For the past few days we hadn’t had much fibre intake so both of us were suffering from mild constipation. We were lucky though, as Dalat (and its surrounding region) is known for agriculture, due to the climate and favourable soil conditions. Great vegetarian food fare was found just along the street right behind where the hotel was (LP’s pick), and so we had almost 6 dishes and it only costs about S$6. Au Lac was like a simple coffeeshop with minimal frills, and the food was very similar to the vegetarian chinese food which could be found in Singapore. Mock meat, but they generally taste fresher, and I only dare to eat vegetarian pate because sometimes the meat pate looks rather dubious.
After that we had a walk around the city and started to look for half-day tours. There weren’t many around which left during afternoon, as most of them start at 730 and end at 5pm. Eventually we found Dalattescro, which is a rather reputable company as read on Thorn Tree forum and Travelfish as well. It shared an office with Vietnam Airlines, and the staff tending the traveldesk was very helpful. Eventually we settled on a halfday tour with customised options, a private van which consisted of the driver/guide as well we paid for US$25 (S$35) for both of us, stopping over at 3 places. It was quite a bargain for us because we expected it to be more, and if we had a fullday tour it would had been US$35 (S$45) for the both of us, in a group tour. Having a private driver and guide meant we had more flexiblity and time to ourselves.
The first stop was the Elephant Falls, where the guide told us about the legend on how it got its name. The falls are about a hour from the city of Dalat, and there is an admission fee of 5000VND (S$0.50) each. The view was great from where we stood, at the top of the waterfall, but we had no idea what was in store for us when the guide said we should go down to the base of the waterfall for the best view of all. Barely marked steps with minimal railings so as to preserve the natural landform of the place, made it really difficult for us to trek down to the base of the waterfall because it was wet and our shoes didn’t have a grip good enough for it.
First, we went to a secret cave where the troops of the old kingdom hid in there when they were attacked by the minority tribe. For many years they lived there and eventually they disappeared, most probably died in there along with their queen. The walk was narrow, slippery, and rather hazardous. The guide proved to be an experienced native as he effortlessly trekked in his slippers while the cityrats were fumbling and shrieking (me) stepping on the rocks. Brother had no problems with the terrain but I was much slower, and the slippery rocks really worried me. I wasn’t afraid but I just wanted to avoid slips and accidents I think. After that I was ready to call it a day and head back up to the top but the guide said we weren’t quite done yet, and the best was yet to be.
The walk down was much worse than the first half - there wasn’t anymore railings or marked steps, it was all rocks and we had to slowly trek down. I was scaling much slower and Brother had a good time filming my descent. The view from the bottom of the waterfall was much more spectacular though, it was nothing like the Wentworth Waterfalls (Australia) I saw in Sydney, where I just saw it from the viewpoint. We were right at the base of the waterfall and getting soaking wet. We sat there for awhile and took in the sights of the surroundings, with the amazing landforms and rocks, the rainbow over the waterfall..and of course rested our legs for awhile. The climb back up was much easier, and after an hour we were done.
Next we headed to the Cuong Hoan Traditional Silk Factory. It was nothing like the other tourist attractions where they have guides and tailored visits for visitors. We were pretty much ignored, while the guide did all the talking about the process of silk production. I was glad that this was one place that paid the women fair wages, and they stopped work after 4pm every day. Everything was done manually, and the guide said they have preserved the method which was used since 100 years ago, and I pretty much believe him. Over here you can see every part of the process, from the live silkworms spinning their cocoon, to the vats where they are boiled up and the threads separated, and finally the loom where the silk fabric is woven in fancy patterns. Both of us bought some really cheap silk stoles, 50000VND (S$5) for the machine woven one with intricate designs, and 60000VND (S$6) for the handwoven one. I bought several of the handwoven ones, and even though the workmanship was not as fine as the machine woven one, I liked the fact it was made by hand and it felt organic. For the price we paid, it was a steal regardless which way the stoles were woven.
Finally we drove our way back to Da Lat and the guide stopped by in the middle of the road where there was the coffee plantation. Once again, it wasn’t just another tourist spot but he pretty much made it up on the spot, by plucking a bunch of coffee fruit and explaining to us how the process of how coffee was made. As it was approaching dusk, we stayed on for awhile more to look at the sunset and the stunning view over the hills. Once we were done, we headed back to Da Lat and our guide dropped us off at our hotel. His name is Tin, from Dalattescro. Really nice fella.
It was dinner time and we went to the restaurant near our hotel which was highly reccommended by the hotel receptionist, called Long Hoa (6 Doung 3 Thang 2, 063-822-934). Yesterday we wanted to go there but it was full by the time we got there at 7pm. Today we knew better and so we went at 530pm. It was a smart move as dinnertime for the vietnamese was around 6pm and by 630pm the restaurant was so full they had to turn away diners who turned up without reservations. The food there was not cheap by Vietnamese standard but still relatively affordable for our budget, costing about S$10 per person.
The dessert was really something to be raved, we had the homemade yoghurt and panna cotta. Usually I hate the sourish taste of homemade yoghurt you find in supermarkets, but this was divine. It tasted almost like cheesecake in custard form. The panna cotta taste was mild, with a slight hint of caramel and not too sweet. Both items cost 5000D (S$0.50) each. Brother had 2 serving of its coffee, because he liked how it was so fragrant and thick, without the acidic aftertaste you usually get with coffee. The roubust flavour was best savored by sipping it in small amounts and letting the liquid linger in your mouth for awhile before swallowing. We tried their homemade strawberry wine as well but it wasn’t really to my liking. I’m glad we found this little restaurant which wasn’t something we followed from LP. Finally!
After our very satisfying dinner, we went back to the hotel but it was too early to call it a night. At the reception counter we saw a sign which advertised massage by blind masseuse so we decided to try it out instead of venturing outdoors. It wasn’t a really mind blowing massage experience but it was just average. Perhaps it was because it was only 1 lady attending to 2 of us so by the time she got to me after she was done with my brother, she was quite tired. The total cost came up to 14000VND but we tipped her a thousand and rounded up to 15000VND (S$15).
Watched a bit of cable TV and we are turning in early as we have a bus to catch tomorrow at 7am for Nha Trang. Can’t wait! 2 nights at the beach and we’re back to Saigon on Xmas where we will finally wrap up our trip and fly home.
24, female. A fashion addict who loves the outdoors as well, and globe trotting as a 
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