The City of Eternal Spring

Sunday, July 31, 2011 – Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Day 1

Dalat, the City of Eternal Spring, is located in a mountainous region of Vietnam, so it is cool, and everyone wears thick wool or down coats. I would say that it’s not much colder than California at night, but here, it seems like everyone is dressed for wintertime in Boston. The city is absolutely beautiful. It is hilly, so the houses and buildings are constructed on multiple levels, which gives it a graceful texture. When Vietnam was colonized by the French in the 18^th century, the French escaped the oppressive heat by going to Dalat. You can see the French influence in the town; old, colonial buildings, a wine culture, and just its overall beauty and slightly Western feel. Because of Dalat’s climate, it is the only city in Vietnam that can grow plants of cooler climates such as lettuce, yams, and cabbage. Dalat is also known for its sweet artichoke tea, candied plums, wine, and salads.

Audrey's mom with Ong Dung

After a long bus ride from Saigon, we finally made it to this wonderful city, Dalat. It was not even 5am yet. We got to the bus station, and I called my great uncle, Ong Cau Dung. I had recently found out that I have a great uncle (on my mom’s side) who lived in Dalat with his family. I had never met them before, and I was excited to—like meeting long, lost family, except they weren’t lost. On a side note, while we were waiting, there was definitely an ATM machine right outside of the bus station, where I withdrew money and could have easily paid them the 100,000 Dong when we arrived. My great uncle came to pick us up at the bus station on his motorbike (we followed in a van). He is a tall man with a mustache, and to Scott and me, he looks stylish and retro, like a man from the 1970s. He has large eyes, and Scott said that I look a little like him. It made me so happy to know that thousands of miles apart, Scott could tell that we were related. We headed to his home, and his wife came out, a pink scarf wrapped around her head, and greeted us. Their house was quaint and clean with a beautiful garden of potted plants in the front, nurtured by my uncle. They treated us to some artichoke tea, a Dalat specialty. The tea is made from the artichoke flower, so it is really sweet. We spent the first hour catching up and breaking the ice. My great uncle, Ong Dung, pulled out old, tattered photo albums, and there were all my uncles, my aunt, and my mom in their younger forms. I could immediately tell who they were. My mom with long hair was staring back at me through these pictures. Ong Dung pointed to the abandoned house next to his and told me that my mom and her immediate family used to live there. Scott and I could barely keep our energy up since we had so little sleep on the bus, so we took a nap in one of the empty rooms.

See the resemblance?

 We woke up at 9:30 am to the smell of pho (Vietnamese noodle soup). We stepped out into the kitchen to find a young woman preparing breakfast for us. She actually reminded me a little bit of my mom and the other women in the family. I knew that this must be Ong Cau Dung’s daughter, Co Dao, or my first cousin once removed. We sat down at the table and shyly started talking to each other and getting to know family. She just recently got married 6 months ago and works in a bank. She lives about 10 minutes from her father’s house. Co Dao has a younger sister who is getting her Masters in Biology in Seoul, Korea. We are going to try to meet her when we have our 28-hour layover there. The pho tasted like my grandma’s pho; it was my comfort food after a long night of traveling.

After breakfast, Scott and I went back to the living room to take pictures of the old pictures to bring home. Co Dao’s husband drove over to join us after we asked if they could take us around the city a bit. Scott and I hopped on the back of each of their motorbikes. They drove us out of their neighborhood and around the lake which lies in the middle of town. It was the most stunning bike ride we had been on yet. Everything was a forest green and pine trees were lining the streets. There was a layer of clouds covering the sky and mist layering our faces. I felt like I was in France. They took us to the Dalat Flower Garden. There were Birds of Paradise growing in the front. The four of us strolled through the gardens and enjoyed the hanging plants. We went up to the greenhouses and then walked through the sculpture garden, slowly getting to know each other better. Co Dao’s husband saw me looking at a necklace with a black rock on it and ended up buying one for me and one for Scott. He really didn’t have to do that. 

Audrey soaking it all in

Co Dau and her husband

Browsing the souvenirs

As we headed out of the garden to lunch, it started to rain. We ran for shelter under a small awning at a ticket booth and ate some kettle corn, while we listened and watched the rain. We then sat down at a small street stand to eat some sweet tofu. It is absolutely my favorite Vietnamese dessert. Back at home, my mom buys me one every week, but nothing compared to the sweetness and freshness of this tofu. It’s hard to describe the dish without seeing it, but it’s really soft, white tofu, covered with fresh sugar syrup soaked in ginger. It is pure sweetness melting in your mouth. The four of us then went to lunch, at which point it started raining again. We had to stop on the side of the road and put on all of our ponchos and rain gear. The four of us rode through the rain, and though we had ponchos on, we were pretty much soaked by the time we got to the restaurant. I was really missing a windshield at that point. Two of their friends were waiting for us at the restaurant. It was a small place with live chickens in the back. At first, the six of us were shy talking about each other, but the more beer we started drinking, the louder we got. Co Dao’s husband seemed really quiet and serious at first, and he was dressed in all black. We found out that he was a jokster! He was cracking jokes and teasing us left and right. Scott and I were quick to fire back. None of them spoke English, but we were able to joke back and soon enough all of us were laughing throughout the meal. 

Family and friends

The first course was a salad. It was very much like a Western salad, but the salad dressing was amazing; rice vinegar mixed with a little sugar and salt. It tasted like a little bit of France and a little bit of Asia mixed together. The next course was a whole chicken, grilled and marinated in a spicy Thai chili sauce. The chicken was live about 45 minutes prior to our meal. The meat was fresh, and we dipped it in salt and pepper mixed with lime juice. After the chicken bones and meat, we ate the rest of it, which were stewed in a glass noodle soup. Finally, we had farmed frogs. The frogs were large, and the meat tasted like fish and chicken in one. It had the softness and saltiness of fish and the gaminess of chicken. I guess that’s why it’s an amphibian. We also ate the skin, which was deep-fried. This meal was the most exotic Scott and I had eaten the whole trip, but it was absolutely delicious. We sat around, drank more beer, and joked around some more, just like we were old buddies. They dropped us off home, and we headed to our hotel.

Frog legs!

 Scott and I stayed at Ana Mandara Villas Resort and Spa. Old French villas had been converted into resort villas for guests. The place had a rustic and luxurious feel to it, and it was quiet and slightly mysterious. Each villa was different, and each villa had a shared dining and living room, and the guests stayed in their respective rooms. The walls were a faded yellow, and moss were growing on stones. The villas were spread out, so there was also a sense of privacy. Our room had old wooden floors and beautiful antique wooden doors. The view was of Dalat, and our bathroom had just bathtub and no shower, just a retractable showerhead. Let me just say, it was a bit difficult navigating that. Scott and I decided to go a little fancy for dinner after our 6-week stay in Rach Gia. We had a 4-course meal at the quiet restaurant at the resort for ¼ of the price in the United States. The waitress was amazing; nice and respectful and a bit curious about us. We talked to her a bit while waiting for the food. The meal was quite gourmet, and their sweet corn soup at the end hit just the spot. Scott and I basically had the place to ourselves because we were eating a bit late. We chatted over tea and then headed back to our room for the most comfortable sleep we have had in a long time. 

Heading to the pool

 Day 2

We woke up early in the morning and met up with my great uncle at the receptionist desk of the hotel. He was going to hire a tour guide for us but decided to lend us his daughter’s motorbike, after hearing about how much we enjoy riding around and exploring. Scott and I preferred it this way too. We thanked my great uncle and headed to the Central Market. It was absolutely packed full of merchants and buyers. The vegetables were abundant, the butcher ladies were hacking away, and jars full of candied plums, apricots, and olives were out for the picking. There were stalls filled with winter coats and jackets, and I had to buy a scarf because it was so chilly! Such a change from the heat and humidity down South. Scott and I then went to a coffee shop to have some breakfast, banh mi op la, or baguette with eggs sunny side up. We sat at a coffee shop overlooking the market and enjoyed watching the people on motorbikes zooming by beneath us. 

Street vendor eating breakfast

 Our plan that day was that there was no real plan. We would try our best to find the Summer Palace of Dinh Bao Dai, the Last Emperor of Vietnam, by motorbike with the help of the hotel map and then drive around from there. Scott and I hopped on, and I don’t know how he did it, but Scott took us right to the Summer Palace. Scott’s navigation abilities are superb. We call it his “spidey senses.” I, on the other hand, was so lost the entire way. I had no idea where we were going, and even when I looked at the map, I was confused. The Summer Palace was nothing spectacular and slightly underwhelming. Dalat is a popular place for Vietnamese tourists and is considered a romantic city. In fact, Dalat is the most popular honeymoon destination in Vietnam. Outside of the palace, there were carriages, scooters covered in fake flowers, and horses and pretend cowboys. These are mostly for the Vietnamese tourists coming from other areas in Vietnam. Inside, it was underwhelming. It didn’t seem well-kept even though we had to wear cloth booties over our shoes. Lonely Planet said it best, it looks like a “blown-up, faded dollhouse” from the 70’s. Scott and I hopped back on our bike, and it started to rain, so we donned our checkered plastic ponchos, face masks, sunglasses, and helmets. Scott was wearing bright blue, and I was wearing bright red. People were crowding under the awning next to the parking lot, and we just rode off into the rain, invincible to the droplets.

Vietnamese women relaxing in the Summer Palace gardens

Ready for rain

Imitations

Summer Palace parking lot

We saw a road that wound around the mountain and decided to take it. The views of the city were stunning. It was covered in a light mist. Colorful buildings were layered on top of one another. Because of the rain, the roads were fairly empty, and we felt like we were in the Motorcycle Diaries again. Just the two of us on our bike. We stopped to enjoy the scenery and the serenity of being higher up on a mountain. Scott and I didn’t know where we were headed, but we just kept driving along the road. After a while, we saw some area where there was a big bus in front and decided to make a stop. We figured it was probably a tourist area. It turned out to be the beautiful Truc Lam Temple. The courtyard was clean and the gardens were perfectly kept. There were three main bells in the courtyard, and in the distance, we could hear a bell being chimed every few minutes. Though there were many tourists, the place was peaceful. Scott and I strolled by the dining hall where a room full of monks were holding up their bowls of rice and praying before their meal. It was more like a soft chanting. All of the temples and altars were immaculately kept, and I wondered why the temple was so much more beautiful than the Summer Palace. As we walked through the temple, we could see a large misty lake right outside it, which we later found out to be Tuyen Lam Lake. It started to rain, so we ducked under a Vietnamese gazebo with a view of the lake and found a small family sitting there. The father was teaching his young 6-year-old daughter how to play chess. It was the cutest thing we had seen. She would ponder each of her moves and tell her dad to hurry up and make a move. The family was really nice, and the mother even offered Scott and me some chips and cookies.

Pagodas

Future grandmaster

Enjoying the gardens

After the rain subsided, Scott and I figured it was time for lunch. We got back on the motorbike and headed towards the large lake. We drove the perimeter around the lake on a vacant rode and enjoyed the views from our bike. It was pure freedom, and nothing was going to stop us, not even a little rain. We were eventually hoping to run into some sort of restaurant or place to eat. There was nothing in sight. At one point, we almost decided to turn back, but went a little longer. Right around the corner was a resort called Dalat Eden. There was a marble gate leading into the resort, and we stopped to ask the guards if there was a restaurant nearby. He said that the resort had one, and that we could go in and check it out. We drove to the lobby and parked the bike. Scott and I were the only guests around. Dalat Eden was completely empty. A woman in a suit came out and led us into the main building. I have never been in a resort this luxurious. Dalat Eden was decorated in a French modern Baroque style, and only the rich stayed here. We were already committed to seeing the restaurant, but I was almost sure that it would be $20/dish. We were led through the marbled hallways, and rich tapestries were hanging from the ceilings. Scott and I felt like we had stumbled upon an empty mansion where the butlers were perpetually waiting for guests to serve. We opened the menu, and it was priced at $8/dish, expensive for Vietnam, but the price of an inexpensive meal back at home. At this point, we were starving, and we figured that the $8 included a mansion to ourselves. We sat down at a table overlooking the lake and about 5 people came up to wait on us. They pulled out our seats, handed us the menus, and were especially accommodating. Scott and I ordered a hard cider to celebrate the spontaneity and success of the day. We enjoyed the meal at an elaborate restaurant by ourselves. We had fresh summer rolls, a Vietnamese salad, wild boar, chicken simmered in ginger sauce, and white rice fried with garlic. After the meal, we were given a private tour of the entire resort. We found out that Dalat Eden had just opened a few months ago and parts of it were still under construction. The owner of the resort is a Vietnamese German, and the fourth richest man in Germany. The tour guide showed us large conference rooms with luxurious velvet seats, wedding halls, private theaters, and the rooftop terrace overlooking the lake. The entire time, we did not see a single other guest. We truly had the place to ourselves. It was such a random and slightly surreal experience, but Scott and I lavished in it.

Contemplating his choices

Scott and I got back on our bikes just as the sun was finally breaking through the thick layer of clouds that had been covering Dalat’s skies. We drove to the end of the street and ran into a place called, Da Tien, or Fairy Rock. Scott and I walked along a small hiking trail and ended up at some huts along the lake where people were being served food. It wasn’t much, but there was an elephant. I didn’t want to ride it, but I did ask if I could feed it. I gave it some sugarcane leaves, and the elephant just snatched it right out of my hands! You would think that a long, thick trunk would be clumsy and awkward, but it was so dexterous. The elephant would sniff the plants in my hands, reject the small ones he didn’t like, grab it with his appendage between his nostrils, roll the plant into his trunk , and stuff it into his mouth. It was so amazing. I didn’t realize how special an elephant trunk was. Scott and I felt bad for it, though, because he seemed sad. He was chained to the tree and away from his home. Scott gave him extra food before we left. We enjoyed some artichoke tea at the huts by the lake and soaked in the cool breeze of Dalat. There were so little people around, and everything was peaceful.

Saying hello

Nom nom nom

Buddies

Snack for the road

Floating restaurant

After a full day of exploring, Scott and I were ready to head back. We drove along the lake and went to the Central Market to buy some Dalat specialties, artichoke tea and candied olives. In Vietnam, you always have to bargain for what you want. People here will usually quote foreigners double what they quote locals. It is always best to cut the price by 50% at most and then bargain from there. Scott is a hard bargainer, while I tend to give in and feel bad over a few thousand dong, which cents in America. Scott, on the other hand, is a strong believer in fair prices. We are like good cop, bad cop. I am nice, and Scott’s not when it comes to bargaining. I tend to look at him for approval and then translate. We bought some tea and were able to cut it by half the price. The strategy is to walk away after they don’t accept, and usually, they will call you back and then sell it to you.

Dalat specialties

Scott and I invited my great uncle, great aunt, Co Dao, and her husband out to dinner, so Scott and I drove to my great uncle’s house. It was quite far from our hotel, but Scott somehow managed to find it as always. It even rained on us. We went with my aunt and uncle to the restaurant where we met up with everyone else. For dinner, we had many different dishes: salad, whole chicken with rau ram (Vietnamese coriander), boiled pork, pickled turnips, and fried rice with shredded fish. During the meal, I got to know my family better by just talking to them and telling them about our day. Every few minutes we would cheers my uncle and then drink. Dinner was relaxed and quiet, and Scott and I gulfed the food down as we always do. We thanked them for showing us around Dalat, and I was so happy that I got to meet my family that I had never met before, even my mom hasn’t met her cousin, Co Dao. We took some family pictures before we left, and Ong Cau Dung told us to make sure to come visit him again the next time we are in Vietnam. I told him that if I was in Vietnam, then of course, I would have to visit!

Our goodbye dinner

After 2 days full of activities, Scott and I fell asleep so quickly. We had another early morning wake up call as our bus to Nha Trang would be leaving at 7:30 am. I thoroughly enjoyed our time in Dalat. The city was nothing like I was expecting. It was so opposite from Rach Gia; it had a cooler climate, totally different food, and the city was built on a large hill. I could see why it was called the City of Eternal Spring and why the French loved it so much. Dalat was peaceful and unassuming, a perfect place to stop during our hectic travels.

-Audrey