Da Lat of Stuff We Did Today

Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Posted by TwoLively

We woke up early this morning, so we could head to a breakfast buffet. The plan was to meet in the lobby at 6:00 AM. When we stepped out of our room, into the hallway, we found the entire second floor was unlit and dark. So, we carefully tip-toed downstairs to the lobby, and it was dark as well. The hotel was locked down tight--the front doors were locked, with a security screen rolled down over the front doors and windows. Across the street, the marketplace was bustling with shoppers.

Tootsie & MarcoPolo in dark lobby (the photo looks well-lit...but it wasn't!) ~ Shoppers in the marketplace (they start at 3 AM)

At the breakfast buffet, we recognized most of the items: pho (chicken or macaroni), rice, french bread baguettes, eggs, watermelon, hairy-cherries, etc. There was a mysterious item wrapped in a banana leaf, and since it's a buffet, why not try it? There was mysterious stuff inside the center...mung beans?...bird guts? My imagination started running wild!(My sister-in-law said it was pork--but by then, I had grossed myself out!) We noticed a sign at our table that said leftovers incurred an extra charge--but it must've looked like we ate enough on our plates, 'cause our table was cleared and we weren't charged extra.

Next stop: straight to the Crazy House! (Ya'll know that's not much of a stretch for me...) About ten years ago, a Vietnamese woman architect started building Crazy House: a fantastical, Dr. Seuss-ish treehouse, with spiraling stairs, seashell drapes, and wacky rooms. (The sign notes: she isn't crazy, per se--she's just eccentric and misunderstood.) We wish we would've known, that for only $30 a night, you can stay in one of the themed rooms at Crazy House. As we climbed and explored the giant treehouse, we realized that once again, being tall Americans, the low side walls only came up to our thighs, which really doesn't protect us. Crazy House is still under construction, so paths dead-end, with great big drop offs! MarcoPolo, being a true Griffith, had to find the W.C. -- and we had tofrantically race thru the confusing maze to find it -- and of course, they were out of toilet paper, leaving Marco stranded until I finally found Tootsie and the spare roll of toilet paper! 

Summer House of Last Emperor
Bao Dai was the last emperor/king of Vietnam. He and his family spent summers at Summer House from about 1926-1945...but the decor looked like it very well could've been 1970! Considering how great the emperor's position was, the house seemed small and simple. The crown prince had a separate bedroom from his siblings, and he was allowed to eat dinner at "the big table" with his parents and guests, while his siblings dined in a small adjacent room. The architect who built the palace was French, and materials were imported from France. Interestingly enough, there were silver forks in the display case (NOT my nemesis, chopsticks!)   

Smurf booties..."Big Table" and adjacent room...bedrooms...garden view...relaxation room...Da Boss at the Presidential desk

It's amazing how much you can get accomplished when you start bright and early! It was only noon, so we decided to break for a much-needed nap. Afterward, we headed to the Orphanage. Previously, Tootsie and TwoLively made a pact to sneak out a few babies in Tootsie's backpack--but, to our dismay, there were no orphans! (TwoLively actually wanted twins...but was told that due to long-held beliefs and superstition, twins aren't a viable option...) The orphanage had been established by a Catholic woman, but a few years ago, the government assumed the total responsibility for orphans (so that's why this orphanage no longer has children.) However, there are older orphans who work at the orphanage; they learn a useful skill--such as embroidery--and they produce goods for resell.

We stopped at a Pagoda in Da Lat. We saw Bonzai trees that were 200 years old!

We took an Aerial Tram ride up the side of the mountain. It was about a seven minute scenic ride. The tram was very quiet, and the rode smoother than we expected.

The view ~ Sister, The Travel Agent, Brother ~ Our attempt at an "artsy" picture.

We stopped at someone's house, to see "The Strange Revolving Table in An Nhon." In Victorian times, someone bought a table, and noticed that whenever they placed their hands directly on the table top, it turned! You can guide the table with commands (right/left/faster/stop.) Bwahaha...SPOOKY! Back in Victorian times, the table only turned when people of the same sex placed their hands upon the table...but, as times changed, the table has kept up and adapted, and it currently allows mixed sexes to participate in this parlor trick.  

The last stop was the cheesiest, love-themed park: Love Valley. It was romance, Valentine's Day, and hearts o' plenty rolled into one cheesy ball. There was even a Love Shack (Love Shack, baaa-b-yyyy...gotta sing it like the B-52s!) The guys tried their hand at shooting Cupid's Arrow (alas, none hit the mark.) Most of the group walked down to a lake to ride Swan Paddleboats (walk down an endless amount of stairs, paddle vigorously for an hour, then trek those same stairs, and walk uphill...OR...sit on your duff, enjoy the scenic view, and eat ice-cream: was there really a choice?) There was a spot where lovers could place a padlock on a fence, to symbolically lock their love together, forever. I asked MarcoPolo if he wanted to buy a lock, and he said, "No, I'm looking forward to death." Had he uttered that a few minutes earlier--on the scenic overlook--his wish could've been granted!

Ooey-gooey love picture rops...archers...more "artsy" pictures
(last picture: like how we spelled "Mesa"? We're awesome like that!)

Regarding the food:The food is (mostly) GREAT! It's just a bit difficult to get what you really want to eat, because we read a title in the menu--and it's usually written in Engrish, so it's incorrect. For example, instead of a milk-based dressing on my salad (as the menu stated), it was soy sauce. It's strange how each person's food comes out as it's made, one-at-a-time. And, it's perplexing how two people can order the same thing, yet the food looks totally different!

Laundry:You can only flip your dirty underwear so many times, plus the funk of our dirty clothes was getting to us, so we had our laundry done at this hotel. (Everyone else was doing their laundry in their rooms...but our bathroom doesn't have a tub, nor does it have a stopper for the sink.) For about $15.00, our laundry was washed, neatly folded...and MarcoPolo's shirts were ironed! (Heck, he doesn't even get that at home!) 

Later! --TwoLively