Yesterday we walked around the town and stumbled on a Pagoda, which apparently is different from a Temple though I'm not sure why. One of the monks offered to show us inside, which I found interesting, especially as it was built in the year I was born, but didn't impress our Judy who has no experience of religion.
I'm glad we got to Da Lat because it's given me a taste of what I'd like to do next. We didn't take any of the tours on offer because Mark just needed to relax and the weather wasn't at its best anyway. So we got to know the town and realised how we could save money at cheaper hotels.
We got talking to the 'Easy Riders'; men who take travellers on the back of their bikes to parts of the country tourists don't usually get to, visiting the hill tribes that live on the borders of Laos and who use working elephants. A five day tour costs $50 a day; $250 including accommodation and food. I think that's pretty good for an adventure into the unknown with experienced guides and they usually go in a group.
A couple staying at Dreams had just come back from a tour with them and said it was a fantastic experience so I'm very tempted to do that in about a month when the rains should have stopped. They hang out at the Peace Cafe and as soon as they knew we're English teachers, they were asking for help with good sales language... like 'We're the original and the best!' and 'We give you best value' etc. Their trade is being taken by younger riders who charge less because they don't have the same family commitments. These guys are older and wiser and one of them was a young soldier at the end of the war. That's Mark chatting to them about bikes!
2 comments:
Where is this temple
I agree. Your blog IS feel good!
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