Dylan Does Da Lat

It’s Dylan’s first time in Vietnam, for me it’s my second time. I came here 9 years ago and have returned to fill in some gaps. The first gap to fill is the mountain city of Da Lat. 

After a brief stopover in Ho Chi Minh (where I had to change planes as the first one was broken), I arrived in Da Lat. The weather was a lot cooler than what we’ve experienced the last couple of weeks, which was very welcome. 

I didn’t do much on the first afternoon, mainly just chilling at the hostel. 

The next day we went on a self guided tour of the city, starting with the Datanla waterfall. To access this waterfall, we rode an alpine coaster, which was very fun. 

Next, we took a walk over to a lake and then had a wander around a monastery, before taking a very long cable car ride back into the main city. 

Our next stop was the Crazy House. This is actually a hotel which has been built in a very bizarre layout. 

We then had a spot of lunch, which included avocado ice cream for dessert. I actually thought it was very enjoyable, not sweet but very creamy. 

Our last stop for the day was the old railway station. This isn’t used anymore due to extensive damage from the war, but you can still see some trains here. 

I attended the BBQ on the hostel rooftop that evening, eating an enormous amount of food, and then calling it a night. 

The next day we joined a tour of the Da Lat countryside. The first stop was the huge Pongour waterfall. I’ve seen quite a few waterfalls at this point in my travels, but this was up there with the best. 

We then headed to a huge statue of a Buddha and the elephant waterfall. 

Finally, we stopped off at a cricket farm, which we tasted. There were also some pet crocodiles at this farm, which I’m glad were in a cage, although not particularly nice. We also drank some weasel coffee, which is made from weasels eating the coffee beans and then pooping them out. Strange, but tasty!

I probably booked too many nights in Da Lat, therefore the last day was a chilled one.