Day 14 & 15 In Da Lat

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Day 14 & 15
Day 14 - home from hospital and rest.We came back to the hotel in a taxi once Lesley was discharged. 1.5 million Dong hospital bill. About £45 pound. All worth it. We both slept for most of the day. We ventured out for something to eat and Terry met us to check on Lesley. She's coping well. He's arranged another night in the hotel and we have his mobile should we need anything. He's been absolutely brilliant and has become a friend to us both. Early night and more rest.

Day 15 - Dalat with Terry
We got up early and went out for breakfast, meeting up with Terry . Lesley is feeling very sore and bruised today. After breakfast we went for coffee at the Easy Riders Hang Out Bar. Tuan the owner asked if we wanted to have a trip out in a car as we can't go on bikes. Terry would be our guide. Lesley thought she could manage it so we set off to see the sights of Da Lat.
We started at the flower greenhouses. Vietnam export a lot of flowers. The greenhouses are made from bamboo and plastic rather than glass and steel. We continued to a coffee plantation. Terry told us about the different coffee beans. He has a small plot of land and also grows coffee, pepper and fruit. We learned about Arabica, Robusta and Weasel Coffee. The weasels eat the best beans, then their stomachs ferment the beans. The beans are then taken from the pooh washed and sold! It's very expensive too!We went into the cafe part afterwards and could smell each different coffee bean. The weasel one was one of the best.
We moved on to a silk factory. Earlier in the week we had seen silkworms in the villages on racks making their cocoons. This factory was where the farmers brought their silk pods to sell. The factory takes the silk cocoon cleans it, spins it and makes it into silk twine. At the end, Terry showed us some silkworms that were boiled and said you can eat them. We thought he was joking, but he showed us by eating one, then I followed! It wasn't that bad. Quite nutty. It's skins got stuck in my throat for the rest of the afternoon! Lesley bottled it!
We visited a place that made rice wine next. They also sell medicine - strange things in alcohol - snakes, bananas, reptiles, and bees! The family that ran the winery offered us a drink of their medicinal tea, and we were given a dragon fruit off the tree in the garden, which we had with the tea.
Our final stop was a pagoda. There was a huge laughing. As we entered the Pagoda you were faced with three really beautifully coloured Buddahs, then at each side of them where two of the versions of the Buddha. I was totally taken aback with emotion when I entered the pagoda and had a little tear. Very spiritual.
We set off back to Dalat, with a stop at the supermarket. Lesley needed to buy a suitcase with wheels as she can't carry her backpack due to the injury! All done, Terry dropped us back at the hotel.
We got sorted out, then decided to go to The Windmill Cafe. It was lovely sat outside under cover, watching the world go by...... In absolutely poring rain and thundering.
We decided to eat at Italian restaurant for our tea. We had had a busy day, so were ready to eat, sort our bags, then an early night. We had pizza and spaghetti for tea and headed back to the hotel. We have to reduce our stuff, as Lesley has to get rid of her back pack. I got rid of quite a lots of clothes!
Terry text and said he needed to see us about something, so we arranged for him to come to the hotel. We had asked him to book us on the overnight bus to Saigon, but instead he had spoken to His boss and he had suggested to that they get us a private car to drive us seven hours to Saigon.
Then Terry explained that we won't see him, as he is going on another trip with Easy Riders. This came as a shock really, as we thought he would be there until we leave. This news, ridiculous as it sounds, took us all by surprise and we were all very upset to say goodbye. We said our tearful goodbyes, but did agree that we will meet for morning coffee before he leaves.

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