Dalat- City of flowers

June 3, 2014

Started the day with a walk in Danang beach, swimming and breakfast before going to the airport.

It was easy checking in since there were only a few people going to Dalat. We arrived safely but just a

bit scared because the plane landed with a loud sound. It was the hardest landing that I've experienced so

far from all the flights I've taken. Anyway, it was a small airport. We arrived at past twelve at noon then decided to take a passenger bus going to our hotel. It was 60 VND for a 30 minute ride from the airport to the main town. My first thought was Wow! It's like going home. We passed by flowers...flowers..pine trees..pine trees..and pine trees...I was homesick for a moment. But compared to Baguio..the roads we're more quiet since I just saw motorbikes and occasionally met tour buses and Korean coaches that are popular in Vietnam along the way. We arrived at the dropping point across Big C then another car came to bring us directly to our hotel. We booked our hotel at Sinh Tourist and it was really convenient. It was very near the market and the Sinh Tourist office where we booked our tours and bus for our next trip. In town,  we only saw a few cars and few people. We noticed there were more people in the evening. I guess everyone back from their respective tours.

The pine trees along the way to the main town

From the airport to the main town. It looked so much like the way to Bandung, Indonesia from Lippo Cikarang

Our room was okay but exactly the opposite of our feather bed in Danang. After lunch, we walked down to the lake which is like 5 minutes from the hotel and decided to take a ride pedalling the swan boat. It was 80 VND for two (4 USD) and they have life vests. We went around the lake pedalling and trying to avoid other swan boats. We saw many tourists as well and we noticed that there we're also horse carriages that can take you around the city or horses for hire to take pictures. It's like Wright park in Baguio. I'm not sure if they have horse tracks too. After enjoying the ride, we decided to walk towards shelter since It was dark and it looked like it was going to rain. Fortunately it didn't. 

Taken from our hotel room's balcony. You can clearly see the lake down the road.

The lake with swan boats. You have to pedal with your feet to keep them moving. Just like the boats in West lake Hanoi.

The lake at sunset....

 

 

After walking the side of the lake, we arrived at the market. We decided to check out the goods and we we're surprised and excited to see that they sell second hand goods just like in Baguio. I saw coats, shoes, toys and bags. Since it was already evening and most shops we're closing, we decided to come the next day after our tour to buy some stuff we need. We ate at a roadside restaurant common in Vietnam near the market. The owner was polite enough to ask us if we are from Hongkong. The reaction towards Chinese is really no joke at this time because of the South China sea incident. We ordered  snails as usual and it was tasty. As for the price, it's the same as Hanoi but I think hygiene is much better. After dinner we went back to the hotel to book for our tour for the next day. We decided for half day because we wanted to shop around the market. 

The prominent statue near the Dalat market

A popular shop to buy local delicacies for tourists and residents

The area near market transforms at night to accommodate tourists and whoever wants to eat in the open.