Lady with hat

My computer, with all my photos is still out of action, and I only have a couple of my Vietnam photos on my laptop.

This photo, which is one of my favouites, was taken from my hotel balcony in Dalat.

Elderly street seller

My computer has died and is still at the hospital and only have a few photos on my laptop - most of which I have already posted.This photo of an elderly woman in Dalat is one that is our most poignant photographs.

My daughters were terribly worried about her being out on the street in her condition - she was very bent over and stiff. They wanted to know why she wasn't at home being looked after. Maybe this is what she wanted to do? But I'm sure if she had someone to care for her, they would have. The Vietnamese people honour and look after their old.

Rocky Mountain High with two calves.

This small village is situated between Dalat and Ho Chi Minh City.

It is built around these amazing rocky outcrops.

The photos were taken from the window of a moving vehicle so aren't too bad considering the contortions I had to get into to take them.

Street scenes - Dalat

Colourful Cho Da Lat (Central market) is filled with some of the local ethnic minorities who come to sell their produce.




Will be back on 3 May so until then I have posted some photos from the streets of Dalat.

Prenn Waterfall

Prenn Waterfall, situated 5 km south of Dalat, descends 15 metres across the mouth of a cave and is accessible from a small bridge..






Popular with Vietnamese honeymooners it is surrounded by a small kitschy theme park with elephant and pony rides, shoot-em stalls, crocodile pool, souvenirs etc

Bamboo Forest Meditation Centre

Set in a bamboo forest on the outskirts of Dalat, Thien Vien Truc Lam (Bamboo Forest Meditation Centre) was built in 1993 with donations from Vietnamese living in other countries – mainly America.

It is a Zen Buddist monastery with 90 monks and 100 nuns in residence.

A large hall contains a statue of Buddah holding a lotus flower, and the alter is covered in lotus paraphernalia.

Sitting on top of a hill overlooking Paradise Lake it is very peaceful.

Ede People

The Ede people, a minority group living in the Southern Highlands near Dalat, lead a very meager existence.

The government tried to rehouse these people in a nearby town, providing them with new accommodation with running water and sewage but nearly all of the houses remain empty, as these proud people prefer to live their traditional life herding animals and living off the land.

The people and the scenery look very South American; I kept having to remind myself I was in Vietnam.

Flower Gardens of Dalat

Vuon Hoa Da Lai (The Flower Gardens) are a quiet retreat from the bustle of Dalat’s central business district.

Established in 1966 they are filled with flowers and a stunning array of bonsai.

We were the only visitors that day and the horses that were hitched ready for tourist rides were resting.

Le Petit Paris

No you aren’t seeing things.

This isn’t the Eiffel Tower but a telecommunications tower erected in Dalat in 1997.
The top of it was covered in mist this night.

In the heyday of French colonialism, Dalat was known as Le Petit Paris.
The town has many old French villas, and is the honeymoon capital of Vietnam.

Doorway and reflections

I sat waiting for someone to come out and sit on this chair but no one did.

This elderly gentleman was doing what I was doing - watching the passing parade of people on the street below.

Street stalls Dalat

On the street below our hotel, lively commercial stalls were set up each morning.

The cool highland climate enables a wide range of fruit and vegetables to be grown.

Some stalls are so small they can fit on a large cane tray.

The street sellers of Dalat

In Dalat I sat on our small hotel terrace and photographed the street sellers. It is one of my favourite pass times when traveling.

As you can see these hard-working people are all women.

Drive to Dalat...with legs crossed.

The long drive from the coast to Dalat in the southern highlands is filled with stunning views.

Road-stop conveniences are few and far between though.


PS Good to be back.

Gentle Giants

It breaks my heart to see these majestic animals used as tourist rides but I guess if they weren't there may be even fewer of them around. What must they be thinking?

This is also the last post I will be doing .........

for a month as I have to travel to Lae and Port Moresby for work, and then to Australia for holidays. It is too difficult putting down 30 or so drafts with phone lines they way they are at the moment and my graphic card problems, so this blog says au revoir not goodbye, for the time being.

Many thanks for all your support - see you on April 5.

New shoes??

It's not only tourists who get sore feet in the quiet highland town of Dalat, in Southern Vietnam.