A day at the lake

From the top of Prenn Pass I can get to Da J .at's Tuven Lam Lake two ways: by motorbike or cable car. A xe om driver offered to take me for VND50,000. After bargaining for some time, he lowered his price to just over VND15,000, which was just a quar*ter of what the cable car costs.
The lake is some 6km south of the centre of Da Lat town and considered by many to be the most beautiful lake in the area. It is nestled in a valley among a for*est of innumerable pine trees. The clear blue water of the lake combined with the surrounding woodlands give it an idyllic look. Tens of thousands of tourists visit the lake yearly and that is why it is consid*ered one of the most popular attractions in the highlands town, which is often called Vietnam's 'European' city

I arrived at Tuyen Lam Lake in the late afternoon when there was still some hint of sunshine remaining. The air was cool and inviting and the whole area was quiet and peace*ful. Through the pine trees 1 could hear the sound of the bell in nearby True Lam Zen Monastery.
My xe om driver told me about some of the lake's attractions. The Nui Vol (Elephant Mountain) eco tourism area, the Da Tien (Fairy Rocks), and the Nam Qua camping area can all be reached
by motor- boat. Tourists can also explore the woods and mountains by elephant (two people for VND 150,000/30 minutes) or on horseback (from VND60,000- 120,000/hour). Fishing on the bank of the lake and crossbow shooting also sounded interesting.
The driver's descriptions of the lake's attractions made me decide that the wharf was the best place to start. Upon arrival I immediately noticed about ten motorboats at anchor, and it was
very quiet. I went to die ticket office and Lien, the ticket girl, said, 'It's a bit too late now to go to those places. It would be too cosdy for you to hire a private boat and then you would have to spend the night there. If you go tomorrow with a group, the cost is less but you need to be here by 3pm.'
As luck would have it, a few minutes later a group of eight people arrived to hire a boat for VND 400,000 for a return trip. After a scenic 25-minute boat ride we arrived at our first stop, the Suoi Tia Tourist .Area. There are a few restaurants, a souvenir shop, a shop sell*ing ethnic minority clothing and one where visitors can dress up like ethnic minori*ty people and have their photo taken as a souvenir. After the long trip from Flo Chi Minh City I felt a bit hungry and decid*ed upon a bowl of instant noodles with fresh deer meat and a soft drink, for VND 20,000. Ms Phuong, the restaurant owner, told me, 'A vari-ety of mountain foods prepared in differ*ent ways are available, cooked any way vou like.'

After taking in some sights T decided to leave Suoi Tia. On Ms Phuong's advice, I walked about 5Ian to the Nui Voi Ecotourism Area along a path that was at times red-soil and at other times paved with basalt rock. At die gate are two impressive elephant statues. Nui Voi Ecotourism Area is in an area of 350 hectares with about 20 houses built by the K'ho edinic minority people in their tradi*tional style. The biggest house can accom*modate more than 100 guests.
Some houses are built halfway up a tree and are comfortable for two people to spend the night. T was thinking it would be enjoyable to stay the night here amid the pine wood wilderness, listening to birds singing and frogs croaking, feeling the forest breeze while sleeping under a moonlit, starry sky.
At night, visitors can enjoy entertain*ment activities typical of the ethnic minor*ity people. I enjoyed watching perform*ances given by K'ho people, drinking tasty 'ruou can' wine and eating smoked meat by the light of an open fire. A troupe of young men and women dancers will per*form K'ho ethnic minority traditional dances for VND1.6 million (unprofession*al dancers) or VND2.4million (profession*al dancers). These dances are done to the sounds of die gong and reflect customs, traditions and epics typical of their people. Visitors spending a night here will find it hard to forget the warm welcome and hospitality- of die local minority people.

The next day 1 visited the Da Tien and Nam Qua Tourist Areas. In general, the food and services at these areas are similar in types and prices. You can spend a leisurely day sitting on the bank of the lake fishing with a'rod (VND30,000/day). Visitors to the Da Tien Tourist Area can find it exciting to participate in a crossbow game (YND 10,000/three arrows). Tf you hit the target, the prize is a pot of 'ruou can' wine or cans of soft drink.
You can also spend a night sleeping outdoors at these tourist areas by hiring a tent (VND50,000- 70,000/two peo*ple/night). It can get pretty cold so don't hesitate to ask the outdoor service provider to give you some pine firewood or you can walk around to find some dry pine firewood yourself.

At 5.30pm the sun was starting to set and it was time for me to get on a motorboat and head back to Da Lat. On the boat I could feel some small waves hitting the sides. On the surface was mist, and I felt a bit cold.

Source: http://www.vietnamvisasupport.com/f@rum/content/482-day-lake.html