Wednesday in Dalat

It’s a beautiful sunny and temperate day in Dalat - low-mid 60’s. Everyone in our group opted in to the optional agricultural tour. Our first stop was at a flower nursery where they grow roses and Gerber daisies for the wholesale market. Then we went to a coffee nursery and learned about their special “weasel coffee”. It’s made from post-digested coffee beans that weasels expel! We tasted it and it was quite tasty. We saw where the 50 or so weasels are kept - in a large fenced area; they are fed a high protein diet and just exist without any demands. Then on to a small remote village where we visited with the chief and his wife, who was weaving beautiful wool cloth. For 4 days’ effort she sells a length of her weaving for $20. I really liked her products but couldn’t think of anyone who would want one. We also visited the village church that services the Roman Catholic population, with some 600 people attending services every Sunday. Our lunch today was one of my favorite meals: a fresh lettuce and tomato salad in vinaigrette, spring rolls, chicken in a gingery sauce, rice, steamed vegetables, artichoke soup, and a sliver of carrot cake. The meals have been quite similar to one another. I anticipated really good food and it has been fine but not exceptional.
Responding to our group’s request, Henry took us to the number one avocado ice cream shop for an afternoon treat. We then visited Dalat University where we visited one on one with students eager to practice their English. I visited with Mary, a sophomore from Dalat who wants to be a secondary school English teacher.Read more