One of the hostel’s volunteers suggested I go to a Zen Buddhist temple a little outside of town. It’s within walking distance (5 km), but if I felt like it, I could take the cable cars over the mountain.

So around midday I pack myself up and trudge off. There are two roads to the cable cars. Along the main road or through the residential area. The difference between the two roads is whether you cross a valley or walk along the ridge around a valley. Since I’ve already walked along the main road, I take the other one.

My timing is a bit unfortunate. It’s noon on a Saturday, and the schoolchildren pour out of the school at the top of the valley. Of course they’re all headed the same way as me. The path is 2 m wide, with scooter traffic. They’re narrow, winding roads on a slope. I make myself as narrow as possible to follow a schoolboy. The kid knows when to stop and look around corners, step aside or just walk, and I copy him. Slowly but surely we find our way through the maze of stairs and crooked houses.

After I’ve rounded the bottom of the valley and walked back up a bit, I decide to take a short drink break. A sweet little green oasis in the middle of concrete and tin lures me in. While I get something to drink and a snack, I greet the residents. A slightly chubby Corgi and a shy Goldie. Break over, and I continue. I reach the bus station where I was dropped off the day before, and continue a bit further up hills and stairs. Some views over the mountains start to appear, and by the time I arrive at the cable car station, the city of Da Lat gets to show itself off too.

On board the cable car. They’re small, and I have my very own carriage. Slowly and quietly I glide over the pine trees, which continue as far as the eye can see. Up here I get my first impression of how Da Lat is built in a valley. The houses flow calmly down the hills. And when I turn my head, it’s just soft green hills. The cable car ride crosses the top of one of the hills, and on the other side a small lake appears. A couple of pine trees gently brush the bottom of the carriage. Shortly after, I’m standing in a small shopping center. Past the souvenir shops I come out to the Buddhist temple. I walk the opposite way from all the other tourists and find a small pond with small catfish popping at the surface. I find a path up to the temple.

There’s something about Buddhist temples that speaks to me more than other religions. The mix of nature as decoration, meticulously laid and arranged gardens, with the simple and softly lit temples. The whole area invites peace and calm. I slow my pace down to a stroll. I look at the bonsai trees, the Buddha statues and the monks preparing kitchen ingredients in the shade of one of the buildings. I feel like offering to help. I don’t, though. I’m only a guest and don’t want to overstep their hospitality.

From the temple, stairs lead down to the lake, through a quiet forest. The lake is a bit less calm. A road runs along it. It’s not heavily trafficked, but a scooter, car or bus comes by every so often. There are small elongated blue boats along the lake in great numbers. I see maybe 3-4 boats on the lake out of 100 along the shore. At a small restaurant by the lake I get braised catfish. It tastes really good, even though the catfish looks at me reproachfully throughout the whole meal. My day at the lake and the temple is wrapped up with a cup of coffee, while I fiddle a bit with the computer. I make it back to Da Lat city just as the sun goes down.

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