7 january: dalat, day three

free day in dalat, and it was delightful. since we had already seen all the "sights" we decided to just take in the stuff right around us that sounded appealing. first up was a trip back to the market, because we just had to see that crazy back area with the animals again. plus, this time we were less freaked out so we had the nerve to take a few pictures. thank god we went back, because now we can officially say we saw a skinned dog chopped up into slabs alongside the head, just waiting to be purchased for that evening's dinner. yum.

we also walked through the inner part of the market where the packaged (and less fragrant) goods are. bought some artichoke tea (dalat's specialty) that maybe a few of you lucky readers will receive as gifts upon return ;). also had an interesting experience that we need to get to the bottom of -- at nearly every stall, the only thing the shopkeepers were hocking to us was a bag of cashews. "cashew? you want buy cashew?" we were asked. now, cashews aren't a mainstay of vietnamese food that we know of, and we haven't seen people just eating them on the streets. so why, of the literally thousands of things these merchants have in their stalls do they think we want cashews? why not some dried fruit, which they have in abundance? or jam? or coffee? or incense? its either that they think americans like cashews, or they (cashews) are one of the more expensive items. not sure.

we then walked over to the lake for an activity that looked much cooler from afar than it actually turned out to be -- swan-shaped paddle boats. ok 'cool' might not even be fair, but we thought it would be a good way to enjoy the breeze out on the lake. up close, these swans were gasping their last breath, decrepit, rusted little creatures. plus, some critical functionality was missing: pedals, anyone? nope, just 4 inch medal bars that you push. and the momentum was a bit out of whack. picture being on the absolute highest gear in a bike going uphill, where your legs are going crazy but you've only actually gone a few feet. yup, that was us on the duck boat. we might have gotten carried 25 yards from the shore by the current, and it took us about 15 minutes to get back. oh well.

climbing out of the boats, we stumbled across something that actually meets the 'cool' threshold: they were filming a movie! so we stood and watched as they did the actors' makeup, adjusted the lighting, stood around saying things in vietnamese that we didn't understand. finally for a few brief moments, we heard them say what we assume was "action" and the woman started painting her canvas and then walked over to her older gentleman friend sitting on a bench and gave him a head massage (it was weird). the scene lasted about 15 seconds. but, we were pumped to have witnessed it.

so having had our fair share of outdoor activities, we headed into a "kim-style" afternoon -- luxurious massages at the sofitel palace (AMAZING) followed by a formal afternoon tea upstairs. we indulged in some delicious artichoke and peach tea, vietnamese coffee and a full spread of french desserts in exactly the atmosphere you'd expect: big dining room with high ceilings, ornate moldings and paintings, linen tablecloths lots of crystal. however it appears we (kim) may be the only ones that think this is a fun way to spend an afternoon because, indeed, we were the only ones there. but it was fun. and only $12 each, which is about half the price of what it costs to do something similar in hong kong. so there.

we pretty much milked the "shared amenities" thing at the sofitel for all it was worth, considering after the gym, massage and afternoon tea, we then just walked downstairs for our third and final enjoyment of happy hour at larry's bar. we were feeling SO lazy after the massages that the idea of walking into town for dinner just wasn't appealing, so we gave in and ordered burgers. and ladies and gentleman, what time was it when we finished eating? 6:15pm. And what time we were back in the hotel fast asleep? 7pm. seriously.

next up: fly to danang and hoi an