In search of Hotel Chau Au - Europa in Da Lat

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Grabbing a map at our destination drop off we proceeded down the driveway as a guy in a blue jacket approached us. "Hello, where are you going?" he inquired in a friendly voice. I looked away knowing what he was about to ask. "We are looking for a hotel," Shauna replied enthusiastically. "Would you like to book an easy rider trip?" Shauna shook her head then stated, "we've already book a trip, thank you." Smiling the man let us continue on down the drive. "Great. I wonder how many times today we are going to hear that?" I said as she caught up to me looking at the LP map book consulting where the hotels we spoke about are located in relevance to where we were standing at the moment. "What do you mean?" she asked. "Since, we've arrived I have had four different 'easy riders' ask if I need to book or want to book a trip with them." "Seriously?" "Would I kid you?" I stated with a smirk. "Okay, I think we are here," I pointed to the LP map, "if we walk this direction then around this way and over this street to here, we should be on the block with Hotel Europa." "Sounds good with me. It's much closer than the other one you said earlier," she replied.

Wondering down D 3 Thang 2 street buildings teetered towards us random signage positioned over glass and metal doors beckoning us to their insides. "Look, vegetarian," Shauna pointed across the street. "Do you want to stop or find a room first?" "Room than food. Just keep that one in your memory bank." "No problem. It's been dully noted." Down the hill to a roundabout, "did the street go this way or that way," I stated pointing, looking for a street sign and pulling the book out again. Consulting the road signs, the roundabout and possible directions to the hotel, we maneuvered across to our right circling back around to the left then yielding to the right onto D Nguyen Can Cu. Snaking the street must have been designed by random pavement layers on various jobs. None of the roads on the map were straight for more than two-hundred feet before bending left or right. Driving anything bigger than a half-ton truck had to be a chore but this would explain why people constantly honk horns. Stepping around down the beaten sidewalk we noted several moped dealers, a couple cell phone shops and a cafe jammed to the brim people enjoying cups of coffee or tea. Around another corner we consulted the map from Binh Yen Hotel showing we needed to veer off onto D Anh Sang staying on the south side of the river.

Slowly we moved out into the street one of us looking right the other looking left barking orders, "Ten steps after this truck, ready, set, go, stop." "Three steps, now, stop." "Waaaait, waaaait for it, NOW! Six steps, quickly." "Alright! High Five!" arriving safely on the other side of the street (only if she'd listen when I bark commands) but we still made it across. "You know, when I say, hey you look right and I'll look left so we can both cross the street without having to look both ways and judge everything..." "I know but I just have to." "No worries. Let's cross here because we need to be on that side of the street to turn left up around the bend," I state as we walk down the road crossing in the middle of the wide empty road way back past the bus depot (I thought we were stopping at earlier). The buildings dispersed at the end of the bus shop into a walkway along a river bank. Brightly colored pastel buildings in blue, yellow, lavender, and red jutting out of the concrete embankment. Turning left around the corner onto D Nguyen Chi Thanth it sharply climbed back up a slight hill slowly curving to the right. As we walked up the hill every other building on both sides of the street said Guesthouse or Hotel or Hostel. We'd obviously found the right road for locating suitable accommodation. As we continued to walk the buildings on the right disappeared revealing a clever view down across tin rooftops to the cement walkway. Looking around we continued our search when I spotted a building on the right called Hotel de Europe. Wait... is that it? I thought. Pulling out the LP guidebook, I flipped through the pages, found Da Lat, consulted the reference page for Hotel Chau Au - Europa. Not the same place but sounds the same. "The address we are looking for is 76 D Nguyen Chi Thanh " I said. Followed by, "Europe over there says, "35? And this one behind me says, 84? Wait, what? Hey Shauna what does that one there say?" "Ummm, it says 84, too." "What? Really? Are you kidding?" "No. I am not. It says eight-four. 84, I can read." "Yes you can. Okay, I'm going to head this way check what the addresses say. I'll be right back," I say walking back the direction we'd just come. As I walked I read the address numbers out loud to myself, "84, 84B, 84C... you've got to be kidding me, 84E... 82, perfect." Turning around less than fifteen feet away Shauna was walking down the road towards me. "What gives?" I asked. "Well, I don't just want to stand there waiting for you?" "You could have walked in the other direction to locate #76?" "But..." "Never mind. We have to walk this way. Back there is 82. So, it has to be in front of us someplace." Turning around we walked back to Hotel de Europe and continued up the hill until it flattened out.

Nine buildings later Shauna spotted the white vertical sign its blue lettering stating Hotel Chau Au - Europa we'd found it. Looking around there were four single story shops directly across the street with a few tables on the sidewalk. People milling about drinking tea or coffee in the early afternoon. Opening the glass door we stepped out of the heat and into the cool shade. Walking up to the counter an elderly woman greeted us in perfect English. "Welcome, how can I help you?" "We would like a room for tonight, possibly tomorrow as well," Shauna said. "We have two styles of rooms. One is at the back of the hotel. Very quiet. Good for sleeping. And the other is out front. Very nice has a patio, slightly bigger." Looking at each other we just shrugged and asked to see the two rooms. She agreed to show the rooms to us. Grabbing two keys she made her way to the staircase the two of us following behind. Up a flight of stairs we came across a man. She spoke in rapid Vietnamese handing the keys to him. Then he smiled at us, "Welcome, let me show you the two rooms." Again in perfect English. We smiled at him, "Thank you." "The first room is over here he said, opening up a door at the top of the stairs." The door gently opened up into a 10 x 15 foot room. Sparsely furnished a bed side table, mini fridge, a closet, bathroom and double bunk bed. "Thank you, can we see the other room?" "Certainly. It's upstairs but hasn't been cleaned yet, if that's okay with you? The people just checked out this morning." "Oh. That's okay with us," Shauna responded. Another flight of stairs we turned left walking down a dark hallway. Lights flicking to life as we crossed beneath there sensor detectors. Grabbing the door knob he opened the door a burst of light gushed into the hallways as we stepped through the door frame. Twice as large as the other, two double beds stood a bed side table with lamp, drawer and telephone perched on top. A mini fridge next to the door, two small chairs, a glass coffee table with magazines and bug spray. The closet behind us with a separate bathroom. As we spun around in the room smiling at the amount of natural light he pulled back the white linen curtains revealing floor to ceiling windows and a door leading onto the balcony. Jiggling the key in the door he pushed it open letting us step out onto the full size front balcony. The view was wonderfully subtle, a hodgepodge of rusted tin roofs, colored concrete buildings, trees scattered throughout the landscape, the 'Eiffel tower' radio tower and catholic church off in the distance. "What do you think?" he asked. I turned to look at Shauna whose eyes were sparkling in the sunlight emanating in the room. "We'll take it," I said. "Okay. Just go to the front desk and let my wife know. She will arrange everything for your stay," he said. "Thank you, for showing us the rooms," Shauna said stepping back through the door frame.

At the front desk, the woman explained that we could have the room but it would be an hour or so before it was cleaned. She invited us to have the room directly above or below it but Shauna was set on having that particular room. "Well than," she continued, "come back in an hour and your room will be ready. You can leave your luggage over here," she pointed, "and we will take it up to your room when it is ready." Not thinking Shauna began handing her, her backpack. Looking at the two of them I almost laughed then said, "Shauna, you can keep your bag with you. Unless you don't need anything inside it?" "Oh yea. No. It's okay. I'll bring it. I have hand stuff I need," she stumbled through a reason to keep her backpack. "Okay," the woman said, "where are your other bags?" A confused look spreading across her facial features. "These are our bags," I replied pointing at my Timbuk2 messenger bag and Shauna's backpack. Still confused by what I just said, she replied, "You don't have any luggage? No giant backpacks, like that traveler over there?" "That's correct, we travel light," Shauna stated her enthusiasm regaining itself. "Well then, we will see you in an hour. Are you hungry?" "Starving. Does it show?" we both laughed. "There is a very nice restaurant called Sunflower. Do you have a map? I can show you where you go." "Yep," I said pulling out the map, setting it on the counter. "We are here," she pointed to my crude X on the map, "walk this direction around and down. Cross the street twice then go left. It is down the road. Five minute walk from here. It is called Sunflower Cafe." "Okay," I said thanking her for the directions and recommendation. "Are you ready to go?" I said looking at Shauna. "Yes. Thank you. See you in an hour." Stepping back out into the early afternoon sunshine, smiling as travelers do when they have secured a clean friendly place to stay for the night, we turned left in search of food.

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Photos

Balcony view
Left

Balcony view
Right