Da Lat

We decided to head for the hills and the city of Da Lat, cool and a pleasant change from the heat and humidity on the coast.  And keeping with our theme of horrendous bus trips, the bus up into the mountians had barely enough power to get up to Da Lat, arriving approximately 2 hours later than it should have, and to top it off IT WAS ANOTHER STUPID SLEEPER BUS, Ken was fit to be tied!  One of the first things he did once we were settled in Da Lat was to book our trip to Ho Chi Minh City on a regular sitting bus...guaranteed!

The countryside is beautiful around Da Lat and we had plans to visit a nearby National Park and rent a bike to visit the surrounding towns but the weather was very cold and rainy so we managed to rent a bike only for half and day and visited a Presidential house and a waterfall that smelled like a cespool, we are so spoiled in Canada.  We also took a narrow gauged railway train to the small town Trai Mat, once a working train but now only a tourist attraction. 

Our hotel, the Golden Night was a little noicy but had a great location, almost in the middle of the market.  A pleasant surprise were the restuarants in town.  We found two, the M Bistro and the Peace Cafe, that had very good food.  And...a bakery...with the best treats we have had since Germany, La Petite Patissarie.

The stay in La Dat was short, due to the weather, oh well. The big city is next, HCMC, a three hour bus ride on a great, and I do mean great, bus!  Ken is happy!

The countryside around Da Lat is filled with greenhouses and farmland...oh and pinetrees.  In many of the greenhouses they are growing flowers.

The Linh Phuoc Pagoda.  They call it's style ornate , I would call it excentric.

Inside the Linh Phouc Pagoda the theme continues.

I am looking very relaxed sitting on the train during our trip to Trai Mat village to see the Pagoda.  Little do you know, I have just about fell out of the train while trying to get a picture, catching our new camera by my finger tips as is went flying out of my hand.  Ugh!

The city of Da Lat located beside a small lake, it was great to walk around...even in the rain.  The city is in the mountians so the temperature is quite a bit cooler than along the coast, refreshing as Ken would say.

The farmland and greenhouses supply the markets with a lot of great looking produce.