20 Dec. 2011: WATERFALLS AND SO DOES THE POSTER #5 of 5

Glided back from the Valley of Love in 4th gear, feeling all romantically sweet and sticky. A quick baguette with cheese helped the former, and some rainshowers washed off most of the latter. Still time to throttle up 7km through pine forests to Datanla Falls. It makes sense that this mountainous region has many waterfalls. With the big pines and exposed rock faces, it felt a lot like being back home on the Niagara Escarpment, with Grey County's famed 7 falls. Datanla resembles a bit of Inglis Falls and a bit of Jones Falls, both near Owen Sound. Plug, plug. 

We walked down the 280 or 300 steps, even though a sort of bobsled ride whisks you down and up with no exertion needed. It is as steep as the slope down to Wreck Beach in Vancouver, or as steep as our driveway back home. Good practice for either place! Very pleasant to see the falls, even though modest. We even saw our first butterflies ---- strange considering how many flowers abound around Da Lat. No hummingbirds seen, either.

Rain and fatigue taking a toll, we let the Yamaha take us home around the traffic circles and through the throngs at the market. We saw a local guy wipeout on his bike going downhill. I think he grazed a curb and lost it. Should I have slowed down? Drove right into the lobby of our hotel and switched it off for the last time. A great way to see the sights and get a thrill, same time. 

P.S. Posters for the Flower Show adorn many lightposts and I knew Pat would like one as a souvenir,

       because we just don't buy stuff. Elsewhere I have been known to finagle these sorts of things when no one was looking. But honest-to-Buddha, a poster literally fell at our feet (wheels, actually) on the side of a road and will take pride of place in the garden shed at home. Thankyou, angels. Now get us to Mui Ne tomorrow!