Phan Rang to Dalat: Vietnam unveiled (3), 2010

 City of Eternal Spring

We drive uphill snaking through the rolling hills to Dalat, winding through sprawled orchards, passing by waterfalls and a huge landscaped garden that seems popular. We believe we are in the town centre, going by the traffic and busy streets. Now we have to scout out a place to stay. We peer at several long streets lined wall to wall with 4-5 storey high buildings and narrow commercial looking hotels. Finally we find one at the end of a street. It has large glass windows on three sides. (Given a cold day – generally 15 to 17 degrees centigrade -- surely the large expanse of glass would have helped warm up the room!). We have trouble getting the little girl at the reception to understand what we want. The hotel must be run by the family; the washing machines and the drying yard are just one floor below us on the 3rd floor. We walk around until we find a restaurant that has the menu (in English, as well) displayed on a stand outside. Unfortunately it is closed. We find a bakery. It transpires that there are only two bakeries in town and this was the largest, and always crowded; it carries all kinds of breads and cakes, cheeses, butter, yoghurt and juices. Having skipped lunch we made a meal of cakes, fruits and yoghurt. Our hotel room, despite the large glass windows on 3 sides, remains cold. 

Little Paris

We begin the next day by having our driver take me to several hotels. None seems to suit our needs. But there is one that overlooks the valley and is in the neighbourhood of French colonial buildings. (Da Lat was originally developed as a resort by the French in the early 1900s.) We move in that afternoon. Surprise! The receptionist speaks good English; the one at night can read and interpret English but has difficulty speaking the language. The staff was so friendly that they prepare a special vegetarian meal for us and even shopp for the fruits we ask for. Strolling around the area we see how some of the shops look so inviting with such a variety of fruits all laid out attractively. The salad vegetables are amazingly fresh. 

Later that afternoon, we step into the cable car across a valley. The 2.4 km ride takes us over the pines, chestnut trees and mangroves, towards Trac Lam Pagoda.

Theme park? NO!

On our way towards HCM we come across a curious structure that could have come out of a fairy tale. We could have dismissed it as part of a children's playground or a theme park. Fortunately we don't. 

This is Hằng Nga guesthouse! From the outside it looks like a cave dwelling but as we get closer we see that it has more than meets the eye.

Gaud(y)i!

As we step inside we are mind boggled by its eccentricities. Tree house doors open into dungeons. Concrete roots spiral up as staircases. At times the staircases seem suspended in mid-air. The rooms are all awkwardly shaped but adequately furnished with equally bizarre furnishing and prints. It's all gaudy. And there's the clue. It is truly Gaudi for the house was built by Dang Viet NgA, the daughter of an architect, herself an architect whose source of inspiration was Gaudi. 

As we walk down the stairs on the outside plump avocados hang temptingly from the huge tree

A other discovery

We drive towards HCM till we reach what looks like a major resort in lush surroundings offering all kinds of thrills like rappelling down waterfalls, canyoning, ziplining etc. We booked in to enjoy the waterfalls and the nature trails. At dinner there is even a cultural performance.

Vung Tau to Hindu Cha(r)m: Vietnam unveiled (2)

Sun and Moon, colourful dunes

From Vung Tau we drive to Phan Thiet. We book into a hotel that promises to be idyllic. It's called Happy Moon Hotel and our room ideally opens onto the beach. After settling in for a bit we make our way to the sand dunes. The one we go to has reddish sand and in the distance appear white ones. It's a rather hot day and yet there are a few people tobogganing, teens and younger ones expressing their delight in loud laughter. 

Fried to crispness

The vendors display wide shallow baskets of little conical hills of something the colour of sand.  When we draw closer we withdraw in disbelief. They are deep-fried flying lizards, a specialty of the area! Back at the hotel we are witness to a flurry of activity. Parasailing enthusiasts ride the high waves. A satisfying barefoot walk along the beach whets our appetite. Dinner is by the ocean at Sunshine Hotel as the sunsets.

 

Caught in action

In the morning, as the sun rises, the beach is caught up in a frenzy of activity. we are drawn towards the  fishermen in round boats paddling over to retrieve fishing nets and trawl them onto the shore.  Women pull out fish from nets. And then, of course, come the holiday makers who are parasurfing, parasailing or abseiling.

Rolling up the pants

We leave Mui Ni for Dalat. On the way we stop at Phan Rang where we walk up a stream between high walls of soft pink and red rock. The stream is shallow but has a fairy tale quality not only because it flows through the red rock canyon but also because we could  it without fear of currents since the water was only knee deep at best.The naturally carved sides resemble miniature mountain landscapes that could house fairyland! We walk about a km but we do not see the promised falls. The tale of the disappearing waterfall appropriate to fairy stories, indeed. We are given a dipper of water to rinse our feet and step into our slippers which had been guarded over for a small fee.

Fishy business

As we walk back to our car we notice a yard full of vats and jars with conical covers. You guessed it right if you connected it with all the fish along the coast – vats of fish sauce all in the process of fermentation. There is only a slight whiff of the sauce as we weave between them.

Cattle herd, Sign language

We resume our road trip that winds through a patch of rough roads to a very smooth highway, passing many beaches and chalets, as well as a cattle herd that blocks our way until we reach a huge resort where we stop for lunch. First we ask for boiled water. A waiter brings a glass of water with ice in it. We try to communicate with gestures and sounds to indicate steam and scalding heat. Didn't get through. Out comes my notepad and pen. A little fire under a kettle tipping liquid into a glass. ‘ Aah’ he says. We got through!

Totally unexpected Charming Hindu/Cham edifice

All of a sudden, at a particular junction, the tops of two uniquely sculptured towers appear atop a lush hill. The car naturally follows the path to the destinatio our eyes are  naturally leading to. A beutuflly manicured serene Park invites us to the steps that would lead us to the top. It is a hot day but the discovery is so exciting that what could have been quite a discomfort has lessened by several degrees. 

The architecture has Thai and Cambodian features and they are all derived from Hindu architecture. Over the front door of the main tower is a sculpture of the Lord Shiva that is regarded as one of the masterpieces of the modified style. The sanctum has the form of linga sitting on the pedestal that has a groove( often referred to as the phallic symbol) but unique in  that it has sculpted facial features

Even more intersting is that this religious complex is  located in the Cham principality of Panduranga, in what is now Phan Rang. Panduranga is an an Indian name prevalent in Hindu myths. 

For the Vietnamese it is Po Klong Garai Temple, a Hindu Cham built to honor of the legendary king Po Klaung Garai, who ruled Panduranga from 1151 to 1205, by the historic King Jaya Sinhavarman III (another Indian name). 

The complex also hoses some of the traditional clothes worn by yhe priests, mostly white as in Bali and India, with a touch of red or royal yellow as in Southeast Asia.

The next blog will cover the our impressions of and experiences in Ho Chi Minh (Saigob) city.