TRAVELOGUE  »  Crazy Houses & Waterfalls in Da Lat, VietNam

Da Lat is the most popular local tourist destination in Southern Vietnam; every weekend thousands of people swarm into the mountains to enjoy the cool weather and check out the sights.

On our first day there, after a long hotel search with our heavy packs on our backs, we checked into a little room with a balcony and an amazing view of farmland, the city and the mountains. Next, it was off to the local market where we walked through row after row of dried food stalls, veggie shops and little local eateries.

Cable Cars and the Dalanta Waterfall

Rain ended our day there, but the next day I rented a motorcycle and, with Carrie on the back, started my crash course in shifting gears in the mountains. Our first stop were cable cars that traveled over a jungle canopy. The ride was long, as were the lines, and it seemed like a lot of time and money just to see the top of trees. So we left without ever getting on one.

Next we stopped at the Dalanta waterfall and were instantly greeted by nearly 50 tour buses in the parking lot. The inside, including the walk down the mountain side, was as crowded as one would imagine.

However, Vietnam did put a unique twist on activities at the waterfall. For a price, one could take a photo with a guy in a bear costume, ride a roller coaster controlled by hand breaks down or up the mountain above the falls, rent an American Indian costume (complete with spears) and take photos in it, shoot a bow and arrow or chuck a spear at a target. The falls were unspectacular, but the scene was like nothing I have ever seen.

The Da Lat Crazy House

After more mountain, highway and city driving, we finally came to the last stop of the day: the Crazy House…which was completely crazy. Modeled as an Alice and Wonderland playground/Dr. Seuss fantasy land for adults, the place featured imaginative and far out architecture, crazy rooms and staircases, funky windows and more.

Bedrooms had animal statues with red Christmas lights for eyes above the bed and the whole place had a very out of this world quality to it. For sure a place I would love to return when it is completed in 2015.