Nomadic steppe - lost in the dancing grass of the Central Highlands

When the wind blows, it feels like you are swimming in a wave of grass. It is no longer a single blade of grass, but together with the wind, dancing, rising and falling like the grasses dancing together.

Having known about this green steppe in Ea Sol commune for a long time, I still love the adventurous old forest and the more majestic waterfall hidden in the Central Highlands. And thinking about going through the majestic grass hills in the South, with a small grass hill is not enough to make my feet itch. Finally, with the invitation from Mr. Hien - a local in Ea H'leo, I decided to go with a group of friends to Dak Lak in the middle of the rainy season when the grass covers the hills and the cool, humid air dispels the heat here.

At 7 pm, 7 pairs of itchy feet were discussing the trips they had taken, from vacations somewhere to tiring trips on the bus to see the scenery along the way or to explore new lands outside the borders of Vietnam. The atmosphere at the old Mien Dong bus station was no longer bustling, and with the excitement of waiting for tomorrow to explore the steppe, they no longer cared. On the bus, there was still the typical noise of the local bus route, from people who had left home to visit their hometowns or relatives. The group chose each person's own quiet; one sister texted to inform her relatives that she had lost signal for 2 days, one younger sibling chose to sleep early so that tomorrow they would have enough energy to see the new land, or she herself listened to the stories of everyone on the bus to see what was interesting about this new place.

Because I subjectively traveled a lot in the Central Highlands, I thought this season here was not cold but cool, so I didn't bring any jacket. But I forgot the land of Ea H'Leo where there are wind turbines on all four sides with the wind all year round, adding to the gray sky, the rainy season in August at an altitude of more than 600 m above sea level makes the cold plateau even colder. With the cool morning air, a cup of hot coffee in Ea Drang town with the strong flavor of the Central Highlands is something I cannot miss.

Having enjoyed enough, the group had to continue towards Ayun Pa town but not there yet, only to the border between Dak Lak and Gia Lai. Stepping off the car, the weather changed quickly, the wind blew away the gray clouds to give way to the blue sky and the harsh sunlight. The starting point was a small Jrai (Gia Rai) village through the cornfields and when the forest was full of heat, thanks to the wind this land had cooled down a bit but could not dispel the heat. The most memorable thing was the rice fields that had long been heard to be delicious in the red basalt land. At first, I thought the grass was green but why was it planted in even rows? And remembering the poor forest or dipterocarp forest that makes up the majority of Dak Lak, when I first went to the grassy hills here, I immediately thought of this type of forest. It makes people who love forests and mountains feel bored and often think about the heat.

The group had forgotten the long slope behind and ignored the hot sun of the Central Highlands to sit and stare blankly at the hill of grass covered in lush green. Every now and then, a dark green dot of wild banyan tree with a shape as hard as it could withstand the wind here. Sitting and watching the grass leaves waving endlessly, welcoming the arrival of the green steppe. Looking from afar, the wind blew through the hill, it seemed like the grass was too weak to bear it, but it fell down and stood up again. The wind blew through, making each patch of grass sway, rippling like a wave. Sometimes gentle, sometimes fierce, constantly touching the hearts of those who love beauty.

Standing on the top of this hill, looking over to the top of another hill, only a green color undulating up and down, the poetic scene makes all the fatigue disappear. Everyone's eyes sparkle as if they have come to a strange land that is no longer corn fields or unpleasant dipterocarp forests behind. Some friends sit on a rock and look around to see the waves of grass rising and falling, some younger siblings lie down on the grass, inhaling the smell of moist basalt soil, the smell of fresh grass carried by the wind, and watching the grass leaves sway back and forth between the white clouds that are drifting quickly. Or two sisters try to take a souvenir photo together, it is not easy to explore this green steppe, and I, like everyone else, try to enjoy this eye-pleasing green color.

The afternoon gradually drifted towards the distant wind turbine blades. That day was not a beautiful sunset, but one could see the green grass dotted with the occasional dark green of the wild banyan trees, below was the Ea H'Leo people's field and in the distance the hills were countless wind turbine blades flashing their lights. The afternoon sunlight shone down on the hilltop and then penetrated each hill, creating a streak of yellow mixed with bright green among the green grass. When the sun was about to set, everyone just sat in one place to feel the warm rays of the last day and then gave way to the cold wind. No longer rushing to capture the moment, slowly feeling the sea of ​​blue sky and hills.

The best thing is when night falls on the top of the grassy hill, the lights from the residents cannot reach so that the twinkling stars in the sky shine all over the mountains and forests. Turn off all the lights, leaving only the red flickering firelight shining on the top of the banyan tree, watching the colorful sparkling light. Another lucky day to watch the Milky Way slowly rise and set, something that cannot be seen in bustling Saigon. Here, there is only the whistling sound of the wind blowing through the hill, the crackling of the fire accompanied by the sizzling of the kettle above. Everyone stops to feel the day that has just passed, some people find it too fast to feel, some people find it slow enough to feel their own energy recovering after 5 days of working hard or drifting along with their own thoughts.

This Central Highlands region is truly harsh from the weather to the vegetation. Yet there are lush green hills hidden deep within the canopy of the extremely ugly dipterocarp forest. It is true that one must put in a lot of effort to see, feel and wander with the land to appreciate every moment in this nomadic steppe. Experiential trips leave behind all comforts, sweat and even trauma just to have one's soul soothed by this beautiful nature.

Phuong Thao is the Editor of Travellive Magazine. She is passionate about traveling and loves to capture moments with her camera in every land she visits. Travel, art, and lifestyle are her favorite writing topics.

Phung Quang Huy