Days 36-37 DALAT, VIETNAM “Catching some Cool”I was pleased to have gone to bed early th

Days 36-37 DALAT, VIETNAM “Catching some Cool”I was pleased to have gone to bed early the night before as it was an early morning start for my journey from Nha Trang to Dalat. Why Dalat? It is a good question since many people travelling onward from Nha Trang simply go to Saigon (Ho Chi Minh), especially if they are touring Vietnam at speed. For me as Vietnam was my first country in South East Asia, I wasn’t particularly keen to leave in a hurry, not least because I had forked out the extra cash to get a 90 day visa. But I had also been advised not to rush Vietnam and wasn’t about to start.But what appealed to me about visiting Dalat? Dalat is cool, a relief from the heady heat of the lower regions, located as it is high up in the mountain areas and subject as it is to frequent rains. It is a good place to get away from the busy-ness of the city life and to explore the mountain scenery and flower displays.Still, why Dalat in particular given the other places I could go to? It is again a good question since people are often split between going to Dalat or neighbouring Mui Ne, Dalat being in the lower north, and Mui Ne in the lower south. Mui Ne is known, amongst other thing, for its beautiful beaches. But as I had already seen a few beaches, and would no doubt encounter them again in Thailand, I was happy to skip it this time. At this moment in time Dalat appealed to me, and it was this mind-set that I paid the extra for the ticket to go there.The journey to Dalat was scenic as we ascended into the clouds, but unfortunately again the view was restricted by being in a bus. It was now more than ever that I wanted to be on a scooter and capturing these wonderful views. I arrived in Dalat to rainfall which was only the second time I had seen rain on my travels. What a change! Was I in England?The bus stopped directly outside a hostel, which was particularly keen to host us. I had in mind staying at a pretty good hostel elsewhere, but when I saw a piano in the lobby I was immediately sold. I played the piano for a good 45 minutes, which was incredibly good for me. I played Liszt’s Consolation No. 3 with relish. With the rain pattering outside, I could think of no better piece to play (don’t mention Chopin’s raindrop prelude – how predictable would that be?).At this point I elected on a stroll through the quaint town of Dalat in search of my Vietnamese companions. While doing so I bumped into an ‘Easy Rider’, a motorcycle tour guide of the type we had met in Phong Nha-Ke Bang. I had heard that going in an Easy Rider was one of the must-do things in Dalat so I was at least curious to see what ‘Mr Tan’ had to say. To my amazement he had excellent English and what can only be described as a bible of testimonials from literally hundreds of people all over the world glowing about his tours. Many of his tours were over several days, and covered a large area including sights hit during the American-Vietnam war. As the price was quite steep for such options, and as I had already paid for my onward travel I wouldn’t be doing such a tour this time. However he looked like a decent chap and perhaps it would be fun to do a day tour with him. I would speak to the rest of the guys.The unique thing to do in Dalat is 'canyoning’, an activity where you abseil down waterfalls and jump off cliffs. (photograph attributable to vjtadventures). On any other day this may have sounded appealing, but as I was recovering from yet another cold, and the fact that in Dalat the temperature is much lower, this didn’t appeal to me as much as it could have. After finally regrouping with the others at a coffee shop I discovered that Rochelle, Sabrina and Verena had actually gone canyoning that day and really enjoyed it. I just wasn’t feeling it!After I took Rochelle and Sabrina back to my hotel for a 'sing along’ round the piano singing 'My heart will go on’ (continuing an ongoing Titanic gag in the group) I met up with the group again for a vegetarian meal. Tofu in the style of meat was a peculiarity of this restaurant and it did a pretty decent job of recreating prawns.After some deliberations with Verena and Sabrina we agreed to use the services of Mr. Tan, with Sabrina taking the backseat and Verena and I following behind in our own scooters. So we set out the next day with Mr. Tan who did a great job of taking us around the sights. We saw an interesting pagoda with impressive statues, wonderful vistas, a silk worm factory, a weasel coffee farm and an impressive waterfall. We also ate some tasty local cuisine.We got stuck at one point on a very muddy section of the hill with perilous consequences should we have slipped. On more than one occasion my back wheel slipped and I was at 90 degrees to the road. Luckily I did not fall. I did manage to look like a muppet however with my beautiful raincoat. Verena and Sabrina liked my outfit very much however.By the time we were back it was nearing late afternoon. Having bid farewell to our trusted guide Mr. Tan we had a brief break before meeting up again for dinner. I had been missing steak so was very pleased to find it on the menu at Da Quy, a recommended traveller haunt. To be able to eat steak with peppercorn sauce with a glass of Dalat’s finest red for a mere142,000 dong (£4) made the meal even more tasty.It was while enjoying the meal that we realised that we had actually missed out on one of the Dalat’s biggest attractions, Crazy House (http://www.crazyhouse.vn/index.php), which was supposed to be part of the tour (we missed other things too like the rice wine making). Considered one of the strangest buildings in the world, it was inspired by the likes of Gaudi and Dali, and has a sort of childlike naivety built into its design. (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2215751/Crazy-House-Vietnam-combines-elements-Gaudi-Dali-Disney-truly-fairytale-holiday.html). It was a shame we missed this, but all the more reason to come back (it is even possible to sleep at Crazy House!).Dalat is really a place you can let go and relax. It has a bohemian atmosphere, a legacy no doubt of the French who established the town itself in the early twentieth century. For example the café where we enjoyed a brief breakfast before our Easy Rider tour that day used bird cages for lamp shades, an old organ as a table, a water can as a vase, and had lots of books along the wall for idle perusal. Very bohemian. No wonder Dalat is also called ‘Petit Paris’.After our meal, we the group met for a brief drink, before bidding farewell to Justin and Rochelle who would depart from Dalat early.Before calling the day an end, Sabrina, Verena and I would have a quick look at the market, and saw some rather tasty looking food. Shame we had eaten!And some rather more strange food!The next day I too would leave Dalat too. Sad, I was, to leave Dalat so soon. But the next morning I would be going to the only city I had heard the name of in Vietnam: Saigon. -- source link

More pics about