Do you think that the U.S. will ever embrace the metric system? U.S. travelers are at a disadvantage since we are so used to the standard system, which no other country (maybe 3) uses, so that when confronted with the metric system we are rusty. You always hear rumors that the U.S. is considering changing, but nothing seems to come from it.
Anyhow, back to Dalat. This is the city that Renata, formerly of Carpinteria has chosen to make her home for most of the year. She goes back to the U.S. during part of the rainy season.
Wild game hunting was so popular here that the big game has disappeared. There are six ethnic minority groups living in this area.
This is another city that was spared destruction during the war by agreement with both parties. The last King of Vietnam had one of his palaces here, and the current Sofitel five star hotel is in the refurbished governor's palace.
Dalat has a picturesque lake near the center of town, Lake Xuan Huong. Six months ago it was drained and the bottom scraped and now it is slowly filling up again. Right next to the lake is an 18 hole golf course, $110 USD for a round in the morning, $55 USD for a round in the afternoon. Vietnam vacationers come here to play on this course.
Dalat is like Carpinteria. The main product is agriculture, vegetables, fruits, coffee and flowers. Someone (an outside scientist) saw that Dalat had a perfect climate for growing year round, if the climate could be a little more controlled. So he introduced the concept of the greenhouse, which is what dominates the landscape here. This agricultural area is about twice or more the size of the San Fernando Valley and every inch is either under a greenhouse, or terraced, growing something.These agricultural products are transported to HCMC and then flown around the world. Someone in Europe today might be eating Dalat strawberries.
These workers are bundling flowers for export. Notice the work/living quarters.
The coffee crop is not in greenhouses, but on the hillsides everywhere.
After the crop is harvested, which is twice a year, the beans are spread out to dry.
Then the husks are removed and the beans are ready for packaging/roasting. They do sell Weasel coffee here. Google it and read the story. It's rare and pricey, but might be fun??
I took a day tour here and one advantage is that you get to go places and see things that are not in town. We drove a good 45 minutes to get to outlying agricultural areas and more mountainous regions. The guide wasn't that great, but I always learn a lot.
There's a lot of water in this region, coming down from the higher mountains. This is named Elephant Falls because of some big elephant looking rock formations at the bottom of the falls.
Right next to the falls was a big Temple. This was really interesting, because it was a full moon day and the temple was full of local people praying. There weren't ANY tourists there except our group of 8.
Many people were carrying the new year's calendar.
We went to a small silk producing factory. They had a lot of cocoons here, but the larvae eating the mulberry leaves were at another location. The noise level from the machinery was really loud and the workers use no ear protection. The quality of silk was soft and lovely.
This bridge grate seemed a little worn and bent from the weight of the passing vehicles
Da Lat ethnic minority used to live in Dalat proper, but when the French came, they moved up the mountain. Their houses use wood siding, which is rare in Vietnam and are built on foundations so the chickens, ducks and other small animals can live underneath.
The women use a loom held in place by their feet and weave really beautiful, intricate patterns.
As part of the day tour, we went on a jeep ride to the top of the mountain. Here's the dashboard.
No motorbikes are allowed on the mountain as it's too steep for bikes to safely navigate the roads. Two motorbikes had snuck in and were trying to speed past the exit gate. The guards stopped them, grabbed the keys, pushed off the occupants and started to physically threaten them with upturned fists. The head honcho came out and kicked the motorbikes over and the kids on the bike were yelled at and generally treated poorly. It seemed that there had to be a better way to solve a relatively minor problem.
Ducks going to Dalat market.
Dalat has a lovely, if worn out train station. There are no longer any trains that come to Dalat, only a cog railway to Trai Mat.
1964 was the last year the "real" trains ran. Several old locomotives are on display.
I took the cog railway to Trai Mat on the spur of the moment. In order for it to run, there has to be 8 people. I went around the station asking tourists as they came in if they wanted to go, got 8 people for the next run, which was in 1/2 hour, so all was good, and then a group of 24 English tourists arrived. We used all four cars.
In Trai Mat are two really big Buddhist temples. This one was very elaborate and colorful.
I was wandering around Trai Mat in my 1/2 hour before the train was to return and saw this car. I can't remember what kind it is.
There is wine in Dalat. Somewhere in town or nearby is a winery and Dalat wines are served throughout Vietnam. They are made from table grapes, so there's not much comparison with California wines, but they are drinkable.
I'm off to HCMC for one night, then on to Rach Gia. Ah, the Mekong Delta!
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