A Lazy Morning
The house was a little slow to rise this misty mountain morning. The previous day’s activities had caused deep sleep and I was the first to stir. I made a few calls home to the states while I sat in the living room. Our dinner guest the previous night owned a salon in Lac Duong. Lac Duong is the district capital we visited the day prior. The condition of my hair was quite the topic of conversation. I, without a terrible amount of objection, agreed to remedy this. I had not had a haircut in months and it had survived jungle conditions and an extended quarantine back in Da Nang. It had become unruly, tangled, messy and annoyingly in the way. I was ready to let it go.
Off For A Haircut
The salon did not open until ten, which gave us plenty of time to lazily find breakfast and take our time in getting there. Everyone was up and ready by 8:30 and again we mobilized and headed out into the curvy mountain roads. We decided to find breakfast near the salon about 6 miles from the house. I know this because we found the salon, and then found a place nearby to eat. One can never question the trust I put in my wife. I rely on her 99.9% of the time to make sure I arrive where I need to and that I don’t step in front of a speeding bus or off a cliff to my untimely death.
Understanding Beyond Language
She has developed these signals, nods and gestures. Mind you while fully covered in riding gear, sunglasses, gloves, facial coverings and the like. While I can’t see a inch of her skin or make out her voice beyond a faint whisper she can express things like “yes you can get off now”, or “no stay on, this is not our final stop I just need to access the ATM, stay put” and that sort of thing. With this keen understanding of her slightest movements we manage to travel to some of the most distant places on motorbike with little trouble.
Breakfast
After scouting out the salon we found a local outdoor food court of sorts. Not really sure what else to call it. It was a dirt car park hidden off the main road and difficult to access. On three sides of the parking area were many open air restaurants. They offered as many different dishes as there were spaces to offer them. The car park had a few motorbikes, a large transport truck and a car or two. It seemed to be a place locals and truck drivers passing through stopped for a meal. The time was a quarter after 9 am when we arrived and you could tell that most were wrapping up breakfast service.
Most of the shops closed at 10 to reset for lunch. One could tell by the lack of patrons that the busy breakfast period was well passed. We walked the shop openings looking at their offerings. When finally our party unanimously agreed on a nicely furnished spot, with wooden tables and steamy bowls of bánh canh cá, we settled in for breakfast. A delicious concoction of thick, freshly made noodles, slices and chunks of fish cake, and meaty hunks of white fish. All combined with a wonderful fish broth, lots of fresh shoots from what appeared to be a pea plant or perhaps a watercress like vegetable.
The Cut
After downing our breakfast, and feeling very satisfied, we headed down the street for a haircut. The discussion about how I wanted it cut had been had over dinner, so all that was needed was a refresher of the conversation and to sit down and get started. I felt a great relief to finally let the burdensome excess hair go, and it was obvious by Diem’s reaction that she was very happy with the change as well. I hopped out of the chair and offered it to Luan. He too was in need of a cut, and Diem and I walked next door for a coffee while we waited.
As Luan was finishing up we tried to settle the bill, but our friend refused. I can’t be sure why he refused payment. My assumption was in the cornucopia of food and drink we had consumed the night before. I didn’t fully understand the conversation, and have learned in my time here to nod, offer a hand by your side bow, be incredibly gracious, and be unfathomably agreeable. Thinking it to be a great trade and just loving the value people place on your efforts here. In fact, I spent a considerable amount of time and money in preparing dinner the night before. And I was overcome with graciousness in his unexpected acknowledgement of that here.
A Trip to the Valley
We said our goodbyes and I wrapped up my many thank you’s for the fresh do. It was time now, for us to head to the famous, and until this moment unknown to me, Valley of Love. Opened as the Vallée D’amour by the French in 1930, the Valley was designed as a massive botanical garden for French tourists to getaway to the cooler mountains on romantic weekends. Based on a brief conversation with Diem I knew there would be flowers and maybe a few sculptures to gawk at. But beyond this I couldn’t be sure of what to expect. We paid the price of admission and made our way through the gates and into wonderland.
And Down the Rabbit Hole We Go
Immediately through the gates we came to a beautiful bridge over a heart shaped entryway. In front of the bridge perched a large globe made entirely of white hearts and beautiful flower beds lining every inch of the walkways. I walked up the bridge to get a better view and what I found was amazing. Inside the gate beneath me was a massive garden maze. I stood on the bridge and just stared out in awe at its grandeur. At first I didn’t realize the shape, but after a moment it occured to me that even the maze was heart shaped.
The entire area was breathtakingly gorgeous, but what I didn’t know, couldn’t know, was that this was only a tiny fraction of the grounds. I couldn’t help myself and Diem and I ran around the maze having a moment of childlike fun. It was so magical that I could imagine turning the corner and finding the queen of hearts playing golf with dodo’s as clubs. It was that magical.
Further In We Go
We walked out of the maze and down the lane toward a row of heart shaped arbors composed of flowers. Down the twisting walkway we stepped through arbor after arbor of beautifully crafted flower hearts. At the end of the walkway the path opened up to a number of mini gardens. Each full of more flower sculptures and beautiful topiary designs. To the right off the path was a very captivating sight and where I immediately was heading next. A massive chess set with pieces over 9 feet tall. It only aided in the wonderland feel the park was exuding.
We took some time there to get a few fun photographs in and then headed a bit further down the path. The path opened to a rather large concrete overlook and we walked out to investigate. It was here that I began to realize the expanse of the park. A winding path down from our point towards a large lake in the base of the valley. I referenced a map and discovered that the park’s gardens stretched all the way to the far end of the lake and up the distant hills. We had barely scratched the surface.
The Parks Size Revealed
The park was so massive in fact, that at the edge of the lake below us, stood a tram station that would take us around the vastness of the park. We headed down the ornately decorated walkway and towards the tram station. As I reached the bottom I looked back up the stairs to find a beautiful work of art in the steps themselves. I just love that, every space here is utilized for art and beauty.
Mountain Top Topiary
We decided to take the tram to the farthest point and work our way back. The tram took off from the station and hugged the lake for some time. After passing the beautiful alpine lake to the right, and several gardens to the left, we eventually rose away up the winding paved path towards a nearby hilltop. The landscape was very familiar to me, as most environments are in Southeast Asia when at altitude. The area at the hilltop was surrounded by the winding black top road and a charming white fence.
Within the blacktop that encircled the hilltop was a rather large botanical garden. The sky was beginning to darken and the weather did not seem that it would be cooperating today. But we stepped off of the tram anyway and made our way into the garden. It was beautiful. The park however, had recently reopened after mandatory quarantine, and you could tell the workers were in the process of refining the grounds. Incredibly beautiful and mostly manicured to perfection, there were spots here and there that revealed its forced neglect. A shaggy topiary here, or a large piece of art being replanted there. But all things considered it was beautiful.
Music in the Air
One thing that caught my attention almost immediately was an assortment of wind chimes that hung in the pine trees dotting the garden. We walked the grounds to a natural song that wafted in the air. A tune both original and that no one else would ever hear. The displays included everything from statues of Adam and Eve to floral arrangements of ducks, cacti and more. I listened to the windy tunes as we walked the garden taking many pictures and enjoying the morning. After discovering everything the hilltop had to offer, we made our way to the land of Oz.
Fields of Blue
As we boarded the tram for the next stop it began to rain. We passed beautifully manicured shoulders and random exhibits as we wound down to the edge of the valley. The tram came to a stop near a pair of thatched gondolas and the rain increased greatly. We jumped off the tram and ran to the cover of the gondola and observed our surroundings.
The rain was heavy and coated everything outside the cover of the gondola. The gondolas were in a small wooded area that sat on the edge of a rather large hydrangea field. It was the first, and probably the only time, I had seen an entire field of hydrangeas. It was captivatingly beautiful and I couldn’t help but draw images of chapter 8 in the Wizard of Oz, the deadly poppy field. Though they were not poppies and definitely not deadly, I couldn’t help but imagine the new band of friends skipping through a field of similar beauty. Feeling youthful and energetic, Diem and I ran into the fields and frolicked in the rain.
The World’s Great Monuments
After a wonderful frolick we loaded another tram from the flower fields and headed to monument hill. To continue to add to the Alice in Wonderland feel, the park had an area that exhibited small versions of the world’s monuments. The Sydney Opera House, Arc de Triomphe, the Sphinx, Eiffel Tower, Lady Liberty and many more. As we pulled into the area and unloaded the tram the sky really opened up. We waited under another small gondola with several other guests and tried to wait it out.
The rain did let up for a brief moment and I was able to get a few photos of some of the statues. The rain was heavy then light, then heavy again for the remainder of our time there. At one point I had become stranded under an overhang of a small pavilion that housed a few vending machines. I waited for the surprisingly short intervals between the hurricane-like rain to hop my way across covered areas back to Diem and ultimately the tram stop. It was clear that the weather had turned for the worse. It seemed the trams had dropped there intervals due to the heavy rain and we waited for quite some time in the chilly damp air before a rain soaked tram finally retrieved us.
Mountain Weather
Given our altitude and the mountains that filled the area the rain disappeared to partly cloudy skies when we took the tram over the hill to the valley on the other side. Behind in the distance the rain poured on. There were still a few gardens left to explore, but everyone was wet, cold and our companions were boarding a bus back to Saigon in a few hours. We made our way back to the front to our motorbikes and back to the house.
At the house the rain began to fall again. We walked across the road to the mall to retrieve a quick bite and then prepared for our travel companions to depart. Diem and I would not be going to Saigon for another couple of days and we spent the evening quietly. We watched a movie in the now silent house and I think both of us missed the mild chaos of a house full of family. We had a few more things to see in Da Lat, some things unfinished. Tomorrow would be another fun day in the CIty of Eternal Spring.
Click Here for a sweet video of our day in the Valley of Love
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