Wednesday, December 13, 2006
6 December, 2006
We booked an easy rider for the day. These guys find you and they generally show you around the town for a good price. A Canadian couple (Frank and Louise) from our hotel decided that they would join us for the day trip so off we went and started at Lat Village. This village is located at the base of the Lang Bian Mountain. The people of the village make a living by growing rice, coffee, black beans and sweet potatoes. A local fellow showed us around and he was fabulous. He spoke more French than English and we listened very carefully as he spoke us through a bit of the history and traditions of the villages. We tasted some wine that is made from the trees and it was quite good. He played some instruments for us and sang a few lullabies. A few more stops included some waterfalls and of course the good old Pagoda. One of the best stops was called the ‘crazy house’. This was a house designed similar to the café we visited the day before with interweaving corridors and alleys and a jungle-like feel. It was very different and I guess quite crazy! W also visited Bao Dai’s (the last Vietnamese Emperor) Summer Palace. It wasn’t very impressive and in fact it was so simple. Especially the living quarters upstairs. There was absolutely no glamour or luxury within the palace. We walked around and then stopped at the Buddhist Monastery which had amazing views of the lake and the gardens were so peaceful. Last but not least was the old Railway station. It was cute but not too interesting and definitely not what one would call a thriving metropolis. We had a superb but tiny dinner with Frank and Louise at a restaurant called the ‘Art Café’. We really enjoyed our day with our new friends.
We booked an easy rider for the day. These guys find you and they generally show you around the town for a good price. A Canadian couple (Frank and Louise) from our hotel decided that they would join us for the day trip so off we went and started at Lat Village. This village is located at the base of the Lang Bian Mountain. The people of the village make a living by growing rice, coffee, black beans and sweet potatoes. A local fellow showed us around and he was fabulous. He spoke more French than English and we listened very carefully as he spoke us through a bit of the history and traditions of the villages. We tasted some wine that is made from the trees and it was quite good. He played some instruments for us and sang a few lullabies. A few more stops included some waterfalls and of course the good old Pagoda. One of the best stops was called the ‘crazy house’. This was a house designed similar to the café we visited the day before with interweaving corridors and alleys and a jungle-like feel. It was very different and I guess quite crazy! W also visited Bao Dai’s (the last Vietnamese Emperor) Summer Palace. It wasn’t very impressive and in fact it was so simple. Especially the living quarters upstairs. There was absolutely no glamour or luxury within the palace. We walked around and then stopped at the Buddhist Monastery which had amazing views of the lake and the gardens were so peaceful. Last but not least was the old Railway station. It was cute but not too interesting and definitely not what one would call a thriving metropolis. We had a superb but tiny dinner with Frank and Louise at a restaurant called the ‘Art Café’. We really enjoyed our day with our new friends.
# posted by Heidi & Richard's travels @ 8:04 AM 
