PLACES: The countryside and center of Da Lat, Vietnam

Da Lat, I miss you and your cool weather! Visiting Da Lat and it's highlands out of town is a wonderful experience. It's easy to fall in love in the amazing coffee shops in the center of Da Lat. Once you've taken a seat you just don't want to leave. To see where the coffee comes from it's a must-to-do to visit the highlands of coffee plantations surrounding Da Lat town center. It's the easiest to book a tour or to rent a motorbike and get around alone. The landscape is beautiful! Also visit a cricket farm on your way. In this area of Vietnam it's common to have insects as a snack. Crickets are the most seen "snacks" here. You can order them fried, BBQ or boiled with chili sauce. Better stick to the crispy fried ones and just imagine you're eating chips and they actually taste quite good! Da Lat is also the only place in Vietnam where pine trees grow due to the cool climate while the rest of Vietnam is obviously suffering from 40 degrees in summer. When you visit Da Lat during this time of the year expect fresh 18-25 degrees and bring some warm clothes to wear when it gets cold in the evening. An amazing place as well is the silk factory in the country side where you can watch Vietnamese women separating the worms from their cocoons from which they make silk from. The cocoons are collected by hand at the nearby strawberry fields. Other highlights is the Elephant Waterfall and a visit at the local market in the morning.

- AJ -

 

DESIGN: Bi.cycle.up coffee & bar - Da Lat, Vietnam

This is really a special place in Da Lat, Vietnam which you shouldn't miss out. Da Lat (population: 188,500) is a town in the highlands of south Vietnam with a lovely influence by the French who brought the coffee culture to Vietnam which has now become the second largest coffee exporter next to Brazil. Da Lat is surrounded by coffee plantations and so is the town full of wonderful coffee shops. If you want to try the amazing local coffee beans you should visit my favorite coffee shop on this entire planet called "Bi.cycle.up".

Bi.cycle.up was opened 1,5 years ago by Indy and Bi who discovered this hidden shop. This lovely Vietnamese couple decided to open Bi.cycle.up after having asked by their friends why they don't open a coffee shop. So that's exactly what they did. Bi studied architecture and Indy studied business so they have the best combination together to open up a coffee shop. They love to recycle old material such as vintage furniture, old LPs, books, bicycles or an old bathtub. They use the local coffee from the nearby coffee plantations and also sell smoothies made of fresh local fruits from the market. Try their delicious hot chocolate and if you're lucky they will also have banana cake sometimes.
The name Bi.cycle.up comes from Bi's name and cycle because they like to recycle and up stands for uprising, like the sun. They like bicycles so they combined the words together to Bi.cycle.up.

Bi.cycle.up coffee & bar
82 Truong Cong Dinh
Da Lat
Vietnam

https://www.facebook.com/Bicycleup

Cheers,

-AJ -