Back To "Getting Started - Saigon and the Cu Chi Tunnels"
1500m up the the mountains, Dalat was originally founded by the French as a retreat from the heat of the country below. It was wet, but still pretty warm when we visited, and the cycling was certainly very hilly.
A Hillside Village Just Below Dalat |
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'Dalat' means the 'Town of the Lat tribe'. Unfortunately, they were ousted by the French, but we visited the village where they now live. |
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The chicken appears prominently in local lore |
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The 'cooler' climate lends itself to growing European vegetables, while the intense tropical sun means two harvest are year are easily possible |
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Weaving silk - locally made silk products were on sale in many places we visited |
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We passed roadside fruit stalls on many occasions |
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Jon's smile belies the long steep hill that we had to climb to get back up to town |
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Coach driver Chin made sure we took the right turning |
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Regrouping at the top of the hill |
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The Thien Vuong Pagoda |
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Shrine at the start of the lane leading to the complex |
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Cycling Around Town |
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The ride around town provided a real challenge, as the Vietnamese approach to driving is rather less disciplined than we are used to |
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