Xin chào blog fans! I’m back!
In the interests of not sowing expectations to reap disappointments I heeded the words of a culture shocked colleague’s experience of Dalat: “It’s nice, but it’s still Vietnam”, and went on my merry way with few preconceived ideas about what awaited me in the central highlands. The early start and 7 hour bus journey was made more bearable when I moved to the back of the vehicle to secure a double seat and reclined to my lanky legs’ delight.
In the interests of not sowing expectations to reap disappointments I heeded the words of a culture shocked colleague’s experience of Dalat: “It’s nice, but it’s still Vietnam”, and went on my merry way with few preconceived ideas about what awaited me in the central highlands. The early start and 7 hour bus journey was made more bearable when I moved to the back of the vehicle to secure a double seat and reclined to my lanky legs’ delight.
On arrival, after checking in to my guesthouse – a comfortable little place in backpacker-ville – I went for a wander and soon became the latest target of the Easy Rider brigade. I’d heard of this crew, and indeed had already decided to do one of their day tours of the Dalat countryside before leaving Saigon. They’re essentially a bunch of middle aged bikers (real bikes that is, not the little scooters you find in the rest of ‘Nam) who offer anything from day tours of Dalat to 21 day tours up to Hanoi and Sapa in the far north. As with everything in ‘Nam, fakes flourish everywhere and I wanted to make sure I got the real deal. After shaking off 3 of these clowns I was directed to their office and after checking price, itinerary and official ID cards I arranged to meet Mr Quân the following morning.
Something dawned on me that evening – it was a bit nippy. At around 24°C this was by far the coldest temperature I’d been exposed to since leaving the UK. I had Goosebumps! This does not bode well for my return to the UK in December.
The next day was amazing – starting with a visit to the Dragon pagoda, followed by coffee and tea plantations, a flower farm, silk spinning factory, Elephant waterfall, old railway station and Linh Phuoc pagoda – which is decorated with old beer bottles and ceramics. Getting to know each other a little over the course of the day, I learned Mr Quân had been making a living this way for the past 20 years or so. I contemplated asking what he did pre 1975, but thought this may be shaky ground, especially as we had the rest of the day with only each other for company. Mr Quân was, however, audibly shocked to learn my age, after estimating me to be a youthful 22: I knew my gut instinct was right to choose this guy as my guide!
Coffee beans
Elephant waterfall
Not long after, we stopped off at a vantage point to take photos of the valley below, Mr Quân offered to take my photograph sitting on his bike – no sooner had he taken a few snapshots on my camera, than he did the same with his own handheld Lumix. Apparently, it might end up on the website. Now I don’t have a problem with plugging the Easy Rider company – indeed Mr Quân had done a sterling job as my guide, and word of mouth is a powerful thing, but being the new face of the Easy Riders was not on my agenda, particularly as I wasn’t feeling my most glamorous after being led through coffee plantations and vegetable patches, not to mention the helmet that had well, quite frankly ruined my straightened hair. Let’s just hope the picture comes out blurry and never sees the light of the Easy Rider's webpage!
After Mr Quân had completed his tour, he dropped me off at Hang Nga’s Crazy House. Something of an eyesore as far as the fine folk of Dalat are concerned, it is designed and owned by the daughter of a former president. The photos of her family enjoying the company of Uncle Ho only serve as a reminder that the town folks’ objections to these new constructions will fall on deaf ears. A fine example of how money and power reign in this country. The house (which really consists of 4 separate buildings – some still very much under construction) is uniquely decorated. With only 12 or so rooms few tourists actually choose to stay here, although many pop in during their time in Dalat to satisfy their curiosity.
The following days were filled with visits to the Flower gardens, lake, Lam Ty Ni pagoda and Bao Dai’s Summer Palace. Lam Ty Ni doesn’t look like much from the outside – a fairly small, unimpressive and rundown pagoda surrounded by large metal gates. But inside lives a strange and intriguing individual – the mad monk. Vien Thuc lives here with his dog and 100,000 self-portraits! I was itching to meet him, but alas, the gates were locked on my arrival and Mr Thuc didn’t appear to want to let me in (if indeed he was even resident at the time).
In contrast, Bao Dai’s Summer Palace with its exquisitely manicured grounds was warm and welcoming. After taking a tour around the building, wearing slip on socks to protect the floor (and unknowingly helping to polish the floorboards) I headed out to explore the gardens. To my surprise I was met with the sound of Blue’s greatest hits (for those of you who are not aware of his ‘pop phenomenon’ they were a mediocre boy band from the early noughties who are now has-beens). I wasn’t aware that Emporer Bao Dai had been a fan of such British boy bands, but you learn something new every day!
After Mr Quân had completed his tour, he dropped me off at Hang Nga’s Crazy House. Something of an eyesore as far as the fine folk of Dalat are concerned, it is designed and owned by the daughter of a former president. The photos of her family enjoying the company of Uncle Ho only serve as a reminder that the town folks’ objections to these new constructions will fall on deaf ears. A fine example of how money and power reign in this country. The house (which really consists of 4 separate buildings – some still very much under construction) is uniquely decorated. With only 12 or so rooms few tourists actually choose to stay here, although many pop in during their time in Dalat to satisfy their curiosity.
The following days were filled with visits to the Flower gardens, lake, Lam Ty Ni pagoda and Bao Dai’s Summer Palace. Lam Ty Ni doesn’t look like much from the outside – a fairly small, unimpressive and rundown pagoda surrounded by large metal gates. But inside lives a strange and intriguing individual – the mad monk. Vien Thuc lives here with his dog and 100,000 self-portraits! I was itching to meet him, but alas, the gates were locked on my arrival and Mr Thuc didn’t appear to want to let me in (if indeed he was even resident at the time).
In contrast, Bao Dai’s Summer Palace with its exquisitely manicured grounds was warm and welcoming. After taking a tour around the building, wearing slip on socks to protect the floor (and unknowingly helping to polish the floorboards) I headed out to explore the gardens. To my surprise I was met with the sound of Blue’s greatest hits (for those of you who are not aware of his ‘pop phenomenon’ they were a mediocre boy band from the early noughties who are now has-beens). I wasn’t aware that Emporer Bao Dai had been a fan of such British boy bands, but you learn something new every day!
Bao Dai’s Summer Palace
So all in all a very relaxing and enjoyable change of scene, refreshingly different from the cities and beaches I’ve already experienced here. Open spaces, clean air and friendly locals who are wiser than to try and rip you off when you mention you live in Saigon! But a friend was right when he told me the wine was crap – even if some of it is 16% proof!
A xx
A xx
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