September 14,

Today, we got around and went out for just Javas, because we were still full from dinner last night! We went to Still Cafe. Jeff had a warm – as in not Hot – Chocolate. But he was very pleased with this, because the drink was not overly sweet. It had a cool swirly design, too. I had my first egg coffee. I was very pleased as well – it's very creamy and whipped up/airy. There was cinnamon on top. Great way to start the morning. Jeff tried mine and said he might be able to drink this egg coffee! What, what!!🤯🤣

We left the cafe and went back to the train station. We got in line for couple of tickets for 0950 excursion. The ticket processor was slow and we boarded with just five minutes to spare! The train venture is only 7km trip. We are in one of two “hard seat” cars, as that was all that was left for purchase. The only other car is the VIP “soft seat”. So three small cars with an engine, of course.

The train set off on time and we pass on narrow gauge rails through DaLat. We then travel through “farmland” of greenhouses – mainly devoted to flowers. Through some of the greenhouses, I could see yellow mums and dark pink lilies. Then it rained some and we had to close the windows, and like that, we arrived in the village of Trai Mat.

We disembarked and have only 30 minutes till the train goes back. There is a pagoda – Linh Phuoc Pagoda here that is a must see. So we quickly set off trekking to it, only 0.2 mile. We came up to it. Impressive, 38 meters (125 feet) tall! From Vinpearl:

    “The pagoda was built in 1949 to 1952. In 1990 (it was) renovate(d) on a larger scale, using pieces of glass, pottery, and porcelain to create a unique architectural design. Linh Phuoc Pagoda holds the most records in Vietnam – 11,” total.
Some of the records: “most porcelain pieces”; “tallest bell tower…36 meters (118 feet)”; “statue of Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara made form 600,000 flowers”, etc.

We quickly took in the whole complex, as much as time allowed. It was overwhelming! So many nooks and crannies, and stairways leading to a small alters… lots to explore. As we were leaving we both realized there was not an entrance fee anywhere! We hurried back to the train and boarded only stopped to buy a bottle of water. The train departed on time, but not as many people were on board. Hopefully the rest only were going one way!

Arrived back to DaLat train station and made a point to see the water faucet art that seems to be in mid air. It is jarring but cool. Jeff booked a grab as it started spitting rain. We went to lunch, as we were finally hungry. We went to Bun Bo Co Be. This place we saw from a You tuber. They offer a different five course set menu daily for lunch. Today they had three main options. We chose the Fried Pork Loin with lemongrass and chilli seasoning; and Braised goby fish in pepper sauce – both with rice bowl accompaniment. The other four courses were also brought out: Stir-fried Chayote – a type of squash – with onions and garlic; Pumpkin Soup with minced pork; Lettuce, Onion & Tomato Salad with vinegar oil; and Herbal Grass Jelly dessert, which is a black grass powder made into a jello served with coconut milk and chia seeds (we did not care for it). Overall we thoroughly enjoyed the tasty meal! It cost 140k Dong ($5.70) total with our drinks (a Coke Zero and a Lemon 7up)!!!!!

Now we walked back to our hotel and relaxed. What a great venture… We love trains! Afternoon turned to evening and it rained a bunch. We split a Ramen noodle cup that the hotel has for a nominal charge of 15k (60 cents). It was not enough so Jeff braved the rain and went out to a shop/stall right outside our hotel. He bought us each a Banh Mi with fried egg. They were great. It was enough – soup and a sandwich for a rainy night. But what an awesome day!