Dalat and Environs

Well, anyone (Vietnamese or farang) who said so was right in suggesting that Dalat is the place for me! If it's any indication, I stayed six nights in Dalat! And, I'm not talking about the Dalat that's bought and sold in the downtown and that LP talks about (the kitchey part of Dalat that the Vietnamese tourists go for); I'm talking about the Dalat that is the city in the mountains at about 1500 meters in elevation with cool evening temperatures, lovely warm days, gorgeous sunrises and sunsets and the ever present pine scent (once you get out of town)!

I found a decent place to stay on the third floor of a sunrise facing mini-hotel for $6 a night with a balcony, a comfy bed, warm shower, locking cabinets inside the room and a TV with BBC and HBO (partly a good thing, partly a bad thing). The owners spoke little to no English and were a friendly grandmother and her daughter. I had fun shuffling around the bottom floor with the granddaughter, playing silly games and laughing at one another. I liked it because it was so low key, in a quieter neighborhood and there were all the amenities I needed (except for a decent store, which exists in few places in Dalat anyhow) right outside the door, including a travel agent to extend my visa, a motor bike rental shop, a little low key restaurant with decent food at decent prices and an internet cafe with the best computers I have seen in the country so far (still only 3000 dong an hour, or approximately 20 pennies US per hour). Best of all, it was in a part of Dalat not terribly frequented by farang. I did see some now and then, but mostly Vietnamese tourists and locals traveled up and down my street.

I didn't do anything particularly special in Dalat. I walked/strolled around the lake and through the market. I read (Bill Bryson's "A Short History of Nearly Everything"...so nice!). I watched BBC and movies. I ate (YUM...found a favorite cheap dive with GREAT food right near the university!). I didn't ride the bike, oddly enough. I was pretty tired from the climb and wanted time to recover, so I decided to walk everywhere. I walked through all the little neighborhoods, down little dirt paths between homes, wandered all over the outskirts of town and then found my way back to downtown and around the lake. This is a very walkable town and I loved walking everywhere. Well, that is until I hopped on a motor bike to explore the greater Dalat area. I had such a delightful time scooting around the mountains like many of the locals (ah...when in Rome/Dalat...). I traveled out from the center of town in every direction roads traveled: up to the gates of Mt. Longbian, down toward Lam Ha (where I found a GREAT alternative road I could have ridden rather than busy, loud, stinky highway 20, see earlier post for directions), out toward Nha Trang (on the road I had been suggested to ride to Nha Trang by a kind Dutch woman who lives in town) and back down highway 20. I also wandered around the prime agricultural areas within the greater Dalat region, peaking in greenhouses growing everything from strawberries to flowers to greens to roses. I did hit a few of the big tourist destinations including the pagodas, "The Crazy House," Bao Dia's "palace" (not nearly as lavish as those Thai palaces), the flower gardens and the central market. But, mostly, I just relaxed and enjoyed the cool temperatures. What a pleasant change from those insanely hot uphills in the Central Highlands!

One of the most beautiful places I found that I returned to several times by motor bike (and wished I had pedalled to) was the dam just outside of town, near which lie several resorts and a zen meditation center ****EDIT: ADD NAME HERE*******. It was also the end of the aerial tram (which I didn't ride) and the destination of many many tourists (mostly Vietnamese). This did not distract from the beauty of the temple and/or the region. Sitting in the temple, I closed my eyes and besides the sound of the gong the monk kept ringing (to offer a sense of sacred silence to the throngs of tourists passing rapidly in and out of the building to bow three times and offer inscents), the wind chimes calmly resonating in the gentle breeze and the sounds of Vietnamese voices and children playing in the garden, I heard an osprey on the wing. I determined on that first visit to return the following morning as early as I could escape my hotel (they lock the door with a padlock from the inside, something morning people like myself lament) and scoot on over to do some bird watching and see the temple early in the day.

I did just that, heard some great bird song while strolling a thin little trail on the south side of the lake and saw the temple early on. I also scooted around the lake to catch a view of some of the resorts, perhaps to catch some ideas for subsequent visit(s) to the area. Found a neat one with little grass hut bungaloes in a quiet cove. Pretty neat spot. This was Oscar night/morning (depending on whether you're in SF or Asia) and I promised Sharon to watch the winners together online. I hurried back to my favorite little internet cafe and discovered, sadly, ABC had barred anyone from watching online. So, we chatted and watched the winners as they were posted on the Official Oscars Website.

It was helpful for me to ride out of town by motor bike on the "new road" to get a sense of what would come when I finally pedaled out of town. I got my bearings straight, assessed at least the first 15-20 km of hills and rest stops and knew I'd have to leave early in the morning the day of my ride. It got me really excited for the scenary to come, but offered me absolutely no idea what was to come about 40 km into the ride. My friend Huang told me I better I have good brakes for that ride and that it was a great ride. He was totally right! (Wait until tomorrow's post)

Ah, Dalat!!! I was sad to leave, but I wanted to move forward to Nha Trang. I stayed as long as I liked, could have stayed another week longer in those cool temperatures, but once I hit the saddle and began pedalling the first uphill away from the lake in the center of town, feeling strong legged and stong backed from days of resting, I knew it was a good thing (both to leave and to have stayed so long). Definitely a place I'd return to!