Da Lat

So today was by far the most tourist-y day of our trip. We arrived yesterday around 6 pm and were able to book our next bus for Nha Trang (more beaches!) as well as a day tour around Da Lat's famous sites. We were shocked: no humidity, and we had to change into pants and sweaters! It was actually pretty refreshing to not constantly feel sweaty and gross, even though I don't think I am properly prepared for the temperatures.

Also, apparently Da Lat is known for hecklers, and it is quite true. Upon exiting the bus we couldn't shake men and women trying to pass us business cards for hotels and taxis, and we just decided to stay at the Sinh Cafe's hotel because we wouldn't have to leave a different hotel early to make it to tours on time.

Below is a picture of our hotel room, $12USD/night



After settling into our hotel, Trung Cang Hotel, run by Sinh Cafe folks (the same people we're using for all our tours), we ventured out into the streets and checked out their market, which is supposed to have lots of cheap wares and street vendors.







We walked through the entire market, which mostly had cheap clothes and really cheesy souveniers, and ended up settling on an outdoor stall for a quick bowl of Pho. MmMmM it was tasty, and we both got the pork pho as we had never had pork in our pho before. Also, as we move north the noodles change from the small noodles, similar to pad thai noodles, to thicker, flat ones similar to pad see ew (sp?).



After looking in our guidebook for the nightlife scene, we found a couple bars just a block away from the market, which turned out to be french-style cafes with sort-of pricey menus. Since Da Lat was a French resort town back in the day, the french cafe scene is abundant, and there is no shortage of cute spots to hang out at in the evening. Apparently these cafes turn into more lively atmospheres at night, however we ended up hunkering down around 11 pm and it was a Tuesday so I think we may have missed that part of the evening.

Anyway, today we took a tour with Sinh Cafe, stopping at a couple VERY touristy waterfalls, one with a rollercoaster,







the other with elephant and ostrich rides, as well as a monastery:





an art-deco summer palace for the last king of VN (As you can see, for about 75 cents each we were able to dress in full regalia and take pictures. BEST 75 CENTS SPENT EVER!!!)







While walking around the palace, we had to wear these shoe-covers...needless to say, randy and I got a kick out of them:



this BIZARRE place called the Valley of Love(as you can see, words nor pictures can describe this place),









an embroidery house (holy amazingness),





and a hilltop Buddha with great views of Da Lat and the nearby farms:





All in all, it was nice to check out the sites, and despite not that much physical activity, it seemed to knock me and Randy on our asses. Once we got back, we realized we needed to timeline the rest of our trip, so we rested and figured out our schedule, then got a bowl of Bun Bo Hue (a noodle soup with round, udon-like noodles). Since we ate relatively early, we are going to go to a restaurant soon that apparently has good American food :)

We depart manana around 7:30 and will arrive in Nha Trang around 12:30. It's another beach town, with surrounding islands, and we plan on going to a mudbath/spa, as well as an island tour (with a trip to the aquarium...i LOVE aquariums!). Hopefully it will be full of leisure and sun! Until then, hope everyone is well in CA and beyond.