Highland Games

Trip Start Dec 28, 2011

101

Trip End Ongoing

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Flag of Vietnam Dalat, Vietnam
Wednesday, February 1, 2012

After our beach time we headed straight up into Vietnam's Central Highlands to the wine valleys. Dalat is a quaint French colonial town surrounded by lakes and perched atop a valley. It could have been anywhere in Europe.

It was a whistlestop tour; we explored the food at the central market (featuring an array of tripe - I'm pretty sure I ate Pig's lung, the recurring thought of which led it to come right back up).

Cruising round the lakes

We hired a moto and explored the stunning valley lakes, which dramatically changed from boiling hot to tropical rain (we were only dressed for the former and were the amusement of the locals in their full length pac-a-macs).

The roads around the lakes were windy and hilly and made JK pine for his lotus Elise, but he commented that the 30cc scooter more than sufficed.

Zoe in her rightful place (the Crazy House)

Next stop was the local "crazy house" attraction - a mental cavernous hotel from what appeared to be an architect on acid. The fibreglass and sprayed concrete structure twists and turns, with bridges, secret cubby holes and climbs. There are crazy rooms such as termite, giraffe and pelican (note the real one in the picture is at the front).

View of Dalat

We also sampled the local coffee - it acquires it's chocolately taste from the beans first being eaten and pooped out by weasels before grinding the beans. Mmm rich.

Next stop - more of Vietnam's best beaches.

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