With our host away, breakfast wasn't going to be as inventive as her usual creations. Thoughtfully, she had left us cornflakes and milk, but we challenged ourselves to come up with something a little more varied. Eventually, we settled on yoghurt with puffed rice, half a pomelo and pieces of unidentifiable, but delicious, cake containing coconut and fruit set with agar-agar. Pomelo is like a less tart grapefruit. It is often used in Vietnam in savoury dishes, such as salads.
Last night, we decided to bring forward our trip to Dalat and leave on the first bus we could get after breakfast. The journey took about 8 hours by bus. The distance is just 300km, so this means we averaged less than 40kph. Given the roads, I'm not surprised.
We stopped briefly just outside Biên Hòa and ate the lunch we had packed comprising a bánh mì baguette of xíu mại vegan meatballs and a chè sweetened bean soup.
The coach wound its way slowly up into the verdant mountains of the Central Highlands. We arrived at Dalat bus station, a few kilometres south of the town, shortly after the sun had set over the lakes and peaks.
Swiftly evading the skillful sales tactics of a couple of 'Easy Riders' waiting as the bus pulled in, we caught a transfer that took us directly to the door of the homestay we had booked.
Waiting for us as we arrived were the beaming faces of the family we were to stay with. Three generations live under one roof and the family has extended the house to cater for a few guests at a time. We met some of the other travellers as they had started preparations for dinner. We inexpertly fried some spring rolls and mostly stood around talking to the family and swapping stories with the other guests.
Dinner was a communal affair, with all of us tucking into the spring rolls, rice, salad, fried vegetables and soup. The region is known for growing a wide range of vegetables and they are shipped throughout Vietnam.
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