We are in the kitsch capital of Vietnam - Dalat. Its picture perfect and obviously the place where the more wealthy Vietnamese live or holiday. There are flowers everywhere along with fibreglass deers, horses pulling decorated carriages, Vietnamese men dressed as cowboys and couples having wedding photos taken (some of the poses are just classic...lots of pointing at nothing). We spent the afternoon walking around the large lake in the centre of Dalat taking in the laid back charm of the place and fending off offers from motorcylcle riders to take us on a tour. Dalat is another place where the French have left their mark and there is an abundance of architecture which would look at home in Paris including a small Eiffel Tower(!!!) In the flower garden Steve was very heroic and did his bit to try to help a pony that had got his leg trapped in the rope he was tethered with. Despite many attempts, the pony was having none of Steve's softly, softly approached. So, I went to call in the big guns - following a stern talking to and a kick on the rear the pony complied with the local guy and gave us his leg to be freed...hoorah! The following morning we were back on a hired motorcycle to explore around Dalat. We have got quite used to this mode of transport now - it gives you a lovely sense of freedom and you get to see so much more than you would sitting on a bus. After visiting the Bao Dai's Summer Palace (not very impressive considering they were royalty), we headed to Datanla Falls which were very nice...I'd hate to see them in the wet season as they were pretty ferocious even now! We failed in our attempt to find the Chicken Village but it was nice to see that the school kids were pleased to see us, waving and shouting hello as we flew past. After lunch we drove up into the mountains and found ourselves in the Lat Village whose inhabitants are made up of ethnic minorities. We were invited into a local man's house and he gave us a history of the village and its people. The only problem was that he slipped from English into French into Vietnamese, which although impressive it was a little difficult to follow his narrative! We soon found the cause for this as he produced a ceramic vase full of local rice wine and invited us to join him for a drink. We came to the conclusion that our little man had been indulging a little too often throughout the day, but never the less he was an excellent host.