Getting lost in misty city
Update: Aug 17, 2009
It is August and this is the time awaiting autumn with much melancholy in poetry, peace and romance in scenery and tranquility in human souls. This is the time when summer fades and the chill of winter is on the horizon and cool winds fling everywhere. However, HCMC is still overwhelmed with heat and motorbike smoke with no space for cool air to weave through the high buildings.
 Visiting Dalat to experience the slight cold and to indulge in the tranquility of the misty city and the pine trees is recommended as an ideal way to flee the heat of bustling Saigon.
Dalat City belongs to the Central Highlands’ Lam Dong Province, about 320km from HCMC. Located at 1,500m above sea level, Dalat offers favorable climatic conditions. And thanks to the good weather, the whole city of Dalat is a great garden of flowers that bloom the year round and famous for its expanse of pine forests and many beautiful waterfalls and lakes.
In mid August, Dalat fluctuates from 17 to 20ºC, ideal for relaxing and sightseeing.
About 6km from the center of Dalat City, Tuyen Lam Lake is a must-see destination with its tranquil environment and fresh air amidst such attractive landscapes as mountains, woods, other lakes, streams, waterfalls and many other attractive beauties that make it a popular tourist magnet suitable for tours of various types such as sightseeing, camping, convalescing, walking, fishing and climbing.
The lake looks poetic with a vast and tranquil surface that compares to a human being in meditation. It is amazing for tourists to hire one among 60 boats to drift around the lake under the shade of pine trees and many kinds of colorful flowers. Dropping a fishing rod and patiently waiting for a fish or sitting silently is a suggested way to reduce daily worries.
The next stop must be Da Tien (Fairy Stone) Tourist Area, about 15km from the center of the city. The site is surrounded by mountains and immense trees. Here are many stilt houses on the hillsides and the lake is equipped with necessities such as beds, cushions, blankets, tables, chairs, lights and a community playground for tourists to stay overnight.
When night falls, tourists can feel the soul of the mountain in the tranquility and the whispers of the breeze in the pine trees as they sit around a camp fire enjoying fresh grilled corn, potatoes and ruou can (wine drunk out of a jar through bamboo pipes) while listening to old stories told by the village patriarch and the tunes of panpipes performed by ethnic artisans.
 Stepping to the right, tourists can get lost in a place called Voi (Elephant) Mountain where climbers prove their strength and appreciate nature. In the cool weather of dawn, visitors can ride an elephant to stroll along valleys to see the wildlife and learn more about the life and customs of ethnic people, and as the sun rises high and the smog disappears, the sweet melodies of the wild birds fill the air as the girls of K’ho, Chil or Lat peoples in their brocade dresses and with babies on their backs, make their way to the farms.
At Nui Voi, tourists can stay in a hillside stilt house or in a tree house. Standing on a balcony, tourists can catch a panoramic view of the stilt houses along the abyss with smoke emerging from kitchens, glowing in the sunset and warming a deserted and silent mountainside. It is an absolutely brand new and amazing experience.
Phuong Nam Ecotourism Company is offering a tour running from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. to Tuyen Lam Lake, Da Tien Tourist Area and Voi Mountain priced at VND100,000 per person. For more information, contact
Phuong Nam Ecotourism Joint Stock Company
Add: 6 Ho Tung Mau St, Dalat City
Tel: (84-63) 382 2781
Email: pnamoffice@phuongnamtours.com
SGT
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