The next morning (Sunday) I went on a scenic tour of Dalat that was sponsored by the hotel. A smiling man picked me up and his English was very good. His name was Bai, like the number seven in Vietnamese. Along for the tour were a couple from Holland and another couple from America. The Americans were from Colorado and are currently living in Laos doing some volunteering and getting in touch with the girl's family (she is originally from Laos). They hope to find a full time job and plan on adopting a Laos child which I think is pretty cool.
We saw so much on that tour! We began the tour at the greenhouses. Dalat is known for its beautiful flowers that can’t be produced anywhere else in Vietnam. A dozen roses start at $1 for the lot. We saw beautiful mountain views, went to a tribe village of the Lat people. They are the minority and live in complete poverty with dirt roads. It began to rain as we made our way to the cricket farm. The Vietnamese harvest the crickets and there is actually a huge process in order for the crickets to be big enough and just right...for EATING. We tried some sweet chilli crickets. It was scary at first and I'm not quite sure if it agreed with my vegetarianism but they weren't bad! They were really crunchy. You just really can't look at or pay attention to what you are eating and you'll be fine. The girls actually ate more than the guys which was pretty funny.
Next we went to stop for coffee and to see how rice wine is made. We went to a little back room that and looked at the stages of the rice fermenting. It was a really interesting process. Basically the rice is cooked and then left in big pots to ferment for a few days. Each day they get stronger and smell worse. I tried a sip of the rice wine at 75% fermented. It was absolutely horrible and I think my taste buds burned off from the alcohol. It must be an acquired Vietnamese taste like Durian. After that we sat around waiting for the rain to stop and enjoyed the thickest and blackest coffee. It was pretty nice. Bai showed us a special brew of coffee that Dalat was famous for: Weezle coffee. The story goes that years ago the weezles were eating the coffee beans on the coffee plantations and then pooped the beans out. The locals decided to try to roast the poop and it became a very delicious and famous coffee that is a delicacy today. It runs for 300USD for a small pack. I don’t think any poo can be worth that much but it didn’t smell bad.
We went to a silk factory. It was really interesting. Cacoons are collected and then they are dropped in boiling hot water in order to kill the caterpillar inside. Most people eat the caterpillar. I am happy to say that I didn’t try that one. The hot water also helps to unravel the delicate silk which then gets worked around machines and produces amazing material.
After that we went to see the Elephant Waterfall. It was a really beautiful. There was unexpected slippery rock climbing involved and the guide was climbing over the rocks like it was a piece of cake! The waterfall was so powerful! He had us get really close to it to take photos and we almost blew away from the force. Then we went to a minority shop near the waterfall. A woman with too much white face powder instantly ran to me and screamed: “ Your eyes your eyes!”. She really loved my eyes and soon all of the staff were freaking out and giving me discounts. I bought a lovely orange silk scarf there and a little handmade bag. After we enjoyed some tea that the women brought out to us it was time to leave. Of course I couldn’t leave without a photograph of me and the ladies. Their little dog was also present in the photo.
Next, we stopped at the Happy Budda Pogoda. It was a gorgeaous temple and there were so many people there in maroon and greyish blue robes. Bai explained that it was a holiday in Buddism and it was the day to worship the dead. It was fascinating watching them pray. I would really like to learn more about Buddism. Bai explained what some of the statues meant which was a start. I wandered to the back of the Pagoda and through lovely gardens. The rain made it all the more beautiful and mystical. I wandered past some young monks and up the stairs to face a massive fat and white smiling Buddha. I turned and looked at the dragon statues and the mountains with the clouds of fog drifting over them. I was in an entire different world and it was wonderful.
We drove down the road to a little wooden home on the lake. On the deck facing the lake we all enjoyed a massive feast ordered for us by Bai. Then we continued on to the coffee plantation. We were supposed to see a beautiful mountain view but the rain came back so we couldn’t do that. Instead we went to the old railway station which was beautiful. It was a popular place for wedding photos by the old locomotives.
Overall it was a fantastic tour and Bai was awesome. After the tour I went to see the Crazy House which is pretty crazy. It was an original design by a local years ago. It has an Alice in Wonderland feel to it. You can see anything from a kangaroo with glowing red eyes to beautiful views of colourful purple and pink flowers framing the city’s unique architecture.
Then I had a wander through the Dalat market. Everyone was dressed like winter and it almost felt that way with the cooler temperature and dreary weather. The women were cooking over a fire, mostly bank xeo (the Vietnamese pancake) or corn on the cob. The market was bustling with clothing, fresh exotic fruits and veggies and so many coffee and tea shops. I bought a pair of fake sunglasses off of a man for $5 and he polished them up for me quite nicely and gave me a little case. Then I made my way to a Lonely Planet recommended restaurant called Duy Quy. It was so cute. The waiters wore tuxes and I had candlelight and a flower at my table. I ordered a glass of Dalat red wine, artichoke tea (amazing), vegetarian fresh rice paper spring rolls, vegetables in oyster sauce with rice, and a caramel flan dessert. It was quite delicious and only 111 dong ( $5 ).
I went back to the villa and was overwhelmed with happiness. I had the best day and I was so relaxed. I met amazing people and saw so many amazing thing and ate an incredible meal. I went to bed and cuddled in my oversized doona. On the way home in the morning I marvelled at the beautiful mountains, architecture and rice paddies. There was also something very calming about having a few monks on the bus with me too.
I got back into Saigon and then Nick had arranged a driver to take me from there back to My Tho. When I got back I had a wonderful bowl of Pho from the ladies outside of my guesthouse. There was a man there who called me over to sit at the little table next to him and his wife. He spoke to me the entire time in Vietnamese. I spoke back in English. Somehow we had a ridiculous conversation going. That night I went to teach at New World. When I walked into the classroom, the class exclaimed: “Lindsay!”. It was a class that I taught before and they were so excited to see me! They kept saying “Yay” and clapping their hands. I was pretty surprised and flattered. I guess I must have done something right the last time I taught them!
After class Miss Moon took Riley and I for sautee which was a tomatoey noodle soup with beef but I of course got it without. It was really good. Miss Moon gave me a certificate of teaching and a beautiful crystal purple windchime. I love her!
On Tuesday morning I taught a class with the Australia man Ron and Riley. Anthony was in that class and it was quite enjoyable. The topic was music. Then Ron explained to the students that it was my last day and to ask me about my time in My Tho. I got so emotional. It was quite embarrassing. The truth is I love that country and My Tho. I never knew much about it before other than the war and the students and the staff really taught me a lot about Vietnam. They made me feel so welcome and really gave me amazing memories. Teaching english isn’t saving the world, especially to a private school where kids can afford to go. But the experience and the fact that they were so happy to have my help and to have a Westerner visit really made me feel fulfilled. Vietnam is a country that is moving forward and I see it everywhere. I just really hope that it keeps its traditions as well because that is part of what makes it such a special place.
After that class, Miss Moon and Anthony took Riley and I to one of the Mekong Islands for the day where we shopped for coconut wood souvenirs and took a boat ride in the canal again. Miss Moon insisted that I try on the Vietnamese traditional dress and the woman sold it to me for a special price. Then we took a boat ride in the canals again. Anthony was begging us to sing. So he sang with Riley: “E.T.” by Katy Perry. Then I sang with him the entire Backstreet Boys song “I want it that way”. It was hilarious. We were both so off key and had so much fun singing it. Here we were in a traditional little boat passing other boats with the traditional women in there, in the jungle. Singing a pop song! Antony bought me a key chain which was sweet and wished me the best of luck.
That night I had my last two classes and then Miss Moon took Riley and I to the Night Markets where I indulged in the amazing salt and pepper prawns one last time. At 4 am my driver was waiting to take me to the airport. Riley was so wonderful and woke up to say bye to me and help me with my bags to the car. She is an amazing person and I will miss her a lot.
On the plane from Ho Chi Minh to Hanoi, I sat next to a old woman and her grandson. They didn't speak english. We flew over spectacular views of this beautiful country and the woman was so excited and happy as she leaned over me to look out the window. So was her grandson. She grabbed my hand and the three of us smiled and watched the world below us. Here was a special moment. Here is a woman who had to be at least 80 or 90. In that moment two beautiful strangers from different places shared happiness. That's the beauty about language barriers. Sometimes it teaches us that words don't need to be shared. Sometimes emotions, a gesture or a smile are all you need to communicate and achieve a state of happiness.
No comments:
Post a Comment