I can’t tell you how many cities we have been to on our trip that we have never heard of before we book a ticket to them. Most of them are a pleasant surprise and Da Lat was one of them. Our hostel was run by a Vietnamese couple willing to do anything to help you out and keep you happy. We had heard canyoning was a fun activity, so we booked it for day two in Da Lat. We asked our German friends, Katie and Alex, what they were doing the following day and the replied “Canoeing”. The next morning, Katie and Alex realized they had a slight language miscommunication and they had actually booked the same canyoning tour as we did. They thought they would be on a peaceful canoe, paddling down a steam. They quickly found out that instead of going down a stream, they would be traversing down gorges of waterfalls, 30 foot cliff jumps, and abseiling 75 foot down waterfalls. We joked about it all day but they absolutely loved it.
Canyoning was one of the best tours I have done this whole trip. To begin, we arrived at a small 35 foot slide where water tumbles across several levels of rocks and into a larger pool. The guide told the first girl to lay down on her back with her head facing down the slide and he let go of her feet sending her sliding and ramping off a rock into the pool below. I think everyone was a little surprised, but excited for this slide and what lied ahead. We then abseiled down a 45 foot rock face before getting to the highlight of the day, a 75 foot waterfall where you abseil down the center. Backing down the waterfall, you reach a point where the powerful water is pounding you and the wall curves back into the rock face where you can’t touch anymore. This is where the rope ends. Yes, I said the rope ends. They count you down and with one big jump you let go of the rope, clinch your butt cheeks together, and free fall backwards the last 12 feet into the water below.
After how exhilarating the 75foot waterfall was, it was time for another natural waterslide. This water slide was even more violent. I watched a guy miss the groove you are supposed to slide down and tumbled down the wrong side of the rocks and into the pool below. Following that crazy natural water slide, we got to a 33 foot cliff jump. The catch was you had to get a running start to land at least 10 feet out, otherwise you would hit rocks instead of the water below.
Heights are one of the few things that frighten me, so I can’t get enough of them. I jumped off twice along with Katie and Alex because it was so fun. I kept reminding myself that this is Vietnam and the rules are few and limited compared to in the U.S. To me, less rules means I can have even more fun! As crazy as all the stuff we did earlier in the day, none of it compared to “The Washing Machine” at the end. The guides didn’t quite explain very well how this one goes and you couldn’t see what you were going down until you were tied up. I volunteered to go first. I started repelling down the rock to find that the rock curves in and I was left hanging over a waterfall that was crashing down between two rock faces with narrow gap of 6 feet between them. The white water churned below me like a monster. I got to the bottom of the rope and the power of the water pounded on my head and back until the rope ran out 5 feet from what seemed like a death sentence below me. I free fell the last few feet into the white water between the rocks. My body tumbled around underwater like a rag dole in a toilet bowl until I was finally flushed out. I popped my head up gasping for air 15 feet away from where I had gone under. It was one of the craziest things I have ever experienced. I was so glad I went first because I got to watch more people experience what I just did. Nearly every face that popped up had a look of terror like they had just experienced a near death experience, because they did. I saw one girl flipped upside down while she was still on the rope and got stuck in the waterfall. When she finally came loose, she plummeted head first into the gap below. I wish I had a picture of the expression on her face when she finally surfaced.
Our last day in Da Lat, Marge and I rented a motor bike. We drove to Prenn Waterfall a little ways out of the city. The waterfall itself wasn’t the most impressive, but I was there for another reason. I love ostriches, and they let you ride them there. Before I knew it I was saddled up on a 7 foot tall bird racing around a small arena. Maybe not the most exciting thing I have ever done, but I can now check it off my bucket list.
After roaming around the park area, we noticed it had everything like a Six Flags without rides. You could rent paddle boats, ride a camel/elephant/ostrich, suspension bridges, archery, go karts, a gondola, and a small zoo area.
It was fun until we got to the zoo area. It was one of the saddest things I saw on this whole trip. There was a monkey with a chain around his neck chained to a pole in the sun, bears in small cages, deer tied up to the fence, and dogs in cages with un-groomed fur and without water. This was when decided to not give any more money to this place. It was sickening and made us regret ever going to the waterfall.
To cheer us up a bit we headed to Crazy House. Crazy House, as one would guess is a crazy ass house designed by a lady who took a bunch of LSD. If you have ever been to the city museum, it was very similar in concept but much more dangerous. It was mainly designed from concrete structures making bridges, tunnels, trees, vines, and anything else you could imagine. It was really fun to explore around, but on some of the bridges several stories up, the railing only reaches up to your knees. A small trip (not of LSD) and you’re a goner at Crazy House.
Time for a 15 hour bus ride to central Vietnam!