I loved Dalat. It's famous for its cool climate, making it a perfect spot to grow flowers & fruit. I had been hearing from my students that people go to Dalat mainly to get out of the heat of Saigon, so I was surprised to find that there was so much to see & do there.
I lucked out on a 15-dollar tour that took me to a flower farm, a coffee plantation, a silk factory, a rice wine distillery, a pagoda with a very happy Buddha, a beatiful waterfall, & an old French train station. I took tons of photos of it all.
The next day I decided to go exploring on my own. I walked & walked around the town. I saw the famous flower gardens, Crazy House, Bao Dai's summer palace, a Catholic church in the shape of a Buddhist pagoda, some more waterfalls (though these were under renovation), & the central market where they were selling all kinds of dried & fresh fruits. At the end of the day, I sipped a Saigon Beer as I watched the people go by.
I briefly considered staying another day, but it was time to go back to Bien Hoa (my home base in Vietnam) & regroup before meeting my brother & sister-in-law in Saigon on the 22nd.
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