Cool Dalat

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What a difference a day makes. Got up at 4.30am (again) to meet a 5am taxi at the hotel. Predictably enough there was no taxi waiting for us. Anyway one was rustled up from somewhere on short notice. You might think that the streets of HCMC would be empty(ish) at 5 am. Not so. Still a bun fight to get across your average intersection.

Vietnamese Airlines were a model of efficiency and after 50 minutes we were on the runway at Dalat. As Milla astutely pointed out, "look Dad, there's nature right up to the edge of the runway..." Clearly she prefers the verdant hills of Dalat to the seething mass of humanity and motorbikes that is HCMC.

A short taxi ride had us in Dalat where we needed to find a hotel. The kids were a little uncertain about this approach, asking more than once, "but where are we staying tonight". I think they found having two parents who had no idea where we would be sleeping a little disconcerting.

We pitched up unannounced at the guide books 'pick' of the budget hotels. And yes there was room at the inn. A lovely woman who was as serene as they come, welcomed us to her hotel like we were long lost relatives and showed us a lovely room. It was still only 8.30am so we even got breakfast into the deal. A sumptious spread of fruits, breads, spread, cold meats and best of all, according to the response of the kids, Corn Flakes.

Dalat is in the central highlands and was a refreshing 21 degrees when we landed. Of course Milla immediately pronounced that she was freezing. Becoming a bit of a theme that kind of line from number 2.
After breakfast we thought we'd jump straight into some Dalat sights so we took a cable car (sorry Mik) up to a pagoda on a hilltop. After the frantic pace of HCMC, it was a delight to wander amongst the pagodas, enjoy the tranquil gardens and believe it not, to hear windchimes. (A sentence I never thought I would type)

Lept from the cable car, straight onto a sort of drive-it-yourself roller coaster which took you down to a modest waterfall. Each person has their own little carriage which you sit in and roll off down the tracks. It was fantastic fun.

The kids have got over their culture shock now but we have moved onto a different sort of challenge, best summed up as "complain long and loud when I don't get my way". All three of them have mastered this art form to a fine degree. One of them has just completed a PhD on the subject will almost certainly make the olympic team. There are moments when you are dealing with the tenth "whingeathon" of the day when you realise just how taxing it is to spend 24 hours a day with your children.

Don't tell social services but I have left them watching 'Alladin' on cable up in the room while I type this. Who would have thought that typing could be so relaxing.

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Photos

Reuben's bed in HCMC
Reuben loved his bed in the My My Hotel. It was the once place where he could be himself.

I know how Julie feels
The dinosaurs weren't the scariest thing by any measure at the Dam Sen 'fun' park in HCMC.

That's a scream
The locals were so impressed by Julie's ear piercing scream as she and the kids rocketed down this boat ride that they gave her a round of applause.

Alley 219
Thank God for tiny alleyways, tucked away from the madness of Pham Ngu Lau. Our hotel was buried deep in the quiet of alley 219

Streetscene by Milla
Milla took dozens of photos of the madness on the streets of HCMC. This is the least blurry...

Milla finds her feet
She cried the first time we walked down this street but Milla was soon chatting with the locals

Dalat cable car
They're smiling because we noticed that the 2.5 km cable car was made in Austria.

Just in case
Reuben has never been the same since he went on the zipper at the Hobart show. He said he was hanging on in case the floor fell out.

A belle and a bell
I knew that long socks would come back in one day. This temple was a haven of calm above Dalat

Comments

[KaootaKids]

Thanks John and Gaye
We will. Had a good day today with the kids. Climbed a 7 storey pagoda and Milla got to ring the 8 tonne bell. Finished the day with 2 hours in our own private Karaoke bar. Julie and Milla were so excited I thought they were going to wet themselves. Reuben and Jude got right into it as well. More soon... lots of love Steven

[Dorothy]

Hi from Dorothy
Hi Julie and Steve Am reading your blog with great interest to get some idea what to expect when we hit Vietnam in only two weeks!! Please send me the names of the hotels you are using if you recommend them and any good advice. How are you going with money? Are you using US$, travellers cheques, ATMs?? How much are you paying for your hotels? will it be easy to get rooms for 3 adults? (I am just wondering whether to throw in a sleeping mat so someone can sleep on the floor) How are you finding the food? The weather here is incredibly variable, cold windy and rainy so you aren't missing much. I have approval for my year off next June, I will be doing some serious dreaming for the next 6 months Have fun, may see you in a few weeks Cheers Dorothy

[KaootaKids]

Hi to Dorothy
Hiya Dorothy, thanks for the comment on the travel blog. Money wise we are really only using ATMs (even though we came with US dollars, travellers cheques and a cash card). Having some US dollars might be an advantage when bargaining for things (which we haven't done yet because we don't want to carry it), but really the dong from an ATM is very easy. We've only stayed in 3 hotels so far. Can highly recommend Hotel Dreams (number 1, there are two of them) in Dalat - very gorgeous helpful lady runs it. The MyMy Art house in HMC was fine but I'm sure there are many others - you definitely need air conditioning in HCM. And our third hotel is this one Vien Dong in Nha Trang - which we are really only staying at so the kids can swim in the pool (not good beach weather). In Na Trang we had to book two rooms as we couldn't fit into one, but were able to put five of us in the one room at the last two hotels. I don't think you need to put in a sleeping mat I think you'll get three in a room no worries. Food is great, but it would be so much easier without needing to accomodate children's tastes (especially Reuben!!). Have got any nasty bugs in tummy yet. The Pho is wonderful and you can get cheaply anywhere. very fragrant with basil leaves, lime, chilli, garlic etc. So good to hear from you. keep emailing us to let us know where you are. who knows we could cross paths in Hanoi. love Julie

[KaootaKids]

can you do me a favour?
Hi Dorothy, I was hoping you could bring something over to Vietnam for me. I need some more vitamin/mineral supplement for Reuben (his range of food hasn't increased at all, unlike the other kids) and he won't have a bar of any local supplies (they're not the same). The only one he'll tolerate is the Herron Vitaminis chewable raspberry flavoured. Can you buy me two big containers of them (I'm doubling his dose). Hopefully we may be able to meet up in either Hanoi or Halong Bay (if you are going there) but the safest thing would be to leave them in a package for me at the hotel you are staying in, in Hanoi and I'll grab them from there. hopefully they won't think you are a drug runner!!! (Don't worry there was no scrutiny of all the pharmaceutical items I have in our bag). By the way here are a few things I'd wish I'd packed more of: bandaids, tampons (you can buy locally but they are a bit more expensive here), antibacterial hand gel (very handy before eating meals); and a penknife (forgot one) to cut up all the beautiful local fruit. if you can't manage the vitamins for me don't worry we'll muddle along. take care Julie