Day 122 – Ho Chi Minh City to Dalat
Today we left Ho Chi Minh City using bus tickets we had purchased the previous day from Phuong Trang Futa Bus Lines. The tickets cost 220,000 VND / $13.36 AUD per person. We had to leave our hostel, Toi’s Travel Home Central without our deposit back, as there was no one was at the reception for at least 10 minutes. If we waited longer, we thought we might miss the bus, so we lost the 200,000 VND / $12.14 AUD deposit. We called the hotel later and they told us they couldn’t refund the money to our debit card as their bank would not let them. HMMMMMMMM!!!!
In the end we could have waited until the staff member arrived, as the Phuong Trang Futa Bus was around 30 minutes late, but you can never be sure. The bus left the city centre and dropped us off on the outskirts of town. Here we had to wait another 15 minutes for the actual bus to arrive. The bus that finally arrived was a sleeper bus. This was our first encounter with one of these.
Phuong Trang Futa Bus Depot in Dalat
Essentially, it is a normal bus, with the inside configured with two levels of reclined seats. The seats were a little short for me to fully stretch out my legs. It was strange to have to be in a reclined position for the entire trip. Also everyone had to take of their shoes. Before getting off the bus at the toilet stops, a tub full of flip flops are provided. Overall I prefer a standard bus over a sleeper bus.
We finally arrived in Dalat and decided to walk 2 km to the Tigon Dalat Hostel. The walk appeared to be downhill, and for the majority of the time, it was. We had entered the name into Google Maps, but it took us to a strange unmarked building, that also had a reception. The friendly staff member here was more than happy to help us and he came to the street and showed us where to go. Thankfully the hostel wasn’t too much further down the road. We were greeted by an even more friendly, Hannah, who is a hugger. The hostel definitely has a party scene as music was pumping as we arrived during the day.
We had booked a double bed, but we were taken to the top level, which was full of single beds. Hannah’s brother checked us in and told us we would get a double bed tomorrow. Apparently a guest had a motorbike accident the day before and she was given a double bed to help her recover. It seemed like a nice gesture from the hostel so we didn’t mind. Later that night, as we mingled with the other guests, we found out that another couple was moved to the single beds too, so I think the place was just overbooked. Despite that the views from the common area were very nice.
Views from Tigon Dalat Hostel
