Waterfalls say sad love stories

The long car ride home over rough roads was excruciating, though the scenery was lovely, driving past picturesque wooden Highland houses, many with pretty red tile roofs and ornately carved woodwork. The rich, red basaltic soil provided a vivid contrast against the brilliant green rice fields, the coffee farms and forests.

The countryside was also sprinkled with occasional splashes of red, from hibiscus flowers or flame trees, and striking violets from lavish bougainvillea bushes that grew in abundance between the rural smallholdings with their banana, cashew nut, pepper, coconut or jackfruit trees.

Trinh Nu Waterfall is located on the Knong No River, 25km southwest of Daklak Province’s Buon Ma Thuot City, close to where it joins the Srepok River, just past a series of rapids formed out of the rugged rocks that pile up either side of the riverbanks. However, thanks of these obstacles, nature has created a wonderful natural sight, with the romantic name of Trinh Nu or Virgin Girl Waterfall.

Well, according to local legend, there once was a beautiful young girl, who overcomes by grief caused by romantic obstacles and difficulties, decided that her life was too hard to bear, and that the only solution was to jump off the waterfall. Out of pity for the poor young thing, the locals decided thenceforth to name the waterfall in her memory.

Draysap or “Smoke” Waterfall, widely considered to be the one of most beautiful sights in the Central Highlands. The waterfall gets its name from the heavy mist that often gathers around the 10m high, 80m wide natural feature that is located in a remote, relatively untouched and densely forested part of the Srepok River, a tributary of the mighty Mekong River.

The waterfall is formed at the conjunction of the Krong No and Krong A Na (or Husband and Wife in E De ethnic culture) rivulets, which, perhaps unsurprisingly, also has a romantic story to tell. The gorgeous Miss H’Mi from the E De ethnic group was as beautiful as an angel. Many rich and important men asked for her hand in marriage but she refused them all, because she was also in love, only with a poor but good-natured farmer. Then, one day when they were both working hard on his farm together, a huge hideous monster appeared from the sky above and plunged into the nearby river. The abominable creature made an enormous splash that hit the young farmer making him unconscious.

When he woke up he searched everywhere for his beloved Miss H’Mi but couldn’t find her. Inconsolable with grief, he remained rooted to the spot and turned into a big tree. The tree then grew into the forest and the river turned into the waterfall. More tears.

The area around the waterfall is covered with many big rocks and so an ideal place for a picnic or a few photos whilst listening to the gentle sound of the water falling from above.