So this morning we got up early to go on a boat trip and see some birds. We were somewhat skeptical about the spotting as the guide didn’t speak English, but that worry was unfounded. The tour was fantastic.
The guide didn’t speak much English but he communicated in other ways (hands, laser pointer, ash’s bird book). The guide was quite charming, and really took a special liking to ms. Bird. I think he was just so pleased to point out birds to someone who really cared. We did see a Sambar Deer, which we think was quite a sight. The guide got his phone out to take pictures. I have never seen a guide take their phone out, so it makes me think this deer was a rare spot for him.
Sambar Deer
Once we got back, we were rushed off to catch the bus. Our hotel host was not so good on the timing. Across the trip, he repeatedly gave us very short notice to do something. Multiple times he told us, leave in 5 minutes. Last night, he told us we were leaving at 9am, then he said 8:45 am. Then this morning, he said, we leave in 10 minutes at 8:20. It worked, but was annoying.
Purple Heron
We dashed to the bus pickup spot. I needed to pee, and had a bit of an adventure going into someone’s home to do it. The bus was a sleeper bus, for long haul journeys. You have to take your shoes off to enter the bus, and it has these weird sort of recliner chairs. These buses are for long haul trips for locals. While riding in a vehicle is always an adventure in Asia, the ride was comfortable and the service excellent.
The bus stopped at a rest stop. We bought our first Banh Mi of the trip. It was absolutely fabulous and look forward to more.
We are now in Da Lat, which is quite lovely. It is a bit of a mountain town. We just got lunch at a place our friend TC recommended. We also got white coffee. White coffee is strong coffee with sweetened condensed milk. Ash has fallen in love with it, and drinks it multiple times a day. She prefers her iced, I usually get the coffee without the milk and drink it hot. The coffee is quite strong, and even without the sweetened condensed milk, it is somewhat sweet.
We hope to get massages today, and maybe a cooking class tomorrow. Maybe check out this dr seuss style house, and maybe more massages! massages were on off my highlights on Indonesia so I am looking to see if they are as good here.
Pied Kingfisher
Cover photo was a Darter.
What’s the bird on the shore? Second from bottom. The darter looks very much like an anhinga–we have loads of them around here. And the purple heron looks a lot like the trip-colored herons we see around here. They’re probably all cousins! It looks like you’re getting in some good wildlife viewing.
When I was in SE Asia I, too, fell in love with sweetened condensed milk in my coffee and still make it that way. You can also buy the little coffee strainer/filter things in the grocery stores there so you can make Vietnamese coffee at home.
We plan to buy a few to give as gifts. We love the coffee! Watch for a street food post coming soon.