Blogs from Da Lat, Lam Dong, Central Highlands, Vietnam, Asia - page 36

Dalat made me sick. Literally. Touted as the city that has one of the best water sanitation systems, I thought this would be the safest place for me to ingest the local water supply via icy drinks and teeth brushing. My bowels disagreed. Don't leave home without a travelsize pack of Pepto Bismol! A lifesaver. Aside from that transgression, Da Lat had to be my favorite city in Vietnam. In some places, I've heard people describe it as a haven for Vietnam's bohemians and intellectuals. I don't know about a bohemian atmosphere but Da Lat lived up to its cool, lush green, breathtaking paranomic views. Imagine the physicality of Vancouver/Portland/San Francisco all bundled into one Vietnamese roll. Upside: Less beggars. The city is walkable within its central district for shopping, people watching, and good ol' exercise. ... read more

Last night we decided to spend lots of money and go to a fancy restaurant, just because it sounded like fun. The place was called Cafe de la Poste, and was quite pretty looking. They had a set menu, where you could choose from 3 appetizers, 3 main courses, and 3 deserts. I had Prawns and Leek in Lobster sauce, Stewed Duck, and Strawberries and Cream. Quite good. However we had to take a taxi to the restaurant and when we told the receptionist at our Guest House where we were going she turned her nose up at us and made us pay her to call a taxi. It all turned out alright though, and we had our tour of the city to look forward to the next day. We had to be up at 9:00 ... read more

In September 1973, my boss asked me to go to Saigon for six weeks to replace the Design Division Director who was going on home leave. I wanted Linda to go along, at my expense. Initially he was reluctant to agree as security in Saigon was still questionable despite the peace treaty. When I told him that we would be staying with friends at the mission guest home, he agreed. On September 30, 1973 Linda and I flew to Saigon. We stayed at the mission guest home which was across the street from national police headquarters. The ends of the street were barricaded, so we felt relatively safe. I worked Monday through Friday, and Saturday mornings, so had Saturday afternoon and Sundays free. During my free time we hung around with my Air America friend Ed, ... read more

I was six, almost seven, so it was time for me to start school. Missionaries in Southeast Asia sent their children to boarding school at Dalat, in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. Vietnam was part of French Indochina until 1954 when it was divided into North and South Vietnam, with Ho Chi Minh and his communists in charge of the government in the north, and Ngo Dinh Diem as the president of the supposedly democratic South Vietnam, but he was really a dictator. Many Catholics moved to the South to avoid persecution by an atheist government. In 1956, when I first started at Dalat School, the communist Viet Cong had not yet organized their terrorism campaign to overthrow the south so traveling to Dalat was pretty safe. My parents and I took the train to Bangkok, ... read more