Dalat

Mon coup de coeur!

I arrived in Dalat just as the sun was setting. It is a small town by Vietnamese standards (population is about 350 000!), set amid mountains, at a very high altitude, which means that it's cold there! Ok, cold is a bit of an over-exaggeration since it's about 20 degrees, but to me it was a breath of fresh air. On top of the milder temperatures, the oppressing humidity has disappeared. I spent the better part of my first evening here just walking around, enjoying my ability to be outside without sweating. Delighting in wearing a light sweater. Realizing that I miss seeing mountains everyday; oh Vancouver, you spoil me so!

Equally refreshing is the attitude of the locals in Dalat. There doesn't seem to be a "tourist price" to everything. I don't spend most of my time avoiding scams and street vendors. It is possible to just sit in a coffee shop, enjoy a fruit shake, in blessed solitude. Plus, the fruit shake is made with local, as in from the farm 5 minutes away, fruit which is another perk. The weather around Dalat is such that the whole countryside is farm land interspersed with green houses growing flowers.

 Though this might not look all that picturesque, once you realize what the inside of these greenhouses look like, you become much more understanding!

 The best way to explore the highlands around Dalat is by motorbike, with a local guide called an Easy Rider. These locals know people all over the countryside and know pretty everything you might want to know. I had the good fortune of meeting Mr. Sao, who I called Mr. Monkey-Man since he was simply hilarious. His English was impeccable and his knowledge of his country and agriculture was astounding. With him I visited a silk factory, noddle factory, coffee plantation, flower plantations, rice wine factory, a real pho restaurant, pagodas, waterfalls, vegetable farms, and the list goes on. At each of these spots he explained to me the process the farmers go through from seed to harvest, to how things are sold and distributed across Vietnam.

With his guidance I also go to try a variety of wines: rice wine (65% alcohol -- this was no sake!), snake wine (from a really disgusting looking fermenting plastic container), honey wine (very strong and weird smelling concoction), and strawberry wince (actually quite tasty, a relief that!). We also stopped at a fruit vendor where I got to sample everything she had to offer, a real treat for my sweet tooth! I had such a good time with Mr. Sao that I decided to splurge and go on a three day trip with him through the central highlands on the back of his bike. Can't wait!