Đà Lạt Trip: Part 4 (last part!)

(by the way, if you think I have a good memory for the itinerary of this trip it's not true. I would be totally lost without the photographic record - and Bảo who took on the responsibility of pooling and sharing out the photos that each person on the trip took!)

Our last evening concluded with some over-zealous members of the group taking xe vịt (pedal duck/swan boats) out on Xuân Hương lake. Just like swans these vessels look like easy-sailing but to actually pedal them through the water is a rigorous and exhausting activity, and most definitely takes two people to achieve it. My pedalling partner, Dũng, is a competitive person as well so we kept having to race the other swans to imaginary finish lines.

In the morning most people wanted to go to the market and buy fruit, jam, sweaters, etc. Bảo, Bi, Thuận and I opted for coffee and ice cream instead.

Our actual departure from Đà Lạt was in stages, as we visited the Crazy House before leaving the city, and then stopped off at Datanla falls for several hours, including lunch. As a result our final departure time and commencement of the descent from the highlands only came around at about 3pm.

Crazy House - Hằng Nga

(It is a bit lazy of me, but you can take a look at my teaching website for information about this one!)

The Crazy House is a bit of a miniature Disney-land, so it is especially suited to kids who get to do all manner of dangerous things such as walk along narrow, low-sided elevated walkways joining buildings in the complex 10 metres above the ground. I do think the free-form architecture is appealing, but I still feel that actually staying in the rooms of this guesthouse is too much like living in a cement shell. The intention in the design of all the rooms is that they be cosy and inviting, but I really have no desire to stay here.

But it is always fun to visit, to see what has changed and what is still the same from last time, and what is still unfinished!

Datanla Falls

My last visit here was with Michelle, Chaska and Killki, and like that visit we took the toboggan down the steep slope to the waterfall. Bi and Thuận went on a sled of their own but managed fine, which is a bit of a relief now because there were a lot of people, and most disregarded the warning signs to keep 25 metres distance between each sled. The immediate result of this behaviour was that Dũng and Tiệp got smashed into from behind by some other group, and Dũng broke a tooth.

We had a picnic lunch at the falls, and then took a cable car that travels further down a gorge to a second set of waterfalls - quite a new attraction and it seems not yet well-known. The cable car brings you to the head of the next waterfall. From there there is an elevator(!) to take you to the base where you can wander along the stream before it reaches another cascade. We had an enjoyable time down here relaxing in the pleasant air and cool water, but ... Vũng Tàu was still a long way away.

in the background you can see the elevator

Homeward bound

We finally made it home to Phan Chu Trinh Street just before midnight, and put two very tired boys to bed. Along the way Đạt and Dương decided that they needed to buy two cumquat trees, which of course had to join the passengers in the van. We also stopped for dinner at the big Tâm Châu tea and coffee showroom and restaurant near Bảo Lộc, where Đạt and I both invested in a kilogram of delicious coffee each.

one final photo: I took this when Đạt bought the trees but I still don't know what it is!