Dalat has long attracted artists, poets and creative types who have established themselves in local art galleries, cafes and villa hotels. One of the most accessible of these salons is the Stop and Go Cafe. While its name may conjure up visions of a gas station or a convenience store, it is anything but. The cafe consists of the downstairs of Duy Viet's villa and surrounding orchid gardens. Coffee, tea and cakes are served, but most visitors come just to chat with Viet in English, French or Vietnamese.

Local regulars come to play the guitar, poets compare notes while visitors from around the world come to relax or read Viet's latest poem while he tends to his orchids. Others admire the hundreds of scrolls and paintings hung from the halls of his living room. More than a cafe, the Stop and Go has hosted visitors from John F. Kennedy Jr. to the French, British and Swedish ambassadors, but most patrons are local artists, Viet's friends and world travelers. As Viet puts it, "in my house, everyone is a friend." Female guests are treated to flowers gently placed by Viet behind their ear. Everyone else receives a smile and artichoke tea on the house.

CRAZY HOUSE

More of an outlandish sculpture than a villa, the Hang Nha House is the work-in-progress of Dr. Dang Viet Nga. Called "Crazy House" by locals, the swirl of building/sculptures is part Gaudi with slices of Disney, Steiner and sprayed with hippie whimsy. Soaring above the terrace, a giant concrete banyan tree with twisted roots extend every which way. Giant wire spiderwebs are suspended from branches. Stairways are made to resemble tunnels and caves.

Part sightseeing spot and part hotel, the Hang Nha House captivates you with its menagerie of rooms. Nooks and crannies serve as sitting rooms. The Tiger Room and the Kangaroo Room mean just that — they are decorated with animal sculptures after their namesakes. Clearly, Hang Nha House was designed to remind you of the integration of nature within a living, breathing environment. Though locals may call her architectural wonder "Crazy House", Nga prefers to describe her work thus: "With the voice of architecture, I wish to lead men to come back to nature and love it and not make full use of it or destroy it."

But many visitors come for the pure nature in the surrounding area, rather than architectural facsimiles of it. One original attraction of the area was its big game hunting. In Dalat's heyday of the 1920s, tigers, gaurs and elephants wandered freely.

Note the elevated piles on which most villas are built, thus avoiding this wildlife. Xuan Huoang Lake is circled by footpaths, making for an easy hike or bike ride. Lakeside cafes built on stilts right over the lake are noted more for their views than their food. However, these cafes are convenient stops for a rest and a drink if you wish to take the 3-kilometer hike around the lake.

Set next to Xuan Huong Lake, the Dalat Flower Gardens are continually being refined. Dalat is known all over Vietnam for its fresh flowers, and the Dalat Flower Gardens is its showcase with orchids, hydrangeas, fuchsias, ferns and other species tastefully arranged around the spacious gardens. There are also a few resident monkeys famous for throwing things at visitors. Across the road from the Flower Gardens are nurseries with varieties of bonsai trees, artfully laid out around the lake.

EASY RIDERS

In the surrounding hills, numerous waterfalls, hilltribe villages and hiking trails dot the area. The waterfalls, especially Pongour Falls, make great spots to trek around the rainforest or picnic with the butterflies.

As Dalat is hilly and spread out, motorbikes are the transportation of choice here rather than bicycles. An interesting way to tour the area by motorbike is to hire one of the Easy Riders — a local group of 70 tour guides with large motorbikes. Almost all speak fluent English and French and do not operate through travel agencies. One of the older members of the group, Hung, explained, "We are very selective on who we invite to become an Easy Rider. We base our choices on safe driving skills as well as fluency in foreign languages. Knowledge about the surrounding area is also a must. It's not easy to become an Easy Rider, and we limit membership to 70 members."

Easy Riders can be found in front of the Blue Water Caf... on the lake or at the Central Market. Don't worry about finding them. They'll find you.

The taste of fresh strawberry jam with artichoke tea, the smells of its cool nights, friendly smiles and cauliflower vendors literally wearing their cauliflower at the market leave the visitor with gentle but strong impressions of Dalat. Unlike other cities or towns memories of Dalat will linger.

You cradle your teacup and one of Viet's impromptu poems comes back to you:

"As a wind orchid

I'm living in bluish mountains

High in the highlands

Covered with clouds and fog ..."