As I sit here on this sleeper bus traveling from Nha Trang to Hoi An I’m supposed to be sleeping but my mind is racing a mile a minute while my eyes are glaring out the window at this full moon thats producing a mirror image on the ocean below it. I can’t help but to think of our time here in Vietnam already. Only one week has passed but we have gained a lifetime of memories and have met many new friends.
Two days ago in Da Lat I had the privilege to sit down and talk to a young man from Hanoi who was visiting Da Lat with his girlfriend. He was eager to learn some new English words to add to his vocabulary (he spoke some english very well already!) As the hours passed he showed me how loyal Vietnamese are to there country, the love he has for his country was beyond beautiful and you could hear in every word how much Vietnam meant to him. But also in his voice was sadness as he told us how he felt stuck knowing he would never be able to afford to travel outside of what he’s always known.
Right now Vietnams exchange rate for the US dollar is $1USD to 22,500VND. For them to travel to America or any other country it would be very difficult to get anything for their money in exchange. My heart breaks for the ones like him who dream of seeing the world but know that it is just that, a dream. But it makes me so happy that they see know just how beautiful a country they live in. People come from all over the world to experience what they see everyday.
Our time in Da Lat was incredible we initially wanted to spend a 2-3 days there but ended up extending our trip 2 more days because we fell in love with the family who was hosting us in their hostel. Da Lat is a much cooler and breezier part of Vietnam than what we were experiencing days before arriving, going from 85-90 degrees Fahrenheit in Ho Chi Minh to a cool 70 degrees during the day in Da Lat.
Our first two days in town we walked around trying different street foods and getting to know our way around town. We picked up some amazing Bún thit nuóng (Barbecue Noodles) for just 20,000VND per person, along with a few other cheap street foods. The vietnamese sure can cook and if you wait to walk around during peak eating hours you will be sure to find the local favorite spots!
Speaking of cooking, at our Hostel, Da Lat Happy Hostel, we were greeted each morning with a full home cooked breakfast, and took them up on their offer of dinner each night for 40,000 VND each. For the money each night we were given so much food that we always went to bed full and our bellies happy. (Quick side note, Lucas is already missing their Banana Cake! which was SOOOO good!) We even were able to try some fresh strawberry and avocado smoothies free of charge as well as some new fruit that we had never tried before like dragon fruit, lychee and green guavas! We spent 4 days there and left feeling like we had grown into part of their family. We instantly fell in love with their hospitality and how clean the hostel was, they treated us like one of their own and always made sure we were comfortable! The hostel had everything we needed and more for a comfortable stay including the option to rent a scooter for the day, which we took advantage of to go to Pongour Falls one day on our own. They also had tours available that they could call and arrange which we also signed up to do, after pricing all around town we could not beat the price given to us so we took a tour of the countryside of Da Lat seeing the beautiful Elephant waterfall, stopping at a silk production factory (which was a highlight for us both), visiting the Linh An Pagoda & Happy Buddha and a few other really neat places throughout the city.
Im not going to lie, I shed a few tears when we hugged goodbye on our last day, we truly enjoyed every minute spent with them and if we are able to make it back down to Da Lat this go around we will for sure visit them once more!
Life's Next Adventures 