The train line from Dalat to Saigon got all but obliterated during the war and after that was never rebuilt. Everything salvageable was slowly converted to scrap and only two weeks ago a group of train enthusiasts (the owner of our hotel amongst them) managed to rediscover the location of the last station remaining to be found, deep in the jungle. 8km of track, from Dalat to the nearby town of Trai Mat, have been conserved however and a train goes back and forth various times a day for the tourists.
Even though we had reserved seats yesterday it hadn't actually been written down anywhere. Luckily we bumped into the conductor who had "organised" it and were allowed on.
Trai Mat is a dusty ugly town that doesn't have anything much going for it except a beautiful pagoda on a hill. However you only get 40 minutes before the train leaves again so there is no time to visit it. So we just went hunting for ice cream instead (mission impossible, settled for sweets instead).
We were supposed to get another cable car to a monastery but we didn't have the energy and it was getting late (most tourist attractions in Dalat close around 4-5pm). So instead we just hung around the market again. The kids got some much-needed new trousers (it's amazing how quickly they can get a pair dirty).
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