Start of our big trip across the Central Highlands of Vietnam.......Tanya and I could not wait to board the plane for our first stop in Dalat.

Dalat, capital of Lam Dong Province, is located approximately 308km northeast of Ho Chi Minh City up in the mountains and for us was obviously much colder than we are used to!! The name originates from the hill tribe people in this region and translates to "stream of the Lat people". At an elevation of 1,500m, Dalat bears the look of an Old French city. It was founded in 1897 when Doctor Alexandre Yersin recommended that the area be developed as a resort town. The colonial architecture is decidedly French with some Alpine influences. Some of these buildings date back to the 1900s.

Dalat is named the “city of flowers” and “little Paris” and certainly lives up to both names. Everywhere we went there were magnificent flowers to be seen which add to the natural beauty of the city. The temperate climate of Dalat is suitable for flowers such as orchids, roses, lilies, mimosas and camellias to name a few. There is also a special flower that when separated can be placed to look like a butterfly or turned around looks like a heart. I managed to get hold of one and you can see it in the attached photos.

There is much talk about Xuan Huong Lake but I have to say I was not impressed by this manmade lake in the middle of the city. I much preferred the Tuyen Lam Lake which is one of the largest natural lakes in the area, covering 320 hectares and is known as the lake where rivers, springs and forests meet.

With only 2 days here there was much to do and see......so what did we manage....

Bao Dai Kings Summer Palace - Otherwise known as Palace Number 3 it was used as a retreat by the family of King Bao Dai, the last king of Vietnam. Built from 1933 to 1938, the cube-like art deco exterior angled away from the entrance point, disguises the true size of the palace, which contains 25 rooms built within the colonial architectural framework.

In Bao Dai's office, the life-size white bust above the bookcase is of Bao Dai himself; the smaller gold and brown busts are of his father, Emperor Khai Dinh. Note the heaven brass royal seal (on the right) and military seal (on the left).

Upstairs are the royal living quarters. The room of Bao Long, who lives in England (died in 2007), is decorated in yellow, the royal colour. The huge semicircular couch was used by the emperor and empress for family meeting, during which their three daughters were seated in the pink chairs and their two sons on the yellow chairs.

There are also stunning sculptured gardens that can be both admired form the palace or by walking around them

Robin Hill shows panoramic views of Dalat on one side and pine forested valley on the other side. Well worth a visit to see the layout of the city and get your bearings. A large mural depicts the minority group and their history in the area.

Truc Lam Zen Monastery - On a zigzagging road at the mountain side to Phoenix Summit, stands the beautiful famous Truc Lam Zen Monastery in an open poetic natural environment. Truc Lam Yen Tu Zen School was founded by the King Tran Thanh Tong and is regarded as he biggest Zen University in Vietnam. The Sanctum is a rectangle shape pointed toward the South. The Sanctum is surrounded by a lot of traditional Vietnamese pagodas which was built by ferro-concrete. The monastery is simple in its form but modern in structure and use. The pagoda was built in 1993-1994 by superior Buddhist monk Thich Thanh Tu and it was designed with the oriental architecture style. Inside the Main Hall, statues are displayed simply but meditatively. In the bright spacious sanctuary is the only statue of Sakyamuni Buddha raising a lotus in his hand.

Datanla waterfall - Datanla Waterfall is one of the more easily accessed falls in the vicinity of Dalat. 5km south of the city, the entrance is at the top of the fall. An easy 15 minute walk gets you to the bottom, and for something a little bit different you can return to the top via a mini roller coaster. The surrounding forest and gardens make for an interesting outing.

XQ Historical Village – also known as the embroidery village. What appear to be detail paintings are actually hand embroidered works, delicately stitched on site. Laid out like an art gallery, XQ offers the finest examples of Vietnamese embroidery. You can watch the artisans at work and it is great to see the amount of detail in each piece. However the village itself feels a little bit like being in he facade of a movie set.

Valley of Love – This is the most raved about place in Dalat by Vietnamese people as being the true ideal of romance. All my students insisted this was the best place in Dalat so I went with high expectations....but what did I find.......the kitschiest Disney like park filled with gross images of “love”. Maybe we are just sceptical, world weary people when ti comes to images of love and spent most of the time laughing about how seriously all the Vietnamese tourists were taking the place!!! For heaven’s sake they even had swan shaped boats you could peddle on the lake.

To give you the public blurb on this place I found the following description;

Just as true love has to surpass several obstacles, the Valley of Love in Dalat had to surpass many challenges in the past in order to gains its rightful name today. In the beginning, the valley was called Valle D’ amour by the French before being renamed The Valley of Peace. In 1935, its beauty and captivation persuaded people to once again name it after the most wonderful thing in the world: Love. Thanks to being the honeymoon destination of newly-married couples, this valley is even regarded as Niagara Falls of Vietnam. Valley of Love is one of the poetic beauty spots of Dalat and was recognised as a national beauty spot in 1998.

Throughout history, it has been one of the most picturesque and romantic sites of the city, with many deep valleys and endless pine forests. The tranquil Da Thiem lake, which was create in 1972, also adds a great deal to the attractiveness of the valley in general. To truly appreciate the sceneries is not hard because travellers can easily follow the nature tracks and staircase all around the valley to visit and admire the gorgeous flower gates and love symbolic statues.Overall, the valley is another wonderful addition to your trip to the romantic Dalat.

Van Hanh Pagoda – Most famous for the 70 foot high golden Buddha statue. The property is a great place to walk around enjoying the green gardens and lush palm trees. Rather liked the architecture here.

Finished touring with a stop at Domain de Marie church and convent built by the French and beautifully preserved. We had to fight our way through hoards of teenage school children and were a bit taken aback by the

A visit to the night market was a bit of a let down. Stall after stall all selling the same clothing that quite frankly you would see in an op-shop at home. Very different view of the market during the day when the vibrant colours of the local flowers and fresh fruits and vegetables are an awe-inspiring sight.

Thoroughly enjoyed out time here and it was definitely far too short. Whilst we can tick off the major sights we did not really have the opportunity to just wander the streets and take in all this city has to offer. Found a fantastic little restaurant our last night in town before heading off for our central highlands tour early in the morning.

Now heading to bed ready for an early start to our tour.....exciting times ahead we hope!!

Bye for now. xx