Where is Buddha?

Today I toured the area around Da Lat on the back of a motorcycle, which is definitely the way to enjoy the gorgeous countryside. A group of motorcycle driving guides called the “Easy Riders” do one day tours, and I was connected with one named Mr. Hiep. He took me over rolling hills to a coffee plantation, a flower farm, strawberry fields, a tea plantation, a silk factory (where they grow the cocoons and spin the thread), a somewhat disturbing large “Smiling Buddha” (there he is!), the “Crazy House”, and to the village of the Lat people, one of the minority tribes in the area. An elderly man in the village told us a brief history of his tribe, and then sang and played a couple traditional musical instruments for us. It wasn’t as awkward as it sounds. He invited us to try a sip of the rice wine they make in the earthenware jars; it tasted a lot like sake.

Interestingly, the Lat people were all animists until Catholic and Christian missionaries showed up in the late 1940’s and converted every last one of them. I learned also that only about 50-60% of Vietnamese are Buddhist (compared with around 90% in Cambodia, Thailand and Burma). The rest are Christian, Catholic, Muslim and “other.” This is explains the dearth of temples and pagodas which are so prominent in the other countries. It also explains why the churches are so noticeable and why shops are selling coffins (Buddhists cremate; Christians bury).

Sampling the food from street vendors has been fun in Da Lat, since there are different delicacies on offer than in Saigon. However, I did sniff out the lady in the market selling the same type of sticky rice topped with coconut and sesame. I hope that dish is available all over Vietnam or I will go through withdrawals! The going rate for items from a stand seems to be 5,000 VND, about 30 cents. Tonight I had dinner for less than $1 USD.

Let me briefly mention the coffee. Forget cappuccino (which is not readily available, unlike Thailand, and is very pricey anyway). The super strong, thicker than espresso, Vietnamese coffee is served everywhere and costs about 50 cents. Put in a dollop of sweetened condensed milk, stir and pour over ice, and it is a nice little treat. If you have had it before, you know that it is served still “percolating” in a tin mini filter and sometimes you have to wait for it to finish. For this reason, you are always served a glass of green tea too, to drink while you wait. I love it! Even though coffee is grown here, the epicenter is a couple hundred kilometers to the north. I will be there in a couple days. So much for kicking the caffeine habit.

P.S. I have 6 photo albums up so far on Facebook. I am doing about one per week, with more photos and explanatory captions, if you are interested in seeing more.