Arcoiris (Dalat)

This format is so cheesy- I know. I was trying to be creative and Dalat really left me feeling happy and cheesy so this is the result:

Red: The color of the cheapest wine I have ever bought. Grapes are 50000 dong per kilo but a bottle of wine is only 20000 dong- less than $1.25. The quality exceeded my expectations considering the price.

Pink: We arrived in Dalat on a pink bus. It pulled into a hotel parking lot diagonally where a security guard served as a physical barrier to keep out the touts.

Peach: The color of the hibiscus blooming on our balcony overlooking the lake. A middle aged woman popped out of her house as we walked down the street to invite us to look at her room for rent. I couldn't say no. The room had 3 beds, a canister with loose tea, a cute little tea set, a thermos of never ending hot water, a hot shower, and 4 glass door panels which folded back and opened to the balcony.

Yellow: Squash at the market. At 1500 meters, Dalat has a temperate climate which allows for beautiful vegetable crops. Baskets and baskets of artichoke, avocados, eggplant, greens, broccoli, cauliflower, purple cabbage, etc made my mouth water. It also made me wonder who was buying and cooking all these wonderful things which were not available at the market prepared food stalls. I did manage to find a roll your own spring roll stall. It was really fun for me and for the Vietnamese women who watched us flail at first.

Green: Green is everywhere in Dalat; the hills, grass, trees,etc. There are a few parks in town around the lake. I put on my running shoes for the first time in a month and did a lap around the lake and golf course. It was a great way to take in the scenery and the cool air.

Blue: The sky in Dalat is the perfect shade of blue. From the elevated section of the crazy house, i admired the beautiful hues of blue. The crazy house is the only touristy site we visited. Really, the only way to describe it is crazy. It brought to mind the gaudi architecture I had seen in spain. It was a small complex connected by curvy passage way and imaginative stairways which would not meet any us building codes.

Purple: I am not sure what kind of trees they are but there are tons of trees around with little light purple flowers. Overall, Dalat has a plethora of flowers; in the garden and surrounding the french architecture. Supposedly, Dalat is a honeymoon destination for the Vietnamese. The swan shaped boats paddling around the lake were a little too much but the rest was charming.

Brown: The color of the ca phe that is grown in the region. I was on a crack-uccino detox so I only had 1 iced coffee with the condensed milk. It came in a typical setup where the coffee drips through the grounds into the glass. When it is done, you remove the metal grounds holder, stir in the milk and pour it over ice. (this probably makes no sense without a picture of the contraption) The men-some with their moto helmets still on--huddled around an outside table playing dominoes completed the atmosphere.