Linh Phuoc Pagoda

Linh Phuoc Pagoda is located about 8 km from Da Lat, a city in the central highlands of Vietnam. Da Lat itself sits at around 5,000 feet, making it much cooler than the coastal regions. The city is surrounded by beautiful pine trees and is fittingly called "The City of Eternal Spring." It's a major agricultural area, and one of the cool tourist spots we visited was a tea field. The area is also dotted with flower fields, making it a pretty scenic place. Riding my scooter, I saw flowers at nearly every turn—a peaceful break from the hustle and bustle of Vietnam's coastal areas. I had arrived in Ho Chi Minh City a week or two earlier, and that place can hit you with serious culture shock. The streets are jam-packed with men and women on scooters, people everywhere, making it overwhelming for someone like me, who's more used to wide open spaces. Even crossing the street feels like an impossible task at first. But with a bit of nerve and determination, I learned that once you step off the curb, the scooters magically weave right around you. And, of course, when you're in Asia, you've got to get yourself a scooter and start exploring. There’s so much to see just cruising down the road. I remember being in Vung Tau when I first witnessed something that defied the laws of physics. A man was riding a scooter with two massive—I'm talking 4-foot-tall—handcrafted and painted clay vases strapped to either side of his bike. He had no problem navigating the crowded and chaotic streets. It was a miracle that he was managing without shattering those glossy masterpieces. You see things like this all over the place here. Apparently, you can carry just about anything on a scooter—bags of vegetables, enough groceries for a family of ten, ornamental orange trees, handcrafted marble statues—you name it. This was all news to me, but it’s exactly why I was there. This being my first extended overseas trip, I soaked up all the cultural differences.