Staying cool in the Dalat mountains

---

We are still making our way down the coast to Saigon, but we decided we needed a bit of a cooler change so we headed inland to Dalat. Not only is Dalat inland, it is high up in the mountains. In fact it is 1500m above sea level. This has given us such a nice change in temperature. The temperatures here hover around the mid to high twenties, all year round. Before we got into Dalat we had to go up and over the most brilliant mountains. As we nearly reached the summit the driver pulled over so we could get out, take in the view and snap off a few shots. We were at such a height that as we were looking around some clouds came rushing up the mountain and for about 5 minutes we were absorbed by them. Simply stunning. As far as views go this has been one of the best of our travels and gets a CF of 10.

We made our way into Dalat and our hotel, the Mecure Dalat Du Parc. What a place it was. We had beautiful rooms in a building that was built in the 20’s or 30’s. They had wooden floors and ceilings that were about 20 feet high. Because of this and the low maximum temperatures there was no need for air-conditioning which was so nice. Breakfast was served across the road in a wonderful old art-deco building that had a fascinating history. Dalat is like no other city/town we have come across in Vietnam. It is a mixture of French and Vietnamese with many buildings a combination of both styles. Also most of the original French buildings still exist and are in excellent condition. Part of the reason for this is that all parties agreed during the Vietnam/American war that there would be no fighting in or bombing of the city. A CF of 10 for this odd, but ultimately great, bit of thinking. After the Americans pulled out in the early 70’s it did lead to the bizarre situation where both the Viet Con and South Vietnamese armies were in the town, planning their war, bot basically just ignoring each other as per the agreement. War just makes no sense.

Dalat has the most beautiful food. The whole place is awash with green houses producing all types of fresh fruit and vegetables. It meant that we could get the best fresh food. Things such as strawberries, not exactly a typical Vietnamese fruit are abundant and unbelievably delicious. Phoebe and I went to the central markets to check out all the wares. The whole array of fruit and vegetables was there to be seen, as well as fresh fish, eels, frogs, poultry and shellfish. Phoebe got a bit of an eye-opener as we walked around. Live fish jumped out of their bowls giving us a splash, she saw live frogs having their heads whacked to stun them before being bagged, and live chicken being dropped into boiling before having their feathers plucked. She took it all in pretty well. Still it was very interesting but I think she would rather buy her meat already butchered from the supermarket. The sights, smells and sounds were awesome and Phoebe gave it a CF of 7 (it lost a few points because she thought it was a bit cruel the way the animals were treated).

Over the last week or so we have seen heaps of Chinese Dragons, drums and festival materials being sold. We have no idea what it is for and haven’t really been able to find anyone who could tell us either. Anyway when we were in Dalat we got to see it all in action. We were at dinner in the centre of the town when we first heard, and then saw the parades coming past. It was a full moon and under this brilliant natural light the streets were flooded with thousands upon thousands of people banging drums, dancing and following the Chinese Dragons. All traffic came to a complete stand still for about an hour. The kids and I went outside and got right amongst it all. We followed the dragons, stood in the middle of the streets and even got to light up some sparklers. It was way too much fun even though we still don’t know what it was all about. A CF of 9 to us for getting into the thick of it all but a CF of 1 to me for not charging my camera battery and not getting any photos. Idiot!

Because of the much lower temperatures we were able to walk around a lot more with the kids, especially Alex. The first place we went to see was Ngas Crazy House. I can tell you the place well and truly lives up to its name. Nga is a very well credentialed architect and has designed many buildings in Dalat, but none as odd as this one. Basically it is a hotel that has about 9 rooms but the odd thing is how it is all put together. There are stairs that go in every direction, up, down, sideways, in arcs and twisting. Each room has a theme such as the Kangaroo room, Eagle room and even a Termite room. The kids just loved it, running from room to room, through every hallway and over every stair. We had to stop them a couple of times because some of the stair case were just a bit on the dangerous side. I have to say that they were not too happy with us for not booking in there for a night or two. They obviously saw no problem with the fact that guests needed to be out of the way during the day so that paying visitors could look through every room.

We organised a whole day tour of Dalat and I must say it was one of the best ones we have been on in Vietnam. Ngoc our English speaking guide was excellent. He studied tourism at Dalat University and had excellent English. He also had the best knowledge of everywhere we went and wasn’t just ready off of a script. We were the only native English speakers on the trip and we had many conversations with Ngoc. If there were things he couldn’t pronounce properly or didn’t know the English word for something he would ask us to spell it, pronounce it or write it down for him. He was a true professional. The kids just loved him and went everywhere with him on the tour. They talked to him about everything and wandered around holding his hands. It was great for them. I would love to hear what he had to say to his wife when he got home especially considering the amount of times Alex cuddled him. When we are on one of these tours or a lone bus trip we allow Alex to take his DS to play while we are driving around. Now I have no doubts this makes us look like pretty poor parents but it keeps him quiet for everyone else and stops him from being bored and annoying in between sites. When his is using his DS he always plays games that require a lot of reading. He is not yet able to read all the words (I fully blame the male Deputy Principal at his school for this atrocity) so is constantly bugging us to read it too him. It is very painful, get a CF of 1, and he has been told not to ask me to read to him while I am listening to the guide. We can’t say Alex isn’t the ultimate opportunist. During the tour of Dalat he noticed one of the Korean tourists watching him play. He saw this as an open invitation to discuss and explain what he was doing in the game. So for the next 6 hours he was constantly tapping this bloke on the leg to make sure that he was watching and listening. It did actually seem as though the bloke was genuinely interested and because he didn’t speak much English Alex didn’t shut up.
The tour involved a couple of waterfalls. Unfortunately neither of them is as big as they used to be because of damning. The first waterfall was a long way down so a roller coaster has been set up to get you up and down. It was actually quite good. The second one used a cable car to get you back up. Unfortunately there were also real crap things such as Ostrich riding (which I would not allow the kids to do) and elephant treks where the treatment of the animals was probably questionable. We also went to an embroidery factory, a huge monastery, a fruit factory (where you could also buy/see a tiger’s penis which was actually fairly gross), the summer palace of the last King of Vietnam, a giant Budda and a place called the ‘Valley of Love”. The Valley of Love is a bit difficult to describe. It would actually be a very lovely and romantic place to go if it wasn’t for all the set-ups for photos of couples (complete with signs for 5000VND for each photo taken), shocking little carnival rides for young kids (just what you need on a hot date) and numerous people asking if you would like to hire them to drive you in their jeep to a private place (not so private really as the driver waits there to take you back). Bizarre. I did ask Jo if she wanted to take some photos on the motorbikes covered in flowers, the love heart covered in flames or fake images of Mickey and Minni Mouse. For some reason she said no, so a CF of 1 to her for her romantic streak.

On our second last day Phoebe and I though it would be a good idea to go and look at the old railway station built by the French. It is the most beautiful art deco building that is still in great condition even if it isn’t used very much. On the map it looked pretty easy to get to and only about 2km away. I would like to blame the map that we had for us getting lost, so I will. We thought we were going the most direct way possible, we weren’t and thought we were on the correct road, we weren’t. We were basically in the right spot but turned about 200m early. We ended up in some part of town where basically no one spoke English. We tried to ask a couple of local women where we were and which way to the train station. Unfortunately one of them spoke no English and the other very little. They kept pointing to the gold course and I to the train station. We all just laughed and shrugged our shoulders. We did all agree though that I was lost (or should I say the map was wrong). The girl was nice enough to try and call a taxi for us. We got one so we got the driver to take us to the station before taking us back to the hotel. We were so close it was ridiculous. Still very funny and another great story for Phoebe to tell her friends (well I am sure her version will say that it was my fault and that I couldn’t read the map, unbelievable I know). At no stage as we were walking down these tiny streets in what is clearly an area that very few tourists go to (unless they may be lost due to a completely dodgy map, which I wasn’t of course) did we feel as though we were at any risk. People just looked, smiled, waved and sometimes said hello. This is what we have loved about Vietnam so far. We just feel safe all the time.

Dalat is just brilliant; great climate, amazing views, top quality food at ridiculously cheap prices, plenty to see and do and a great mixture of cultures. I give it a CF of 10. Now if only it had some good maps.

---

Photos

Rest on the way to Dalat
Half way to Dalat we pulled into a roadhouse for a break. This was the view from the mens toilets.

In the clouds
At the top of the mountains on the way to Dalat we stopped to take photos, only to be covered in clouds.

Dalat City
Dalat is an interesting mix of French and Vietnamese buildings, plantations and green houses.

The French influence
Reminders of the French are everywhere in Dalat. For example this communications tower shaped just like the Eiffel Tower.

Central Markets
You could just about buy anything at the central markets. Everything was alive ready to be taken away for the days eating.

One crazy house!
This building sure lived up to its moniker. It truely is one Crazy House.

Ride down to the Datanla Falls
We caught a roller coaster down to the Datanla Falls. The kids loved it.

Datanla Falls
Although a bit small due to damning up stream, Datanla was still a nice place to visit.

A Elf in Vietnam
At Bao Dai's Summer Palace we had to put on protective shoe coverings. A nice look.

Cremaillere Railway Station
A great example of an Art Deco style railway station. It just took us a bit to find it.

Prenn Waterfall
While we were here we saw the filming of a local TV show about a Monkey King/God. Interesting. Unfortunately no cameo for an Australian Tourist.