[monumentum]

Day #6: On to Dalat (5-May-2010)
Winding country roads on to Dalat on a minibus. So much for having paid for the prestigious 'sleeping' bus, we were packed into a bus that you could hardly call a 'bus' at all. Basically a van, into which more than 10 of us were cramped. Someone exclaimed that since they couldn't put the rest of us underneath the vehicle, they'd have to put them on the roof instead. LOL! That only further justifies what I'd said earlier on - You're at their mercy being so far from home. Enough whining for now.The views along the way, alone were sufficient to alleviate your woes. The temperature was plummeting (I was aware of this, for the aircon in the 'bus' broke down every now & then, so we had our windows wound down during those intervals). Mountainous it was, & plantations lined the horizon. Yet another breathtaker. This was when I realised for the first time, something which would continue to fascinate me throughout my entire stay in the country. See the mountains & hills beyond? You'd see them blue, as their shades would fade & eventually blend with the color of the sky - or otherwise.

There's this rhyme that goes, "the people in the bus go up & down, up & down, up & down..". So it indeed was. The mountain roads were desperately needing repair. Bumpy, & there were pits everywhere. Someone in the 'bus' was like "The trip is taking so long simply because the bus needs to zigzag across the road." Yea, to avoid those irregular cavities.
That's a coffee plantation there. A young one. For older coffee plantations the land would be crowded with dark greenish coffee bean plants - a less barren outlook in a sense.
See what I meant (in the picture above)? You couldn't really tell where the land & sky met. The diminishing clarity as the scenery stretched out, I found so enchanting. It wasn't due to the height, which I'd later learn. Perhaps the mist? Or simply, the pollution, the dust? I'm not sure what causes this phenomenon, yet it's truly a bewitching one.
This said, I think I'm sincerely grateful for a pair of eyes, & not colorblind ones at that. I'm sorry to say this, no discrimination intended. But colors, they give life to every single entity, & thus I'm thankful to be able to witness their binding spell.
Cho Dalat was where I headed to upon dumping my bags at the hotel, after reaching the breezy town of Dalat high on the mountains (approx. 900m). & since it was lunchtime, the below was what I had - Roasted pork with steamed rice, plus a deep fried spring roll. I shan't go into explicit description, for it'd surely spark a new wave of nostalgia.


Yet another everyday scene that the locals would probably take for granted (above). This cluttered composition would prepare you for the upcoming larger scale one. Cho Dalat has a unique shape - for a market, of course.
As Shinedown's 'What A Shame' goes: "There's a touch of grey for every shade of blue", this was particularly true in Dalat. I've no idea why, but the sky was gloomy on most days (though it was said to be dry season in the month of May). It threatened storms, yet the furthest it went was mere drizzles, while I was there, at least.


Dalat isn't a place you'd wanna rely on bicycles. As compared to Mui Ne or the subsequent towns I went to, it was brimming with sloping streets, which practically gave shape to the entire town. You'd see what I mean..
Another thing to note about Dalat. How it striked a chord as a typical Miyazaki filmset. Remember Tales from the Earthsea? Remember Spirited Away? How those clutters of colony gave rise to human settlements? Dalat certainly reminded me of those settings. Another reason why I really enjoyed Dalat's townscape. However it's interesting to note that Dalat is particularly so, for it was the variation in ground levels in this town that allowed a clearer picture of the sprawling clutters. Otherwise you'd perhaps gotta catch that from a helicopter in more levelled towns.


Thanks to this canal, I'd managed to find my way around using only the map. It's one significant landmark you'd wanna keep in mind should you be a lost sheep from the herd.


So I'd done more walking than usual while I was in Dalat. Perhaps due to the temperature. Even lugging a heavy daypack around wasn't much of a disincentive. More of Dalat soon to come. The day ended rather early for me. Comfy hotel. No aircon, but the temperature in the city was enough to send chills pulsating through you. The shower could get on your nerves, if you were staying at a hotel like mine. The water's temperature fluctuated, it boiled a moment, followed by icy cold splashes, leaving you with series of sneezes. Yea, but what more could you expect from USD5/night for a double room with a pleasant balcony view on Hai Phuong St.?