Awesome Singapore fried noodle dish at Tam Chali. Right next to the gardens. Got lots of heathy greens in. Loaded with chillis !! ... its rare I leave a chilli unmunched, but whoa woah whoa! Had to leave a few on that one. Very good value. Viet milkshake and the whole meal 100000 exactly. As a matter of habit, I keep using vnd cash, I really must use my Visa more often.
Approximate costs I've found so far...
A nice Vietnamese meal with a beer or juice 200000 vnd US$8
A basic, but single room with a shower ~250000 vnd US $11
A 7 hour sleeper-bus trip from Saigon 230000~270000 vnd US$13
5KM ride on back of a moterbike 30000 vnd
20KM ride ~100000 vnd US $4
Hire your own moterbike per day in Da Lat ~100000 vnd US $4
Da Lat Gardens ticket 30000 vnd
A bottle of Tiger beer 30000 - 55000 vnd. Beer seems to vary a lot.
Attempting to eat half a cows boiled eyeball ..... priceless
In general, It is dearer than I found in India, but much cheaper than Thailand and the Pacific Islands.
I have allowed AU $2000 for my 5 or so weeks, but that included paying cash for tours, meals and accommodation.
My stay at Toms guesthohse in Da Lat is 200000 per night. While out walking I checked with others and it seems fair. I will book another night.
I got back from my walk at about 4pm, so thats a very full day. I think nearly 300 photos also.
I also dropped into a tourist Information place to ask about the sights around. They agreed I had seen everything walkable. So thaf has confirmed my plan to hire a bike tomorrow. I will hire it from the guesthouse Im staying at, and I have it until 7pm tomorrow night at 100000vnd . So two nights and one day bike hire 500000 vnd.
I have a list of things too see tomorrow by bike. But I think that will be it for Da Lat. Golden Buddah, cable car up to the monestry, french quarters, two waterfalls that are about 10kms out of town, the old railway station and a Cathedral.
On the morning if Tuesday the 6th Im planning to head to Nga Trang. It's a 3-4 hour trip by bike and I would like to have ridden it myself. Apparently it is common to be able to rent a bike and put it on the bus to send it back to the owner.and the cost for this is 150000 - 200000. Its more the logics and what if it goes missing that bothers me about this pLan. Ill think on it, and may end up bus'n it. The communication at bus and ttran places is very poor. It's sometimes luck to see where you end up.
It's now about 4:30p and I'm really wanting to sleep lol.
