Dalat

Canyoning and friends.
Dalat was incredible! The weather was cooler and the people were nicer than other parts of Vietnam. I took the overnight bus from Hoi An and met some cool people who ended up staying at the same hostel and canyoning with me. We stayed at Smile Dalat Hostel, which is my favorite hostel from Vietnam. The staff were incredibly welcoming and the beds were so comfortable. We also had a big dinner that was much like a family affair. Guests and staff just seemed to be much more relaxed and inviting than in other places I stayed, so we got along really well. I really enjoyed feeling like part of a group (there were about ten of us) especially after so much solo time.
My first day in Dalat I was quite tired from the bus ride, so I mostly just chilled and did a light bit of walking around the city. The sleeper bus left Hoi An around 6 p.m. and arrived in Nha Trang just before 6 a.m. We then had a two and a half hour lay over until we got a regular bus to Dalat, which took about another two and a half hours of driving. Once we finally got to Dalat, we were happy to relax and went out to grab a few beers and some dinner.

 

Canyoning Group 

The next day was the big adventure. We went canyoning! It was incredible. One of my favorite parts of my trip. And it was a great deal too. For $25, we got round trip transportation, lunch, equipment, pictures (including one printed and laminated picture) and a great journey through the waterfalls and cliffs. We had four fantastic guides with us. They were fun, efficient and highly qualified. I felt totally safe in their care and with the equipment provided. It was a fantastically run tour, and I was constantly impressed with their skills and professionalism. The tour group is Highland Sport Travel.
We started the day with a briefing of how to use the equipment and practice abseiling down a steep cliff. Then it was time for the real adventure to start! With our neon orange life vests and helmets on, we were in sharp contrast to the green and brown of the forest around us. Our first challenged was to abseil down a dry 18 meter cliff next to a waterfall. I was a bit nervous at first, but excited to give it a go. Once hanging over the cliff with my rope in hand, I started to walk down, following the guide's instructions.
Walk slowly. Move down step by step. Stop. Look to the left and smile. Picture, picture.
I turned and gave a genuine smile of excitement and satisfaction. I was doing it! Then the real fun began. I had walked past the sloping part of the cliff to the shear rock face. Now it was time to jump down. Feet wide, I leaned back, squatted down and pushed off. Whoosh! For a moment I was sliding down the rope with nothing around me. Then I swung back to the cliff face and did it again, this time pushing off harder and sliding down farther. Each time I slid down a little longer as I got more comfortable with the technique and more confident to let the rope slide through my fingers without gripping it too tight. Once I got to the bottom, I let go and dropped in to a cold river. I swam to the edge and climbed out with a huge grin on my face.
Once everyone made it down, we walked along the river, crossing a sign that marked "restricted area." My excitement only grew! We took a short break to jump in the water and swim to the base of a waterfall for a group picture. Then we walked to a different part of the river, where we got in and slid down a rock in the river. A true water slide. We then continued on to our next stop, a 16 meter dry cliff. This was my favorite part of the experience! I was more comfortable with the technique of abseiling, so I was really able to fly down the side of the cliff. The guides challenged us to make it to the bottom with 3-4 jumps, and I am excited to say I made it with only two jumps (really more like 1.5). It was such fun.
Next we headed to the most challenging part of the course. We went down a 25 meter waterfall, basically sliding our feet down the whole way rather than jumping or walking down. About halfway down the fall, the water crashes over your head, so you have to tuck your head in and look to the right for the guide to direct you down. I was nearing the end: the guide held up two fingers and motioned to the left- two steps to the left-then a big X with his arms-stop-then... oh my I feel like I am slipping, I'll lean back a bit and lift my feet to get more steady, splash! I fell into the water below rather suddenly. I had run out of rope and was pushed down by the waterfall. It wasn't the most graceful way to enter the water, but luckily I was unharmed.

We walked a bit further along the river before stopping in a nice open area and eating lunch. We had a large variety of fruit, cakes and delicious sandwiches. They brought so much food, and it was all so tasty. After stuffing our faces, we trekked on farther to the free dive cliff. There was a 7 meter and 11 meter jumping option, but the 11 meter required you to run and jump, so the guides had us complete the 7 meter before attempting the higher point. I climbed down to the 7 meter point and happily jumped off without too much anxiety. It was great, so I hiked back up and did it again. Then I sat in the pool of water below and watched as others jumped. And I debated.
Should I do the higher jump? The height isn't really intimidating. It's the running part that worries me. What if I slip? Nah, I won't do it. Why risk it. Oh but it looks so fun. And all of these people did it no problem. Alright, I have to.
So I climbed back up set to take the plunge. As I reached the 7 meter point, the guide asked if I would jump it one more time before tackling the higher point. I declined and said I'd rather just go straight to the top. So I continued up where I was met by another guide. "Smile more, you look to serious." He was worried I might panic mid jump, which would certainly lead to injury. I gave a breathy laugh and a weak smile. "Give me a second while I pray." Then I sent up a quick pray to Dad and asked for His protection. Filled with strength and confidence, I opened my eyes and squared in on the destination (well the point of jumping off as I couldn't see the water below). The guide started to count, "1" right as I began my first stride. I heard him utter a surprised, "Oh!" as I took off. Then it was just one, two, three steps and jump! I flew through the air and splashed in to the water. I was so exhilarated and  pleased that I had done it. I really would have regretted it otherwise.

Our final challenge was the "washing machine." We were set to abseil down a 16 meter waterfall. But this time it started with a walk down the dry rock face until we were hanging freely with nothing but the waterfall around us. The key was to just keep going at a steady pace until we got to the end of the rope and fell in. We then got swept down with the waterfall's current before it spit us out into the river. It was a rush and a great end to the adventure. After everyone was collected, we had to hike up a steep hill for about 10 minutes to get to the road. That may have been the most challenging part of the trip! I left completely satisfied and felt like I really accomplished the guides' motto, "Don't be lazy; be crazy!"
That night we were all pretty tired, but we enjoyed that delicious and fun family style dinner. It was really great, because we were able to try several local dishes and enjoy each others company.

Crazy House

The next day I walked around the city with a hilarious girl from my hostel, Zohar, and a friend from canyoning, Eyal. They were both great fun and really good people. I'm glad I was able to hang out with them. We went to the Crazy House, which indeed lived up to its name. It is a guesthouse with a bunch of winding paths and staircases and whacky architecture. The house was really interesting and definitely worth a visit. We also enjoyed checking out the shops inside the Crazy House and had a lot of fun taking pictures, plus some dance party action, because I love to dance, with the crazy hats. After lunch at a vegetarian restaurant that had few vegetarian options, and was out of half of the things we first tried to order, we spent the rest of the day visiting a few shops and relaxing.
Dalat was truly a delight. I really fell in love with the place and now want to go canyoning anywhere possible!

Dalat Gratitude Journal
1. I'm grateful for canyoning.
2. I'm grateful for companionship.
3. I'm grateful for architects.
4. I'm grateful for digital photographs.

Highland Sports Travel
61 Bui Thi Xuan Dalat, Vietnam
http://www.highlandsporttravel.com/
highlandsporttravel@gmail.com
+84 63-352-0521

Dalat Smile Hostel
268-10 Phan Dinh Phung, Ward 2, Dalat, Lam Dong, Vietnam
dalatsmilehostel@gmail.com
+84 91-252-6379