Models at Dalat Train Station, Vietnam

Vietnam Next Top Model

Who's gonna be on top?

A must visit place, we make sure Dalat Train Station or Crémaillère Railway Station is included in our sightseeing list and to our dismay, it was raining. Not only that, there is another problem we faced, it have to hit minimal headcount for the train to operate, the station master will wait for 10 committed travelers/riders for them to operate the train and we only have 8 at that point of time. So, no, we did not ride on this old locomotive. Sad.

You can read more about Dalat Train Station here in Wikipedia or Tracing The Forgotten Path To The Lost Shangri-La.

So, what did we do instead? We played model-model, photog-photog, drama-drama, poyo-poyo, kira kes balas dendam sebab tak dapat naik train.

Enjoy them pictures (this was taken using Olympus Dramatic Tone).
(PS : Do you do the same in your trips sometime, have fun with the camera?)

Sila salahkan photographer, awat ada enter frame???

It's a wrap. Gitew....

Dalat Train Station
Address : Street 1 Ð Quang Trung, Dalat, Vietnam
Time : 6.30am - 5:00pm
Telephone : +84 63 383 4409

Duration : Approximately 30 minutes

Frequency : 5 times per day - 7.45am, 9.50am, 11.55am, 2.00pm, 4.05pm

Ticket : Dalat - Trai Mat at VND 106,000 for foreigner and VND 72,000 for Vietnamese

Entrance Fee : Free

*** There must be a minimum of 10 travelers/riders for them to operate the train

Red and White Sand Dunes of Mui Ne, Vietnam

THIS is it!
THIS was why I picked Vietnam.
THIS was why I decided on Mui Ne.

Wouldn't you?

The Red Sand Dunes

Overlooking the blue Mui Ne sea certainly gives this red sand dunes a breathtaking feeling, shops with hammock selling icy cold drinks was an advantage to tourist like me who can't bare the hot afternoon sun. The main activity here is sledding and you'll see kids renting their sled from the parking lot right till the sand dunes top, calling and attracting us tourist. Despite our initially thought of wanting to help these kids to earn an extra living, they are, however, smarter than any of us when it comes to negotiating and persuading (and conning). Don't be fooled.

For one to get a cool, long and high speed slide down, one need to climb higher and where I say climb, I mean really climb. High, tough, tiring climb. One thing for sure, the view up there is awesome even if you don't intend to sled.

And the annoying part is, whatever goes down, must come up. And no one enjoyed this part.

Tips
Negotiate the lowest most you can
The kids will insist you tip them highly after the sledding
The kids can be obnoxious when persuading you to tip them
Sunblock and hat a must
Protect your phone and cameras from sand
Wear slippers (I hate it when sand gets in my shoes)

PS : Budak-budak tu akan tolong you naik bukit lepas tu insist you tips diarang tinggi, then marah-marah, bahasa pun agak kasar.


The White Sand Dunes

This is one of the famous view if you are in Mui Ne and we managed to capture it.

Our next stop was the white sand dunes and to our joy, they offer ATV ride here and like a kid we jump to the opportunity. ATV ride at the sand dunes makes me feel like an adventurer in a making; Indiana Jones! Where's my whip?

The ride is not as challenging as those I've experienced (jungle) before, yet the instructor drove us, perhaps worried that we might hijack his ATV? Hahhahahha... My expectation is that the instructor will ride at a high speed, then break and skid (drift) while cornering (Yeah, I watched too many movies)... Dream on Lily! That will never happen. Never. Having said that, the climb up the sand dunes was thrilling and we even chased the cattle with the ATV. That was the coolest experience ever!

This was the reason why the instructor don't trust us. This ATV belongs to Andrea and Jard (siapa yang berat nih?).

The climb.

One of their worries, we might drove the ATV down the lake. Ahaks.

When traveling, company is important.

Tips
Get a fun instructor who will chase cattle with you
Get an instructor that will go the extra mile and take you wondering around the area
Sunblock and hat a must
Protect your phone and cameras from sand
Shoe is preferred (safety reason)

Crazy House in Dalat, Vietnam (Hằng Nga Guesthouse)

Crazy people having crazy fun in Crazy House.

So, yah.

The front entrance looks normal but wait till you visit the inside, you will be speechless... you'll wander and wonder.

Vietnam entry
Manual Roller Coaster at Datanla Falls in Dalat, Vietnam

There is a few reason why I included Crazy House in my itinerary.

Why visit The Crazy House

• Inspiration of Spanish architect Antoni Gaudí (my favourite)
• A touch of Salvador Dalí and Walt Disney (weird combo, I know)
• From Wikipedia "A “fairy tale house”, the building’s overall design resembles a giant tree, incorporating sculptured design elements representing natural forms such as animals, mushrooms, spider webs and caves." Aren't you curious? Like seriously...!?!
• 10 guestroom for travelers to book/stay (speechless..... would you stay here??)
• Vietnamese architect Dang Viet Nga. She herself.

Dang Viet Nga "Wall of Fame".

Dang Viet Nga, a Vietnamese architect and daughter of Truong Chinh; a Vietnamese communist political leader and theoretician received her PhD in architecture from the University of Moscow. She start building the Crazy House or Hằng Nga Villa since 1990 and target to complete by 2020. Resembling Gaudi and Dali touch, perhaps those of Disney fairy tales too, Nga's design features odd and weird looking shapes, branches and trunks, split yet interconnected levels, twist and turn tunnels, animal theme rooms, wooden carved furniture among others. Her design challenges your logic  and concept of a house, one that is fun to visit.

Tree trunks out of nowhere.

Odd looking narrow bridge connecting from one building to another.

I don't think this building is ready (pretty sure of it) but somehow we found a way to enter and wander inside, seriously, it's very dangerous.

My sis wanted climb one of those snake like narrow bridge and I was so worried it might collapse (as it is still under construction; this specific area), so I kept screaming telling her not to go further... hysterically. Even my sis pun naik menyampah kat I. Hahhahahha..... drama giler. But seriously, the bridge railing is pretty small and low, the steps are uneven and of odd sizes, if one loses her balance... yikes! You know what I mean?!

The 10 rooms are open for public to stay, but I doubt you will be comfortable as people come as early as 9am to wander around and probably trying to peep into your room. Hahhahahhaa..... confirm terkezut kot!

The price per room per night range from USD25 to USD114 excluding breakfast. One may stay here for fun and for the experience.

Bear room.

This picture was zoomed tau.

This is the owner, she will greet you at the counter :)

 
CRAZY HOUSE
Hang Nga Villa
03 Huynh Thuc Khang Street
Ward 4, Dalat City
Vietnam
Tel : +84-63-3-822-070

Email : info@crazyhouse.vn or reservation@crazyhouse.com.vn
Website: http://www.crazyhouse.vn

Teaser | Mui Ne, Vietnam

Mũi Né is a coastal resort town in the Binh Thuan Province of southeastern Vietnam. The town is close to the city of Phan Thiết. Tourism has transformed Mui Ne into a resort destination since 1995, when many visited to view the total solar eclipse of October 24, 1995. Mui Ne has many resorts on the beach, as well as restaurants, bars and cafes. Mui Ne is a popular destination for Russian tourists, and many of the restaurants and resorts are Russian-owned.

Mui Ne Beach is a popular tropical beach. Strong sea breezes make it very popular for kitesurfing and windsurfing. The tourist season is from December to May. The average temperature is 27°C, and the climate is hot and dry for most of the year. ~ From Wikipedia

PS : Sorry colour tengau, tapi kat sini memang panas terik pun.

Teaser | Dalat, Vietnam

Đà Lạt or Dalat, is the capital of Lam Dong province in Vietnam. The city is located 1,500 m (4,900 ft) above sea level on the Langbiang Plateau in the southern parts of the Central Highlands. In Vietnam, Da Lat is a popular tourist destination.

Da Lat’s specific sights are pine wood (forming the name: “City of thousands of pine trees”) with twisting roads and tree marigold blossom in the winter. The city’s temperate weather stands in contrast to Vietnam’s otherwise tropical climate. Mist covering the valleys almost year-round leads to its name “City of Eternal Spring” ~ From Wikipedia.