Day 1: We went to the Oceanographic Museum, after reading about its fascinating ocean life and the loads of information displayed about their environment. What we found was a row of small dirty aquarium tanks with some fish, an actual small swimming pool lined with scum, where two sharks swam around and round in small, tight circles in the brown water, a stuffed shark and stingray, complete with bullet holes and collapsing heads, and a huge dead manatee with its tongue sticking out, floating in formaldehyde in a large fish tank. We were speechless. There was also the empty pool with the display sign overhead stating, "Algae". Fascinating. However, all of the tanks had that feature included anyway. The grand finale was a room right out of a mad scientist movie, with wall to wall, floor to ceiling shelves full of "specimens". Really just different types of fish disintegrating in jars of formaldehyde. We walked out without saying a word.
We decided to try to save the day, so spent the afternoon tracking down the residence, which doubles as the studio of a famous Vietnamese photographer named Long Thanh. He was home, so showed us around his darkroom and gave us some advice. His photos are incredible, especially since he only shoots with blk & wht medium format film. He also develops and prints everything in his own little darkroom, but only when he has the resources. Developer isn't available in Vietnam, so he has to wait every few months for his friend to bring it to him from Germany. Amazing. Check out his website: www.longthhanhart.com
Day 2: We decided to do something silly and fun, so we booked tickets for a well known party boat called Momma Lins. We were supposed to spend the day snorkeling and floating in life rings in the water while a floating bar comes around and serves you. We sort of knew it was too good to be true. We were not wrong. This so called "party boat" was full of Vietnamese families with children, the "Crazy, Hilarious" guide we were promised, only spoke Vietnamese, so they were the only ones who got any jokes. There were only five other Westerners on the whole boat, and when it was time to eat and it was discovered there wasn't enough seating around the table, we were gathered up and put up on the roof of the boat to eat on the cement floor. Our "afternoon" of snorkeling ended up being 20 minutes and the "all you can drink" ended up being two dixie cups of Whiskey mixed with wine (Ugh!) over a half hour period floating in the water. It got worse from there, but it would take another two pages to list the ways in which we got ripped off......again.
Vietnam is well known by travellers for promising you one thing to get your money, then giving you something so different you cannot believe how they can lie so blatantly. Everyone laughs about it afterwards, but at the time you just cannot believe it has happened again!
....And just like that, we were in Da Lat. We arrived the next morning, and with Scott and Reinira hired an "Easy Rider", which is a guide who takes you through the highlands of Vietnam from anywhere between a few hours and a few weeks. We spent the day on motorbikes cruising around visiting tea and coffee plantations, silk worm farms, a village with a giant chicken statue (why not?), and a bee farm. Good times. That is Da Lat in a nutshell.
Next, Saigon and the finale of our Vietnam experience! I bet you can hardly wait to hear how it ends. : )
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