The Delights of Dalat and an Exciting Professional Update

A few long, busy days have passed since Matt and I left the Vietnamese mountain town of Dalat, and we are still regularly gushing over how incredibly fun our stay there was. Located a 16-hour bus ride south of Hoi An (yes – we took a 16 hour bus, and yes – it was pretty unpleasant), Dalat is nestled 4,900 feet above sea level in the Central Highlands region of the country. With temperate year-round weather and frequent afternoon rain showers, Dalat is nicknamed “City of Eternal Spring” and serves as a popular tourist destination for domestic and international visitors. Winding and hilly roads throughout Dalat are lined with beautiful, fragrant flowers and pine trees, and the area is an agricultural hub for many luxury products, most notably fresh-cut bouquets, coffee, and wine. A large lake is located in the center of the town, ringed with a walking path and colorful gardens. It’s absolutely heavenly!

We stayed in a stylish and comortable hostel in Dalat’s northern suburbs called Mooka’s Home, where we paid about $11 USD per night for a private room and bathroom with scrumptious breakfast included both mornings. Our hostel also owned a fleet of motorbikes, so we rented one both days to scoot around town and check off most of the top attractions. Our overnight bus arrived at 7am and our room wouldn’t be ready for a few hours, so Matt filled our morning biking to the Crazy House and Linh Phuoc Pagoda. Hang Nga Guesthouse, popularly known as Crazy House, is a strange assortment of connected buildings designed as giant trees with wild staircases and odd sculptures throughout the complex. The construction process is ongoing, as the architect—who draws on the work of Salvador Dali and Walt Disney—continues to add and change design elements. Matt and I joined dozens of tourists as we climbed through the house. Despite the structure being entertainingly unique, we were not blown away by the attraction as many people seem to be. It was highly recommended in the guidebook and by fellow travelers as a “must-see” and perhaps that had raised our expectations too high!

Walking around the crazy house, tired from a 16-hour bus ride.

You can see other people in the background hiking around the house. Nice view of Dalat in the background!

Linh Phuoc Pagoda, our next stop, was the exact opposite! No one had mentioned the site to us, and I don’t even think Lonely Planet had recommended it. The temple was a 25-minute ride outside of Dalat’s city center and was constructed in 1949. An impressive pagoda and surrounding buildings and statues are made entirely of mosaic, using colorful tiles and pieces of pottery. The design was unlike other pagodas we had seen, and we especially liked the many depictions of dragons throughout. Words don’t really do the building justice, so check out the pictures below.

Exploring the pagoda and surrounding buildings.

Everything was made of mosaic.

That afternoon and throughout Day 2, the rainstorms that blew through town were incredibly strong and forced us to take some serious down-time at our hostel. We didn’t mind staying out of the downpour; Mooka’s Home offered a pool table and there were lots of friendly travelers to chat with in the lobby, including one of the employees who was from Vermont and working at the hostel for a couple of weeks. We ordered food, drank “Saigon-style” coffee, and worked on our computers for a few hours. In addition, I had a job interview via Skype in the afternoon, so I needed time to properly prepare and freak out in advance of—and after—the interview. Matt was very supportive as usual. The outcome of that interview is to be determined! I will hear back from the organization within the next week or so.

The next morning Matt and I were ready to seize the day and explore more of Dalat’s nature-centric attractions; we were racing against time since another storm was on the forecast for the early afternoon. We awoke early and motorcycled to the base of the city’s cable car system. A  cable car ride was a fantastic opportunity to view the lush forests, countless greenhouses, and European-inspired architecture from above. As you can see from the photos, the 30-minute round-trip ride did not disappoint! At the top of the hill and before returning to the base, Matt and I strolled around the well-manicured Thien Vien Truc Lam, a working Zen Buddhist monastery with gardens, bonsais, shrines, and great views. We watched a monk banging steadily on a gong as visitors paid respects to the Buddha. This attraction was an added bonus since the cable car ride was worth the trip in and of itself.

Selfie inside the cable car.

Views of Dalat.

You can see the gorgeous forest below as well as another cable car on the opposite side.

Enjoying the ride.

Bonsai at the monastery.

The Zen monastery set-up in the woods kind of felt like summer camp!

Next, Matt and I zipped over to Datanla Falls, trying to beat the rain. Dalat is known for its scenic falls and after being super let-down by the dry season in Pai, Thailand (another town known for its waterfalls) we were ready to see some real action! We hiked down a steep slope to reach Datanla, where we found stepping stones and a bridge built into the bottom of the cascade so we could get very close and see the cold, clear water running beneath our feet. We took in the sight and decided not to participate in the touristy roller-coaster and bobsledding attractions near the waterfall, instead heading back to Dalat’s city center. As we were riding the motorcycle back to town (Matt driving and me navigating), I received a notification about an exciting professional development (read further down for details). Matt and I were rejoicing and chatting excitedly about the opportunity as we pulled up to the last stop on our day’s itinerary: Dalat Flower Park. We trotted around the large park located just off the downtown lake, weaving through large floral displays, fountains, and a greenhouse filled with roses. We took a bunch of fun pictures and had an extra pep in our step because of the recent exciting news. Matt and I wrapped up the day sipping coffee drinks and eating a late lunch under a covered patio at An Café, one of Dalat’s top restaurants.

At the base of Datanla Falls.

Hedges shaped like a dragon at Dalat Flower Park.

Fountain surrounded by flowers.

Taking a moment to enjoy the scent.

A romantic spot in the Flower Park.

Okay – I know dedicated blog readers out there have been waiting to hear what professional news I have been mysteriously alluding to in this and previous posts. Here it is: Matt and I will be flying to Phnom Penh, Cambodia on April 21^st. I will be spending a month working for the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), which is the food-assistance branch of the UN and the world’s largest humanitarian organization addressing hunger and promoting food security in developing countries. Headquartered in Rome, the organization has offices all around the world. I will be supporting the Cambodia office with a grant they are writing to request money from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) that would fund a school feeding program in some of Cambodia’s poorest regions. The program seeks to build on existing WFP work to train local farmers and strengthen supply chains that bring healthy food to schools in a sustainable way. That includes helping bolster agricultural systems and also working directly with the schools to ensure they have the staff and infrastructure necessary to make breakfasts, lunches, and/or take-home meals for students at their facilities. I will be leveraging the experience I have working on government proposals and with agriculture-focused organizations to write various parts of the grant with a team at the office in Phnom Penh. Meanwhile Matt and I will be staying at a fancy hotel downtown and we will take long weekend trips to Cambodia’s most well-known tourist attractions and cities including Angkor Wat and Siem Reap. It’s going to be a challenging but very exciting month, as I have never worked on a school feeding program and I have always wanted to work internationally with groups like the United Nations. We’ll see how it goes! Our backpacking trip will change a bit as I transition into this temporary professional role, but our plan is to continue traveling after the month in Cambodia. I’m happy to answer any questions about the gig, as I know this type of work can be pretty confusing to those who are less familiar.

Thanks again for reading and stay in touch!