternoon on Sunday so the shop was not too crowded, I wandered around the shop admiring the decor style, the wall paintings depicting the typical features of the Central Highlands with fresh coffee, admiring the colorful coffee bags, the herbal tea bags with gentle aroma, the jars of various sizes containing coffee beans and powder from Ethiopia, Kenya, Colombia... The shop is built in the style of the Central Highlands communal house, sitting inside still has a lot of light thanks to the glass panels on the roof bringing the Highland sunlight into every corner of the shop.
I ordered a cup and chose a corner of the shop, sat down, sipped cold brewed coffee with a gentle bitter taste mixed with the scent of roses and rosemary, took a shiny black round metal spoon and put the cold, sweet lychee salad into my mouth, and felt as if all my dreams had melted away...
Hot cups of coffee to chase away morning drowsiness.
Talking to the salesgirl, knowing that I was from Hanoi, she excitedly sat down to chat, told me about Soul, about coffee, about Ban Me Thuot, her eyes lit up when talking about the youthful, open style but still imbued with the full flavor of coffee, traditional and creative of the chain of shops stretching from North to South.
I looked around and asked for the price, intending to buy a bottle of wine, but hesitated because I was afraid of bringing too much stuff when traveling. My friends excitedly told me that if I wanted to, I could visit the Hanoi branch to buy it.
It was time to go, the salesgirl showed me that on the left of the exit (only about 500m from the shop) was the road to Ako Dhong village - a famous tourist destination in Ban Me land, on the right was the World Coffee Museum, two places that I had planned for my trip.
Having left, the mind of a person who loves to travel, loves fun and excitement, loves the surprises of the world's landscapes and products is filled with regret. Regret that the time staying in the Highlands was too short, regret that I just came to this place now.
Will return to Soul, so I can continue to trade in the Dreams.
If you visit Ban Me Thuot next time, come to Soul to continue your dreams.
