Blogs from Central Highlands, Vietnam, Asia - page 14

With our last day in Dalat, indeed our last real day of touring Vietnam – since tomorrow will start the escapade of the long trip home (Dalat to Saigon to Singapore to Perth) – we set out for an early breakfast at hour villa before our villa operated tour of Dalat. Mustering what little energy we each had left, as both of us had had a rough last couple of nights sleep and myself starting to feel like I am coming down with what Michelle has, we slothed our way up the steep cobblestone path to the reception counter where our butler, Hong, swiftly ushered us into a private car. Before even arriving in Dalat with no prior tour organized both Michelle and I wanted to do a tour of some description. For us, organised private ... read more

While Michelle rests in the other room, having been struggling with a cold for the last day and a half brought about by the rapid temperature flux we both continually experienced in Nha Trang (high thirties on the streets and near sub-zero indoors) I am sitting out on our balcony overlooking the country mountainous vista of Dalat; surrounded by flowers of every kind trees and shrub that our local squirrel has been frolicking in, and beyond the mass number of green houses in the distance, indeed beyond the mountains themselves the sound of music floating in the breeze. The day started early but sluggish, with both of us possibly on the verge of a cold and our pillows too hard, the last few nights sleep in Nha Trang has been a struggle, usually requiring the air ... read more

After the adventure to get there, the serenity of Dalat was very welcoming. Dalat is a town in the mountainous regions of South Central Vietnam, set amongst some of the most picturesque scenery and dotted with art deco buildings, and buildings of European style. The town features a miniature version of the Eiffel Tower, illustrating its strong French colonial roots. Although slowly opening up to tourism, Dalat is still on relatively few foreigners’ tourist trails – in fact, we saw hardly any other western travellers. It appears to cater for wealthy Vietnamese on weekend getaways. Having had a relaxing night the previous evening, unwinding in a couple of bars and enjoying some local food, we made an early start to explore the town. As most of the places we wanted to visit were fairly central we ... read more

Our trip to Da Lat seemed cursed from the start. First our flight was cancelled. The our alternative, the overnight buses, were all full because of a national holiday. And so, at 5 o’clock in the morning, we climbed bleary eyed into a car for the drive. Seven sleepless hours later we began the final climb to Da Lat. The road winds up tree-covered mountains, through the occasional village. Great views but I was glad of the travel tablet. The plan had been to go on a motorbike tour but, because of the national holiday, it was impossible to get five Easy Riders. This was a big disappointment but an amble around Da Lat was nice. The locals are very friendly, with children stopping us to talk in the streets. We bought tea and coffee which ... read more

Hello again family and friends! After a comfortable four hour bus ride norht, we arrived at the beach resort town of Mui Ne. The area is known for its excellent kite boarding conditions. Kites from all over the world conveine here because of the moderate and constant winds. The weather is great a lovely average of 30 degrees. Besides the wind sports there are many beautiful up-scale resorts, a nice beach and a fairly strong surf. The highlight for us is our resort - Tien Dat (Blue Waves). We certainly hit the jackpot here. We have a spacious and beautiful deluxe suite with a large open balcony within steps of one of the awesome pools. So I am back to my swimming routine and of course lounging in the pool as well. It is a very ... read more