I like you Dalat

Before I tell you what a treat Dalat was, I have to start by thanking my lucky stars that we A. arrived safely and B. I had a seat on the bus.

Overnight buses in Southeast Asia have mixed reviews and if you Google too much, you might get yourself worked up reading about drivers falling asleep and terrible crashes. So I did the smart thing and did zero research before buying my ticket because you know, ignorance is bliss and all that.

When we got to the bus (a trip which started by cramming 15 people in a 10-passenger van “only for two kilometers” said the driver), it already looked pretty crowded. I assumed that we all had tickets, so what’s the hurry, and let another group in front of me since they were traveling together. I took off my shoes, bagged them (standard overnight bus protocol), and hopped on, only to find zero seats/beds left. I did a full lap of the bus and then asked the driver, who kicked out some locals to make room. I felt weird about this.

I felt even worse when my water bottle went flying from the top bunk on a hard curve and thunked the head of one such local about 20 minutes into the ride. (I’m the worst.)

I would imagine that I paid a higher price for my ticket as a foreigner, and that’s why I got a seat, but I still felt pretty bad that several people were laid out on the floor of the aisle on kindergarten nap cots. Also, the drive was awful. I don’t know if the driver was trying to break his speed record or just hated his job, but if I hadn’t been strapped in, I would have fallen out of my seat.

But we made it, so whatever.

I loved Dalat. It’s nestled near a number of mountains and waterfalls, and had the coolest temperatures of our trip. We lucked out and connected with a couch surfer who invited us to visit her English class, and then gave us a tour around town. We were the first Americans her students ever met, and they were adorably shy, but fun to hang out with. She also took us through the college where she teaches, and we chanced upon a group of students sap dancing (traditional dance with bamboo sticks), and they gave me a quick lesson. (I was a naturally, obviously.)

Dalat was home to one of our favorite hostels of the trip, because we met a number of hilarious new friends. We checked out the maze bar (100 Roofs Café), which was overpriced, but pretty neat to explore. (We may have gotten legitimately lost on the way out.) We also spent an afternoon at the Crazy House  (Hang Nga), which looked like a collaboration between Gaudi and Tolkien, with its funky towers and staircases and hobbit hole rooms. It also offered great panoramic views of the city. We even went out to a night club, where we were not dressed up enough, but had a ton of fun. The dance runway (because that’s what it was) was mostly separated by gender, which was interesting. My only gripe was that the DJ wouldn’t take my request to play Beyoncé. You don’t need to speak English to understand Beyoncé. She’s universal.

My favorite day was spent on the back of a motorbike, cruising on curvy roads to the Elephant Waterfalls. (There were no elephants or elephant shaped features, so the name remains a mystery.) We hiked down to the bottom and on our way back up, a bride and groom were making their way to take some (sure to be) stunning photos. I’m not sure how the bride made it in her heels, but I was impressed.

Our whole trip through Vietnam had been a bit play it by ear and informed by recommendations, and I was glad we ended up in Dalat for a few days. Ignoring our harrowing night bus experience from Hoi An, we booked another to get us to Saigon, our last stop in Vietnam. What could go wrong, right?

Traffic on our motorbike tour.

Our visit to English class

Rain Night Club was an experience.

We were the most under dressed in the club. Oh well. We had the most fun.

Elephant Falls.

Sap dancing! So fun!

Pro Tips:

-Get on a motorbike at some point in your travels. I would have loved to rent one for the trip. Many people buy one and after a few months of travel, sell it to the next traveler. Next best thing? Make friends with someone who has one and chip in gas money for a day trip.

-The Crazy House is worth the admission for a fun afternoon, with great views.

-It gets colder in Dalat, so make sure you have some layers. It was the only time in the trip that I wore long sleeves.

-Dalat has a great coffee scene. There are also several coffee farms outside the city, including one where weasel’s poop out the coffee beans. (Just as weird as it sounds.) I passed on that, but the rest of the coffee was great.