Vietnam: Dalat

From the scorching heat of Nha Trang, our next stop was Dalat. A big town in the south central highlands, it's a lovely city situated in the mountains and a lot colder than the upper 80s-90 fahrenheit temperatures we're used to. Though it's still about 75, it's a drop exacerbated by the rainy weather and I'm cold! I read that the Vietnamese and French used to come here to escape the heat and they were spot on with that.

View from our room.

We arrived midday and walked around the small, winding roads in search of a place to stay. Finally, we found one with an internet shop on the ground floor and huge rooms with balconies upstairs. It has been funny walking through the internet shop whenever we come or go, seeing the mostly very young Vietnamese boys playing games or looking at Facebook. Sometimes we get stares, but usually they are glued to their screens and don't notice us walk by. Right outside our place is the center of town - all types of shops, people collecting plastics (signifying their arrival with a squeaky toy) and a wet market selling fish and seafood.

Seen at the wet market.

Winding up the mountain is the central market with lots of cold weather gear, crocheted sweaters/hats and local specialities: fresh strawberry jam, dried fruits/flowers (to eat) and fresh flowers (to put in a vase). It's not the right season for viewing the gardens, but on the drive we saw countless tents which house the region's famous flowers, fruits and vegetables. I made a point to buy the strawberry jam and try it on a baguette - very yummy! Sam tried the local dairy - Dalat milk signs are everywhere. It tastes like milk in case you were wondering.

Dalat strawberry jam.

A taste of Dalat milk.

On our second day, we rented mountain bikes to tour the town and surrounding area. The mountain roads can be complicated to navigate (for someone from the grid system of Chicago who doesn't know Vietnamese) and we found ourselves inadvertently at an amusingly cheesy waterfall - complete with pony rides and men wearing what looked like Vietnamese sombreros. We continued on and biked our way through some small villages and got a nice view of the town just before the rain came.

Cam Ly waterfall.

Dalat from above.

It's been a rainy couple of days, but the town has a really quaint feel. The French influence appears subtly around every bend in the road - doesn't that power station look a bit like the Eiffel Tower? The town feels safe, unlike some of the busier cities which are known for nighttime pickpockets or thieving hotel staff, and the people are very helpful. I'd love to come back when the weather is more clear and the flowers are in full bloom. For now, we have had a pleasant time getting to know the city and breathing in the refreshing mountain air.