Would You Call Us Lucky or Unlucky?

The unlucky ones: Midway thru our trip, while checking out Da Lat's night market, my friend lost all her money. (No) thanks to a pickpocket. We went back to the scene of the crime and people would just smile or shrug their shoulders. Asking random people where the police station is we got a handful of headshakes, some "no English", and a couple backs turned. We were helped by a Vietnamese guy who knew some English. He took us to the police station and assumed the role of translator. It was all jotted down on the police record but all hopes dashed of getting any of it back. That was our first night in Da Lat. It was also our last. We packed up, ready to leave Da Lat first thing in the morning.

Unlucky night

 

The lucky ones: Teo, who helped me (via Couchsurfing) when I was plotting out this Vietnam trip, upon learning of that unfortunate event offered for us to stay at his family's house in Duc Trong, some 30 kilometers south of Da Lat.

The unlucky ones: The morning after, with all our bags packed, we called a taxi to take us from the hotel in Da Lat to Duc Trong. The taxi driver asked for 500,000 VND (about a thousand Philippine pesos). Ow. Too expensive.

The lucky ones: Teo called up a taxi company and arranged for it to pick us up and take us to Duc Trong for 200,000 VND. When we got on the cab, the driver turned on the meter. It was up to almost 500,000 VND when we got to our destination. We handed him our money and was pleasantly surprised when he took only 200,000 VND, the amount him and Teo had agreed on. Thank you Teo. Thank you Mr Cab Driver.

The lucky ones: During our stay in Duc Trong, Teo and his friends, Gon and Ken, loaded us on their motorcycles and we went around town, zipped along the highway, even back to Da Lat to see some more of what it has to offer: Crémaillère, Crazy House, and Prenn Falls.

 Zipping along the highway (Photo by R Abastas)

The unlucky ones: On the second night, as we were heading home to Teo's, one of the three motorcycles we were on got a flat tire about a kilometer out of the city limits. We all walked back to the city to look for a vulcanizing shop only to find out the repairman was out. We all waited at the roadside coffee shop while Teo, Gon, and Ken took turns checking the progress at the vulcanizing shop next door. After an hour or so of worrying and getting stressed out, our Vietnamese friends heaved a sigh of relief with renewed smiles, and Ken, who barely spoke to us for the past two days (because, I surmise, he was uncomfortable speaking English) exclaimed "Are you ready? Let's go!"

Gon checking on the motorcycle

The lucky ones: Weeks before the trip, Teo had invited me and my friends to attend his brother's wedding (though during that time we have never met him nor his brother), which coincidentally falls around the time we planned to be in Da Lat. It was an honor to witness a traditional wedding and take part in the wedding feast.

The lucky ones: My friends and I stayed at Teo's home for two days and had the pleasure of interacting (sometimes literally acting since we couldn't speak Vietnamese and the family, except Teo, spoke no English) and eating with him and his family. An awesome experience. Added bonus: homecooked Vietnamese meals!

One of the many meals with the family. Father is not in the photo.

Photo by H Bacordio

We were lucky after all. Lucky to have met these wonderful people: Teo, his family, and his friends. We are grateful for the kindness and hospitality they have unselfishly shown us.

Veni, Vidi, (South) Vietnam:
Do You...?
What's in a (Business) Name? Vietnam
Bed Hopping
Adopting a Fellow Traveler
Strolling Saigon
From Concrete City to Sand Town
From Sand Town to the Highlands
Would You Call Us Lucky or Unlucky? (you're here!)
Wedding Crashers
Vietnom Nom Nom
Ding Dong, Dong's All Gone

From Sand Town to the Highlands

From the shores of Mui Ne we move further up to Da Lat. Another 5-hour bus (a minibus really) ride and we arrive in cool temperatures. The first thing I saw as we approached Da Lat was the huge lake. That and the cool temperature reminded me of Baguio.

Xuan Houng Lake

Need exercise? Walk the path circumnavigating the lake. It will give your legs a good 7-kilometer workout. You can stop along the way for some food and drinks. There are vendors and a restaurant to energize you. And if you're feeling lovey-dovey with your other half, shell out 60,000VND and gather up some pedal pushing power for a swan ride.

Make sense of these rules before sitting on the swan.

Click and read the English translation.

Night Market

I am not sure if the night market comes alive daily or just weekends. It was a Saturday when we went. There's food sold just about anywhere. Clothes, bags, balloons, and some other things, too.

Crémaillère

Crémaillère or the Da Lat Railway Station is the "most ancient one in Vietnam" (that's what the sign says). From 1928 to 1964 it linked Da Lat and Thap Cham-Phan Rang. Now, it only operates to Trai Mat village.

 Train Schedule

 

Inside the station

Choochoo train

 Hang Nga Crazy House

For 35,000VND (admission fee), you enter into the weirdest house ever. This "crazy" house is the brain child of Vietnamese architect Dang Viet Nga. It has maze-like hallways, stairways with uneven steps, theme rooms with a bear, a giant eagle, or some other animal (you can rent any of these rooms), and bridges and stairs all over the roof. I left this place feeling rather bizarre.

 

Dining room

Stairway to get from one side of the roof to the other

 

 Giant spiderweb on the house

Uneven steps

Prenn Falls

About 10km from the city is Prenn Falls. Admission fee is 20,000VND. See the waterfall, walk the hanging bridge, row around on a raft. An elephant ride (separate fee) is also offered inside the vicinity.

Walk behind the falls, cross the hanging bridge, or row around on a raft

The only form of public transportation in Da Lat is the taxi. Tours around Da Lat can be availed thru the hostel/guesthouse. We were taken to these places on Vietnam's preferred mode of transportation—the motorcycle—by our newfound friends.

Veni, Vidi, (South) Vietnam:
Do You...?
What's in a (Business) Name? Vietnam
Bed Hopping
Adopting a Fellow Traveler
Strolling Saigon
From Concrete City to Sand Town
From Sand Town to the Highlands (you're here!)
Would You Call Us Lucky or Unlucky?
Wedding Crashers
Vietnom Nom Nom
Ding Dong, Dong's All Gone

From Concrete City to Sand Town

Mui Ne. Six hours from Saigon. Or is it? Yes, the drive took 6 hours, but I think the bus driver's Filipino...the bus left 45 minutes late. So make that seven hours from Saigon.

 

Inside the sleeper bus bound for Mui Ne

The $6 bus fare includes a plastic bag and a bottle of water, which we sadly did not receive because the lady giving out the bottles got waylaid by the man, or "big boy" as he declared himself to be, sitting in front of us who asked to be transferred to another seat for he was too wide for the assigned middle seat. The plastic bag is not to be used as a barf bag, but instead it is to put your shoes in for it is mandatory to take off your footwear while inside the bus.

Too narrow for big boy

Three and a half hours later, the bus stopped for lunch at a huge place where food offerings were on display (carenderia style), no one spoke English, and only the menu gave you some vague idea of what could be brewed up in the kitchen.

 

Photo by H Bacordio

 The menu

Because the menu conjured funny pictures in our head, we just dragged the lady manning the counter down to the display and pointed to the food our eyes thought looked delicious plus ordered a serving of rice each. No one bothered to tell us we were buying a feast. Turns out each viand comes with soup, rice, and vegetables. The servers were laughing at us as they put all the dishes on our rapidly shrinking table.

A feast fit for 10 people

We arrived in Mui Ne a quarter before 3PM, too late for the 2PM Mui Ne tour offered by our resort, Mui Ne Backpackers. Luckily TM Brother's Cafe, just a few meters from the resort, offers tours at your convenience to the fishing village and the sand dunes for $6 per person.

 A Jeep to take you around Mui Ne

 Passing wide areas spotted with graves and spotted with cows.

Photos by H Bacordio

The Fishing Village

It is 3PM and the fishermen are having a siesta. No fishing boats at sea.

  Later in the afternoon fishing boats swarm the water. (Taken around 6PM, on the way back.)

We drive on in search of the...
 

White Sand Dunes

 Sorry for the colors. My white balance is off balance.

 The sand is white. Really.

ATV rides and sandboarding are offered for a fee (if I remember right it's 100,000VND for unlimited use of a board). The "board" is actually just a rectangular piece of vinyl that, according to two Australian ladies, don't go very fast. Other than that, the only thing to do at the dunes is to soak in the view while getting pelted by sand (which I discovered does sting) when the wind blows.

Red Sand Dunes

The sand pockmarked by footprints of locals and visitors.

A lady offering sandboard rides.

 Sundown at the red sand dunes.

At the red sand dunes, some enterprising Vietnamese offer sandboard rides. There are also ladies selling food and drinks and by the road, across the sand dunes, are small shops offering rest for the weary, coffee and cold drinks, and snacks.

 Hammock haven across the road from the foot of the red sand dunes

The sun turns into a red ball before disappearing for the day.

Mui Ne is a beach town. Many resorts offer windsurfing and kiteboarding. No time and no budget for any of these, we contented ourselves with strolling around Mui Ne.

 From L-R: Boards. No one cares if you walk the streets barefoot. And a mobile gas station.

 

Veni, Vidi, (South) Vietnam:
Do You...?
What's in a (Business) Name? Vietnam
Bed Hopping
Adopting a Fellow Traveler
Strolling Saigon

From Concrete City to Sand Town (you're here!)
From Sand Town to the Highlands
Would You Call Us Lucky or Unlucky?
Wedding Crashers
Vietnom Nom Nom
Ding Dong, Dong's All Gone