Dalat

Our adventure to Dalat started off a bit rocky.

The morning we left Nha Trang we figured out that our USB drive with all of our photos, resumes, etc was infected by a virus. The virus was contracted in Hoi An and prevented us from viewing any files. After getting a bit bummed we bought our breakfast sandwiches and loaded the express bus for Dalat.

Dalat is a French town in the Vietnamese highlands at about 4,200 ft above sea level. It is quite hilly which makes it a great moto city which Billy wanted to take full advantage of. There are many Villas surrounding the city and beautiful residential architecture.

On our way to Dalat we took the "new road" which was only half-way new and the other half was still under construction. The scenery was breathtaking and well worth the bumpy roads to get there. Half-way to Dalat we hit a rock and created a large hole in the back tire of the bus. Thankfully it was a dually so we were able to drive for some distance, all be it slow, until we found a repair shop. When we did stop all the men got off to look at the hole. I guess regardless of the country men are fascinated with automotive dealings.

Once we hit the surrounding parts of Dalat the rain started to pour and the thunder started to come down. I can't remember the last time I saw a storm this heavy and it wasn't letting up. When we arrived at the bus station the bus driver made all of the men get off the bus with their suitcases into a muddy puddle and hide under an awning. The women were allowed to stay on the bus while it turned around and let us off under an awning at the front door of the station. Not sure why the men had to get off but Billy was stuck across the street for about 45 minutes until we could get a taxi to the hotel.

Our hotel is about a 15 minute walk to downtown and one of the few that allows foreigners. Dalat is a honeymoon destination and mountain retreat for Vietnamese families so there are few tourists here that are foreign. We saw lots of hotels but were told that they are only for Vietnamese, even when Billy tried to get pricing he was shown the door.

Day 1:

We left our bags at the hotel and waited out the storm for about an hour before it passed and we hit the town. We walked the market, surrounding streets, stores, etc before exhausting ourselves with all of the hills. We tried all sorts of street food including snails, corn on the cob (not so good), chicken sandwich, french bread, and ice cream. At the end of our adventure we walked the night market which really is where things are busy. All sort of vendors set up just for the evening and sell food, clothing, and crocheted items. Crocheting is really popular in DAlat and I often spotted women crocheting while selling at the market, in stores, and on the bus. All told we spent $5 on food for the day.

We did stumble across a computer repair shop where a nice man was able to fix our USB card and for no cost.

One thing I should mention is that Dalat is situated around a lake, which is currently dry. We tried to google why, but couldn't find anything and noticed that they are rebuilding the bridge so the temporary bridge goes along the lake bed.

Day 2:

Our second day we had breakfast at the hotel overlooking the city garden. Dalat has lots of greenhouses and urban gardens right in the city center. We tried to rent a moto at the hotel but the one they brought kept dying and had no gas and the second one wasn't an automatic. After politely declining we walked to town and found another moto rental for $4, which was almost half the hotel price, but after having another cup of coffee all the automatics were gone. Since Dalat isn't a real walkable city we spent the second day just lounging in a cafe at lunch, doing work on the computer, and purchasing another SD card for the camera.

One thing we found on our second day is that finding food outside of the night market and English menu cafes is really difficult. Restaurants would push us out the door or just not serve us. Maybe because we scream tourist, maybe because they don't like our business, either way it took us until about 2pm to find lunch.

After lunch I convinced Billy to take a taxi to the Crazy House or Spiderweb Mansion. The architect is Hang Nga, who much like Gaudi, has yet to finish her house. While visiting the home Billy had the chance to meet her and have his photo taken. The home has animal themed rooms, spider webs, and lots of bridges.

That evening we returned to the night market so Billy could visit the chicken and rice stand he had the night before. For $1 or $20 DNG he had an incredible feast. In the search for water after dinner we found our first store that resembled a grocery store. Prices were a bit inflated but we purchased a few things for our bus trip to Saigon.

Day 3:

This day we learned our lesson and rented a moto at about 8am. We had a list of places and three maps Billy found online and off we went. It was supposed to rain throughout the day so we tried to schedule indoor visits around the rain storms, but thankfully as of 5pm when I am writing this the rain has yet to come.

First stop was Bao Dai Summer Villa. Bao Dai was the last emperor of Vietnam who abdicated in 1945. His villa resembled a retro Soviet Block home including the furnishings. Neither of us were really impressed so we quickly left.

Second stop was Cam Ly Falls. The waterfall was okay but the funny part was seeing the amphitheater with water show (think small small Bellagio) and fake animals lining the path. We noticed throughout the city that they are fans of fake animals or stuffed animals as the book calls them.

Third stop was Lin Son Pagoda which was built in 1942 and is the heart of Buddhism in Dalat.

Next was the highlight of Dalat ;-) the "Valley of Love". A friend asked me in an email if I was "Looking for Disneyland" and well, I think I found it. it cost us $2.50 to get in and wow were we in shock. There are all sorts of stuffed animals to take your photo with, romantic spots for couples to retreat to, a lake to paddle in swan boats, gardens, amusement park rides for kids, pony rides by men dressed as cowboys, and lots of references to romance. We had to chuckle a bit at the gaudiness and tchotchkeness of it all but it is all part of the adventure and memories.

After the Valley of Love we returned to town for lunch, bought our tickets to Cambodia, and the visited the old Railway Station. It no longer operates as a station serving more than tourists and a quick steam engine ride outside of town but the structure was pretty.

South of town we ventured to two more falls. The first was Datanla Falls. This was by far the best at of the three we saw with clear water and an impressive hike down. It felt less commercialized and we were able to just enjoy the beauty. We splurged and took the cable car back up which was definitely worth the $2.50 just for the fun of it. Our last fall of the day was Prenn Falls. We had a tour guide in town tell us it had dried up but we thought why not, even if just for the drive through the mountains to get there. We were surprised that there was some water but it was brown and didn't really grab our attention like Datanla did.

We are returning the moto in an hour and having dinner at the market before turning in for the night. Tomorrow we take off for Saigon (Ho chi MInh City or HCMC) on an 8 hour bus ride.