First Vietnam Trip ~ Day 4/5 : Part 1/2
Places Kids Love May 22nd, 2013Rise and Shine, the morning was truly fine on the day we left Da Lat. What made it even better was the breakfast spread served at the hotel!
If only the breakfast provided at the Silverland hotel was as good, I would be over the moon! Remember my comments on the taste of the food at the Silverland hotel in day 2, not that pleasant eh?
I am not sure if it was the disappointment which I had in Silverland which made the simple food in this Ngoc Lan Hotel shone, or was it the chef at this Ngoc Lan Hotel really did a great job. *shrugged*
It was a total contrast. Everything that I ate tasted here was YUMMILICIOUS!!!!! *Super Thumbs Up*
The food tasted so good to me that I had to grab a couple of buns as I walked out of the restaurant, not very glam, but who cares! Food tasted too good! *giggle* I wished we had woke up earlier, so that I could sit in the restaurant for a longer time….. Aaawww….
We checked-out of Ngoc Lan Hotel and Lan told Mr. Ting to drive us around to see the hustle and bustle in the morning market at Da Lat. We did not want to get off the vehicle when asked. Well, we are just NOT the shopping type of tourists. *shrugged*
However, we did get down at a church. Sad to say, the focus was NOT on the church, it was the eiffel tower-look-alike structure which was facing the church. Remember? Da Lat is also known as Little Paris. *wink*
After many shots from Lan, we took off again. This time, the kids waved “Goodbye” to cooling Da Lat as we head back to humid Saigon.
Though the comforting weather in Da Lat was welcoming, what made me missed Da Lat was actually the clear blue ocean/sea….
This images once again reminded me of how much Lan doted on Kitkit. She knew how disappointed my elder boy was when he did not catch any fish during the fishing activity at Cu Chi Tunnel; so having grown up in Da Lat, she knows exactly where to go, to find people fishing.
Below was another spot she purposely told the driver to stop, so that she could bring Kitkit to see the uncles fishing……
Kitkit could feel that he is loved and began to be REALLY comfortable with Lan around; so comfortable until he was willing to do something with Lan and Lan alone, on the Last Day of our Vietnam trip. What did they do together? That will be in my last post. *wink*
Remember how we came to Da Lat from Saigon? We took the sleeping bus on a 8 hours journey. Now, we are heading back to Saigon on Mr. Ting’s 7-seater car…..8 hours???!!!! Or even longer because its day-time and there are more cars on the road than when we took the sleeping bus at wee hours of the night.
We were wondering if we or the kids could handle our flattened butts after that…..*bleh*
My friend was thoughtful enough to include a few stops in-between, when we traveled back to Saigon, so that we could get down and loosen our body every now and then. Great planning!
We saw lots of coffee plantations and we also got off the car for a while just to smell the coffee beans on the coffee plant.
For readers who had been following my blog for a long time would know that I love the ‘smell‘ of animals! *laugh* Yes, very weird indeed!
Remember how much the kids and I enjoyed ourselves at the goat farm in Singapore, the zoo too and the different farms in Desaru?
During our ride back to Saigon, Ho Chi Minh city, I straightened my back INSTANTLY and leaned over closer to the window the moment I saw THESE………
I was as happy as my boys, who had their fingers busy pointing around, “Look! That one so fat…..That one looked angry…That small one is so cute….”
It was like an entertainment for the kids and I, so we were not bored because the herd was quite big! They were walking beside our car for quite a good distance. Yeah! Made us happy! *grin*
Time passes quickly when one is happy.
Without realising, we reached Pongour Waterfall!
It was a very long walk into the park before we could reach this beautiful waterfall!
Much Much bigger than the Datanla Waterfall we saw in Da Lat.
Mr Sun was smiling right at us…….. everyone was melting away…but our spirits remained high.
Lan was in high spirit too, she hung on to our camera phones and kept saying “Action! More Action. Again. Action. More…more…”
Once again, she was taking multiple-consecutive shots of us, but this time with different pose for every shot she took, over 10 photos! The kids were having lots of fun posing. *laugh*
But stingy me, will just put up 2 shots here…
My boys are the adventurous type. Yes, the monkeys-type of kids. Love to explore, love to climb, love to crawl! And here was where they could fulfill all of those desires….
With Lan leading the way, the kids followed without hesitation and went FAR AWAY FROM ME!!!
With my boys’ character, its no wonder they could move so fast and so well inside the small Cu Chi Tunnel.
Unlike me….*sigh*
Did not intend to share this, but I really wanted to show you the 2 videos below……but after watching the videos, you would be wondering why did I not follow them…..why did I remain as where I am while the 4 of them had a better view of the Pongour Waterfall so that this awesome photo could be captured (and I was not in it):
It was because I had muscle cramp after my visit to the Cu Chi Tunnel! Alright, where’s the blanket?! I need to hide my face! *pout*
Yes……..I was so lousy!
My legs became jelly-soft after I came out of the Cu Chi Tunnel. My legs continued to give me problem when I need to walk up and down stairs or slopes even after we had left Cu Chi Tunnel for almost 48hours! *eyes rolled*
Thus, for me to climb over those rocks will be a challenge for my ‘injured‘ thighs. I could only stand there and watched them moving further away from me. I wanted so much to go too. I am not a girly type of girl. I like climbing around too……but just could not…. today. *cover face*
Allan was the last one who came back to me. He stayed on so that he could video the kids in action:
I love to see Allan and my parenting beliefs bearing fruits. We always tell our boys to be receptive and try different experiences. I love to see how my children put their game face on and try whatever that is laid infront of them. Look at how smooth they moved above and around those rocks! Fearless! *Super Thumbs Up*
Directly opposite the waterfall, there was this mini-plateau which interest my boys alot! They just kept going……so much so that Lan had to call them back, as they showed no signs of stopping! *laugh*
Though we left the place feeling super sticky and smelly (I think), wiping our perspiration constantly, we were glad that we came to see the beautiful Pongour Waterfall with our own eyes. *smile*
Of ‘cos the air-conditioning in Mr. Ting’s car was our greatest bonus, but what made us cheered was when Mr. Ting could maneuver his car so well to escape all the poo that were left behind by the cows we saw earlier! *huge laugh*
I had the photos of the countless piles of cows’ poo scattered all over the road in my phone! But if you remembered in my VERY FIRST post on my Vietnam trip, I lost some photos because my memory card ‘played me out‘, and the photos of the cows’ poo were inside the ‘unfortunate some’. *sigh*
Big and small piles, with all shades of brown, randomly left on the road and amazingly, Mr. Ting could escape them all!!!! *Super Salute*
We kept looking front, then back, then front… then back, just to see if any of the piles went flattened by his car tires. *laugh* None! He is one super cows’-poo-escapee! *huge laugh*
Sometimes, its the unplanned, the unexpected things during a holiday trip that leave the deepest mark in our memory….
*wink*
Next post, we found a place which we are SERIOUSLY considering if we should go, for our next holiday trip.
Stay Tuned!
Trip to Vietnam