May 26, Da Lat, Vietnam

Today I again woke up early, this time to jump on the bus to Da Lat. I was excited to go here because, aside from the friendly people, Da Lat is in the central highlands of Vietnam meaning the temperature is much cooler. During the day it's about 80 degrees, but being at around 3,000ft, at night it dips down to around 55 degrees. The nights remind me of being in San Francisco. After a wild 6 hour bus ride, I now know why it takes that long to go 100km, I arrived in what looked like a small European town.

After sitting on a bus for awhile I wanted to explore a bit so I walked around town. I first came to the bustling market where you could buy anything and everything. I bought some really good local candy and dried fruits, part of which I've been using to give out to people on the streets (this was a friendly tactic Steph, Will and I developed in Cambodia). Following the market, I headed towards the central area of Da Lat and to the "famed" Vietnemase rendition of the Eiffel Tower - a small salute to the French influence. After a half day of wlaking around town, I stopped at the friendly Peace Hotel for some dinner and company of fellow backpackers.

Vietnamese Eiffel Tower

Women selling fruit at the market

Central Da Lat