City on the Clouds in April

　　Vietnam in April is in the hot season. If you travel at this time, the best destination is Da Lat, the city above the clouds. Because of the high altitude, the annual average temperature does not exceed 25 degrees, so it is a good place to escape the summer heat.
　　My friend and I set off from Mui Ne, a small town on the southern coast, and arrived here by bus for more than 4 hours. A local on the bus reminded us that Da Lat is very cold and we should wear the thickest clothes we brought. My friend and I exchanged glances, the thickest? That is the thin down jacket that is rolled up tightly in the back of the suitcase. Wearing a down jacket in the hot season in the tropics is somewhat disrespectful to the local climate.
　　However, it really couldn’t be said so early. The bus drove out of the jungle and entered the city of Da Lat at around three in the afternoon. My friend dragged me out of sleep and pointed out the window to ask me to take a closer look. The locals wear thick down jackets. Surprised, we observed along the way that at least half of the locals riding bicycles on the road were wearing down jackets.
　　Is it really cold enough to wear a down jacket? Wrapping the woolen shawl tightly around my body, I thought: Could it be cooler than the air conditioner on the bus?
　　Not long after, the bus stopped in the center of Da Lat. We got off from the fully air-conditioned compartment and felt the cool air of Da Lat head-on. It happened to be cloudy at the time, and it was really cold. A layer of goosebumps appeared on the exposed arms of my friend, and he hurriedly unpacked his luggage and thickened his clothes. It is said that those days were abnormal weather, and the low temperature in previous years will not be seen until the cool season.
　　The hotel we booked was by the river, because it was newly opened, the map location was not accurate, and it took a long time to arrive. When everything is settled and you want to go out for a stroll, only the “Crazy House” is still available.
　　”Crazy House” is indeed crazy. From the moment one walks into it, people seem to enter a fantasy, sometimes a little crazy fairy tale world. The rooms like animal nests are connected by long and short, undulating corridors and long bridges. Each room is different, and there are surprises waiting for you every few steps. It is really a wonderful, cute and happy place. .
　　We had a good time and came out at the closing time of the “Crazy House”. It was getting late and we were a little hungry, so we bought freshly made shortbread at the food stall at the intersection. A Korean tourist who was waiting for the shortbread chatted with us and said that he would walk to the night market in the city center. That is also our next destination, and since we have just arrived in a new city, we have enough energy and a strong sense of freshness, so we plan to walk there too.
　　We chose the route according to our preferences, and we reached a high place without knowing it. To get to the night market, we have to go down a long step. This step is my favorite place in the whole night market. Standing on the top of the steps, you can overlook the lively night market. There are many food stalls nearby. Many locals buy their favorite food and sit on the steps to eat. We also went to the countryside to learn from the Romans, bought a few snacks, sat on the high steps, ate and chatted while admiring the lively market in front of us.
　　During those days in Da Lat, we visited the night market almost every night. In the cool night breeze, we sat with locals and tourists from all over the world, enjoying the cool summer night on the plateau.
　　From the next day, we rented a motorcycle, and my friend rode a motorcycle, and I sat in the back seat to read the map. Da Lat is very small, and it is not too far to go anywhere. Xuan Huong Lake in the city center has to be passed countless times. It is said that the lake was named after a poetess Hu Chunxiang.
　　I have never read the poetess’ poems, so I don’t know if Chunxiang Lake is connected with her poetic atmosphere. Just looking at the appearance of the lake, it is 100% worthy of the word “Chunxiang”. Most of the lakes on the plateau have a similar temperament. Xuan Huong Lake is also high in the sky and clear in clouds, the air is refreshing, and there is often a breeze. When the sun is good, it is very pleasant to go for a drive along the lake.
　　We went to Dalat Garden to enjoy the flowers, went to the old French-style railway station to take a small train to see Lingfu Temple, went to the summer palace of Bao Dai, the last emperor of the Nguyen Dynasty in Vietnam, and went to Dalat University…but in Before going to these places, we all like to go to Xuan Huong Lake first.
　　To say how magnificent and shocking the scenery of this lake is, it is really impossible. But maybe the soul of Da Lat is hidden in the lake, which makes it have a strange magic power, making people want to visit it every day, stop by it, and blow the wind by the lake.
　　It was almost the end of the trip when I visited all the big and small attractions in Da Lat. The day before we left, we went to the Catholic Church again. That day, there were only two of us tourists in the church. After a leisurely stroll, we walked to the shady stone bench outside, blowing the cool breeze to avoid the scorching sun on the plateau.
　　At this time, several teenagers dressed as students walked past laughingly. Our eyes followed this group of youthful teenagers, and after a while they disappeared into the alley next to the church, only hearing their voices but not seeing them.
　　The church was built on a high place, surrounded by roads, and there were several alleys leading to the lower residential area, which was the direction in which the group of students disappeared. Anyway, we didn’t have a plan, so we wanted to go for a walk in the area where the locals lived, so we picked an alley with the most beautiful houses and got into it.
　　People in Da Lat love colors. They paint their homes in various bright colors – sky blue, pink orange, light yellow… We walked all the way and explored this residential area. Where are the houses like fairy tales? There are flowers and trees in full bloom, but there are no green wooden windows that are photogenic.
　　Before we knew it, more than two hours passed, and we had already walked to the high ground on the other side, tired and thirsty, but because it was not a commercial area, we could not find any cafes or restaurants. While we were searching the map for the nearest restaurant, a local came out from a half-open wooden door on the side of the road, humming a song and dangling two cups of iced coffee.