3rd April 2010
Our aim today was to see some of the sights within Dalat itself. However our first port of call was the post office where we sent home the tablecloth we had purchased yesterday.
On the way to the post office we passed Dalat’s allegedly beautiful lake, but at the moment it’s undergoing renovation work and not looking so great.
The sights in Dalat are quite widely spready out and after having walked around for half a morning without actually getting anywhere we jumped in a taxi and headed for Dalat’s Flower Gardens.
The epitome of Vietnamese kitsch, these gardens showcase some wonderful flowers but as always these are interspersed with plastic models, including swans and various other cartoon-like animals. The gardens also featured a big windmill and a whole section of topiary. There were horses pulling carts decorated with flowers. I felt really sorry for them, they just looked so sad standing out in the sun while their owners relaxed in the shade with a cool drink.
After a short break back at the hotel from the hot afternoon sun we summoned a cab and headed of to Bao Dai’s Summer Palace. This is less like a palace and more like a large house. Built in an art-deco style, it was constructed in 1933 and was one of three palaces Bao Dai kept in Dalat.
Bao Dai was effectively the last emperor of Vietnam and ruled from 1926 to 1945. He abdicated in August 1945 and exiled to France where he lived until he died. I can’t say I was overly impressed with the palace, looking like a sixties throwback as it did, but the gardens were lovely.
Our final port of call for the day was to take the cable car to Tuyen Lan lake. We had definately saved the best until last. The 2.3km cable car ride was spectacular, spanning farmland and sailing above rural houses. It was quite high too, reaching from one mountain peak to another.
When we arrived a the lake we visited the Truc Larn Pagoda complex which sits atop the mountain. A beautifully ornate complex with a massive bronze bell to one side of the temple. Prayers were being held when we arrived and when they finished we saw the priest leave the temple accompanied by a young monk. We all had to make way for this holy man with people bowing their heads as he passed.
This was a lovely peaceful location, not far from the hustle and bustle of Dalat, but a million miles away in terms of quiet. No trucks or mopeds honking horns. We wandered down to an area with a view over the lake and sat a while before making our way back to the cable cars.
As we returned by cable car, once again astounded by the fabulous panoramas and mountain ranges in the distance, gradually the sounds of Dalat started to encroach on our peace and quiet. A truck honking a horn, the high pitched whine of the mopeds and all too soon we were back in amongst it having enjoyed some respite from the continual noise for a short while.
When we went out for our meal tonight we came across a concert going on in the main square. This was a celebration of 35 years since the end of the war. There weren’t actually very many people attending, but then perhaps it is not a cause of celebtration for everyone. There was dancing and singing on stage while further down the road the nightly food stalls plied their trade.
