After weeks of heat and humidity, I finally headed UP to Da Lat, or Dalat, at 1,500 m (4,900 ft) above sea level. One of the most popular tourist destinations in Vietnam.

Tourists love any climate that can grow tea or coffee. Hill stations.

I walked the canals and lake both nights I was there. Pretty in the full moon.

Short on time, I signed up for a VIP tour. A BIG day.

Cost was CAD $31.40 for 8 hours of non-stop entertainment. That’s VIP in Vietnam. 😀

Best was my Easy Rider motorcycle driver / guide, Mr Hieu. 60 years old — but hyper and energetic as a teenager.

We had lunch at one of his personal favourite spots, not a typical tourist only restaurant.

Mr Hieu been guiding this tour since 2002. He was handpicked as my driver by the hostel where I stayed.

Here’s something of the standard itinerary:

• Datanla Waterfall
• Pongour Waterfall
• Elephant Waterfall
• Linh An Pagoda – lady buddha
• Cricket Farm (happy water and fried crickets)
• Silk Factory
• Mê Linh Coffee Plantation & Weasel (Civit) Coffee … (NO, I did not drink weasel poop coffee)

Mr Hieu added many extra stops unknown to any other driver. Like this inexplicable giant chicken in one village.

He did his best to get me hooked up, as well, knowing ALL the single Vietnamese women en route. 😀

BEST was the Pongour Waterfall. I flew my drone here as Vietnam is yet to get organized enough to post signs disallowing them.

NEW was taking something called an “Alpine Rollercoaster“. Over 2,400 meters, the Datanla coaster is longest in Asia.

There was some extra cost for this. Well worth it.

Safe? I dunno. Signs say you can crash one into another. BUT I appreciated having brakes so I could slow down and not fly off at the turns. 😀

With its year-round cool weather, Da Lat supplies huge quantities of temperate agriculture products.

We visited a mushroom farm. VERY interesting.

We saw every stage of silk production. Fascinating, as well.

Almost every tour in Vietnam includes a giant Buddhist statue. Many are female.  

The image of Quan Âm as a maternal figure of mercy and compassion evolved through the blending of Mahayana Buddhism with Vietnamese folk traditions, including the veneration of mother goddesses. 

Best tour of many I took in Vietnam.