Another day, another sleeper bus. Twelve hours. Not so bad. Plus it was direct! There’s no place like home, right?
Truth be told, I didn’t know a thing about Dalat. It most likely wouldn’t even have been on our radar if it wasn’t for my good friend Karia. She and her fiancé had just returned from a trip to Vietnam and told us how much they loved Dalat, and more specifically (and also importantly) how much they loved Mr. Rot’s Secret Tour. This is the exact text Karia sent me, and it was enough to add Dalat to our Vietnam itinerary:
The first thing we noticed when we arrived was how clean the air felt. It was very similar to how we felt in Munnar after a month in India. That’s the great thing about mountain towns, the air is almost always better. The city itself actually reminded us a lot of SF and Cape Town (with the exception of the lake). It definitely had a lot to do with the rolling hills dotted with houses, cafes, and restaurants. We also stayed in our best hotel/guest house to date. If you are ever in Dalat, definitely stay at the Hai Long Vuong Hotel and splurge for the deluxe room. The room was spacious and clean but the show stopper was the entire wall of windows. Every night we opened the balcony door and all the windows, letting the city lights illuminate our room. The crisp breeze even made us a little homesick for the bay area!
Dalat was a city of many firsts. It was our first time seeing “dog” on a menu (sad face), our first time going on a tour and purposely leaving our camera behind, our first (and hopefully last) time (accidentally) eating fox, and our first fight in SE Asia.
The night market was always bustling and the beer was constantly flowing while we were in Dalat. We visited the infamous “Crazy House” and got lost in its nightlife partner, “100 Roof Bar.” What is Crazy House? To be honest, I don’t really know how to answer the question. It’s an unconventional “fairytale house” constructed by vietnamese architect Đặng Việt Nga. If you have ever seen any of Gaudi’s works, it will be impossible to ignore the similarities between the two styles. Overall, I believe the house is supposed to mimic a giant tree with various stairwells and secret passageways, animals, themed rooms, and some other pretty trippy expresionalist themes. Fun fact: you can stay at Crazy House too as it also functions as a guesthouse. Anyone up for staying in the creepy spider room? No? Bueller?
It’s sister property, 100 Roof Bar, is just as bizarre. Brian and I spent what felt like hours weaving in and out of the bizarrely decorated rooms, climbing ladders and shooting down slides (I think? I honestly can’t remember it was all such a blur) as we made our way to the rooftop for a beautiful view of the city. I don’t remember how much the drinks cost but it was enough to where we only had a beer each before heading out. Whether it was the price or wanting to stay sober enough to find our way out, we will never know, but it’s definitely a fun place to check out while in Dalat.
I also discovered the most delicious snack/dessert/treat - I really don’t know what to call it. And I don’t even know what the official name of it is either but I think it’s between Bahn Ran or Banh Cam. It’s a deep fried sesame seed bun filled with sticky rice and green beans or mung bean paste (again, things were somewhat lost in translation here). I KNOW THAT SOUNDS GROSS but I PROMISE it’s life changing.
One evening, we went down to the lake for sunset and found some local Vietnamese wine on the way. While we were looking for a spot to relax, we noticed an electrical tower that somewhat resembled the Eiffel Tower and decided it was the perfect spot. The views were delicious. The wine, was not.
And of course, we experienced Mr. Rot’s Secret Tour. I can’t say much about much about it except I will give the same advice that was given to us. If you go to Dalat (which you should), definitely leave an entire day for this experience. Our time here wouldn’t have been the same without it! Thank you again, Karia! xo!
S+B
Here are a few pictures we feel comfortable sharing! And if you do end up on Mr. Rot’s Secret Tour, do let us know! We’d love to hear from you :)
