Dalat, Vietnam

It was a bit of a nightmare getting here! Our bus never showed up, and this was at twelve at night. There were a few security guys next to us who were trying to tell us the bus on the other side of the road was for us, which it wasn't. They were very insistent on it. I think they had a few too many to drink. Sick of waiting, we checked our ticket again. We noticed it said 12pm and not 12am. We didn't think anything of it. Then a guy from the hostel beside us offered to help us. He rang the bus company. Turns out the ticket agent put us down for the wrong time. They offered to put us on the next bus. All three of us and the guy walked up the road to the bus company. For some strange reason a new ticket had to be purchased. The guy insisted on buying it for us as he could get a full refund the following day for it. He really was a life saver. Without him, I don't know what we would have done! Eventually, the bus arrived. It was a lot more modern than some of the other buses we have travelled on. The seats were like beds, but there wasn't much room for me as it was a very tight area. Luckily enough, the back of the bus was empty, so we all moved over, where I had loads of room for my lanky legs! On the bus, I got great views of the mountains during sunrise, which was really special. Getting off the bus, I went to put my sandals on, but they weren't there. I searched the back of the whole bus, but no sign. I'm beginning to think I am not meant to have sandals. The first pair I lost, the next pair broke. Then the pair I had from back home goes missing. Hopefully I will be able to get a new pair in Vietnam. Only problem is that there all really small, so we will see! I had to get a taxi to the hostel we wanted to check out. The driver brought us there, however we had to walk down a dirty lane way to get to it, which I wasn't impressed with, especially with having no shoes. I guess its all stuff for the memory bank! Luckily enough the hostel, 'Enjoy Dalat' was really nice. It's run by a family who are really friendly. We had whole dorm to ourselves. Dalat is a lot colder than the other places we have been to as its high up in the mountains. We really appreciated our nice warm duvets which smelt amazing. After we got settled, we went for food in a big bakery opposite us. The rolls there were amazing. From there we went exploring around the town. Later on, we found a nice pub called 'Alo Pub' which is only open a few weeks. It's certainly a popular spot with the locals. There were a bunch of locals beside us who were really friendly offering to buy us drinks, but we didn't let them. Still a bit peckish, I decided to order something a little bit different, so I went for ' ducks tongues.' They were really nice. Ended up having eight of them. Something else to tick off the list! The toilets there are really cool. The men's urinals are behind a big mirror in the bar, so while your going to the toilet, you can look out at the whole bar. Lucky enough they can't see you, or can they? It was really strange seeing people in long trousers and jumpers. Its something that were not used to! The next day we went on a tour which was really cool. Dalat is very famous for flowers, so our first stop was to a flower farm, which was nice to see. From there we went to a cricket farm, where I had not one but fifteen of them. Jason could barely eat one. Sick of waiting for him, Kathrin, the vegetarian, grabs it off him and eats it. She is crazy! We also visited a minority village, which was a great experience, especially being able to see how they live. Our guide told us that they have their own language. In the past, girls of thirteen would have been thrown into arranged marriage. Now the girl has to be eighteen and the boy twenty years of age, thanks to new laws. The girl is allowed to pick her future husband who is usually from the same village. After a few weeks of dating the girl would then propose to the guy. Its certainly different to the rest of the world. Does that mean the girl has to buy the ring? From there we went to a weasel and rice wine farm. The rice wine was 65%. It would certainly put hairs on your chest. After a nice strong drink, it was time to try some nice 'Weasel Coffee.' In order to get the nice taste, the animals are fed coffee beans. Trays are left under their cages to allow the beans to drop out of the animals and into the tray. The beans are then collected. Don't worry, they are cleaned first. Now I can say I had a cup of Weasel Coffee, the drink of the celebs. It was really nice, but Jason destroyed his by diluting it with more water. Our next stop was an hours drive away. We drove through the mountains which was really nice. Vietnam is such a beautiful country. The mountains are so green. They reminded me of Ireland. We were driving along, then the road disappeared and we were left with a mud trail. All the passengers on motorbikes had to get off and walk as the bikes were no match for the mud. Even the car we were in was having trouble getting through it. Luckily enough we got to our next destination safely without any accidents. It probably had something to do with the 'Happy Buddha' protecting us, which was our next stop. One of the most thrilling things we did that day was visiting the 'Elephant Waterfall' which is 40 metres high. The water was all muddy because of all the rain, but it was still amazing to see. All three of us climbed down to the bottom where there was a nice small canyon area which was stunning. It was so beautiful. Trying to understand and appreciate a country's culture is something that is important to myself and Jason and what better way to experience it then at a traditional textile craft shop where they still use all the old methods. The women here were lovely and all the products were handmade and to a very high standard. After a lot of exploring, it was time for a nice traditional lunch. The food was really tasty, but there wasn't much for poor Kathrin. Next on the agenda was a silk factory. The silk is taken from 'Silk Worms' who form a cocoon. The inner material is more valuable than the outer material. Reluctantly, I ate a worm! In the end, I managed to eat eight of them. They were really nice, and tasted like nuts. Unfortunately, Jason wasn't a man and refused to try them. Oh well, maybe next time! Determined to see all the waterfalls in the world, we went to a second one. It was really nice and we were able to walk right behind the it, which was impressive. The whole area was really nice, but it was very touristy. I went to go for a ride on an Ostrich, but the bird kept on trying to bite me. The guys blocked its head so I would get on it so they could make some easy money, but I refused. They had a seat pushed into the poor bird, damaging its feathers, which I wouldn't say was pleasant for the poor thing. We did manage to cross a wooden bridge to get to a cable car. It was like an 'I'm a Celeb' moment! We were only in the car for a short period but we got some impressive views of the waterfall, which was really cool. Finally, after a very long day, we stopped off at the old railway station. I even got to climb up on an old 'Steam Engine,' which was pretty cool. When buses came, Vietnam decommissioned all their trains, as buses were seen as more flexible and cheaper, a bit like Dublin's old Tram system! That evening we all went to the 'Chocolate Cafe,' where the staff were really friendly and funny. There was a brother and sister there, who were both really funny and chatty. Its one place I would recommend going to! The next day, we woke up early so we could visit the world renowned 'Crazy House.' It's a serious of cool buildings with really quirky walkways all around them. Some of them went up over the building which was a bit scary. The rooms could have been a lot stranger than what they were, but it was still really cool. One path led us into a building site which was really dangerous. I don't think it would have been allowed to stay open if it was in the Western World, but I guess anything goes in Asia! All three of us really enjoyed Dalat. There is so much beautiful countryside to see. The people in our guesthouse were really nice and made us all feel very welcome. Its definitely a place I would revisit again!

By Andrew

#mountains #ducks #crickets #worms #silk #coffee