Vietnam: Da Lat

We arrived at about 5.30pm into Da Lat and stepped off the bus covered in goosebumps - it was freezing! After getting to our hostel we were immediately sat down to a 'family dinner' before being shown to our room. The next morning we explored Da Lat on foot, aiming first for the Crazy House. This is a working hotel which is also a major tourist attraction - it’s listed in the top 10 bizarre buildings in the world, according to the Chinese People's Daily. The overall structure resembles a giant tree, with multiple levels incorporating designs and sculptures such as mushrooms, spider webs and caves, all of which can be climbed up and explored. It gives off some serious Lewis Carroll vibes!

After this, we headed to the opposite side of town where there was a cable car over the pine forests surrounding Da Lat. This was definitely worth the walk there; the views on the 4km ride were breathtaking. We had only bought a one-way ticket as the other stop was closer to our hostel, but we wished we'd gone for the return so we could do the journey all over again.

Later that evening we headed over to the local market in the hope of finding a warm hoodie, but nothing caught our eye, so we decided to go to a quirky bar we'd been told about. The Maze Bar looked tiny and narrow from the outside, but our first impressions couldn't be more wrong! We bought a drink at the entrance and headed through a design very similar to the Crazy House we were in earlier. It took us a while to navigate the many sets of stairs and narrow tunnels to find the garden, and even longer to get back inside and try and explore the maze properly! We felt it probably took quite a few more visits before you could get a slight idea of your way around there. The next day we hired a bike to head a little further out of Da Lat. Elephant Waterfall was about 25km away and took about an hour to get to, due to the town's traffic. However, once out of the busy area, the route was incredibly scenic.

We then headed to the Valley of Love. We had seen this on a list of things to do when in Da Lat, but we had no idea what to expect. It turned out to be a small children's fairground, with many other sections such as a huge lake and gardens, all decorated with decidedly Asian-inspired cartooney characters and decorations. There were only a handful of people in the park and the majority of the children's rides seemed to be shut (much to our disappointment - the mini F1 track looked quite fun!) so we walked through to the lake where we saw swan boats for hire, as well as horse and cart rides. Further on, there were pathways through the garden, one of which led up to a building displaying various gemstones and a golden dragon. It was a strangely enjoyable afternoon!

Accommodation: Dalat Family Hostel, 3 nights, 115,000 per night for a dorm bed. This hostel seemed to be the only hostel in Da Lat with a social atmosphere so we were looking forward to staying here. Overall it was a good stay as the beds were comfy and the showers were warm, but there were several things we didn't enjoy. It turned out that the family dinner we were forced to eat wasn't actually a welcome freebie as it had sounded, and when we finally checked in to our room, the door didn't even shut, let alone lock (luckily there were lockers just outside). We also tried to order food one day but were basically told to wait for the family dinner, and the next day when we successfully ordered the rice and noodles that came were so inedible we wish we hadn't bothered! Luckily, the beers were cheap and the staff were friendly enough (when they weren't forcing you to a family dinner). 6/10.  

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