It rains a lot in Da Lat

Crazy house with Jen
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We know you love reading our blog, and we do love writing it (what could be more fun than talking about yourself?).  But sometimes, we must admit, it is hard to take time out from our traveling and sit in an internet cafe.  Many times we would rather be out, enjoying the sights.  But not this time.

Why?  Because it's raining, that's why.  Just like it did yesterday, and just like it will tomorrow.  At about 3:30 pm it'll start, and then it'll get harder, and then it will continue to get harder until it reaches a level of downpour that you did not think possible.  This is when it's nice to duck into an internet cafe and feel guilt free about sitting on the computer for a few hours.

More crazy architecture
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When it is not raining, this town is actually pretty cool.  It's in the highlands, so it is literally cool, which is a rare treat in this part of the world.  We were wearing jeans and sometimes even sweaters during the day, and were capable of walking around without feeling like we would faint at every corner.  In this manner we explored the local artist community, first playing at the "Crazy House," a wild adventure of a guest house which is something out of Alice in Wonderland.  Next we saw XQ embroidery, a place which trains Vietnamese women to do immaculately fine embroidery artwork on silk, which was crazy impressive.  We walked around the giant lake in the middle of town, took in some lovely flower gardens, and ate more than our share of tofu at the local "com chay" restaurants.

Crazy.
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Plus, being in the mountains, they are capable of growing myraid vegetables in this climate, leading us to buy kilos of avocados, dragon fruits, and other produce that we do not necessarily know the name of.  Add on a baguette and some laughing cow cheese, and we've got ourselves a picnic.  Oh!  I nearly forgot about the local wine!  At ~$2 a bottle they put even Trader Joe's to shame.   Plus there's a mini Eiffel Tower.  Weird, but still cool.