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Dalat – the city draped in thousands of flowers with rolling mountain ranges and four seasons a day has always been a dream land for the artists of Maison Chance. It was such a great moment when our dream finally came true. On October 14, 2011, a group of artists including myself, from Maison Chance had a chance to participate in a painting excursion and exchange program with the Dalat Association of People with Disabilities, Dalat University, and the Association of Blind People.

We were all excited about the trip. Some of us were so looking forward to the interesting journey that we almost stayed awake the night before the departure day! Many got up at 4am and gathered at Village Chance waiting for the bus. By 5am, everybody was there and the bus started its journey at 5.30am.

The trip was very special, even in the preparation process. Unlike the able-bodied, each of the disabled passengers needed help to be carried onto the bus. This is not a simple feat, as all our helpers need to know the technique in order to fit all the disabled people onto a 45-seat bus. The helpers also gave us a hand with putting all the wheelchairs, easel paintings, and commodes neatly under the bus. In the past, due to these inconveniences, we never dared to dream about a trip to such a hilly place such as Dalat, the source of art inspiration! So this was the opportunity of a lifetime for our group! We need field trips such as this to truly enjoy and be inspired by the stunning beauty and landscape Vietnam has to offer!

The road to Dalat was very charming with vivid and picturesque scenes in every direction: from green tea fields with laboring workers here and there; transparent streams down the mountain slopes and waterfalls splattering down onto flat rock; green hills reaching beyond our vision; to strikingly foggy paths that slowed our speed of driving. All this beauty collaged magnificently – just like photographs in a magazine. Such beauty absolutely took our breath away!
The road became more dangerous and the bus shook and tilted (and we leaned!) as it steered through the winding mountain trails. Looking deep into immeasurably deep chasms was worrisome, but in the end we all made it through. We stopped at Tam Chau Restaurant in Bao Loc for lunch. We were each carried off the bus and pushed into the restaurant. The restaurant was large, clean with wheelchair access. Inside, there was a mini supermarket for embroidery displays.

The chilly climate in the highlands made us hungry. The restaurant served such delicious foods that I must’ve eaten four bowls of rice. We were so greatly impressed by the charming waitresses in pink ao dai that we almost forgot about the very long journey awaiting us…

Soon after, the bus ride resumed. I didn’t take any naps although I hadn’t slept the night before. It was pouring rain in Dalat. All that week, the weather was affected by the No. 8 storm blowing in from the South China Sea. But we were all still hopeful that the weather would improve during our stay.

Dalat’s landscape was incredible to see! The hills, beautiful architecture and abundant flowers everywhere gave the city a romantic atmosphere. This explained why so many romantic songs were written to celebrate this land. The tour guide told us about many tourist attractions in Dalat such as Love Valley, Two Graves Hills, Tuyen Lam Lake, and Ho Xuan Huong Lake with its floating restaurant. We were particularly impressed by the splendidly colorful flower gardens, but we regretfully didn’t have enough time for a visit.

We stayed at Thang Loi 1 Hotel, which a is 2-star rated hotel only, but regardless, many of us were still very excited to be staying over at a hotel for the very first time! The great service at the hotel and our excitement at discovering this new land erased all our exhaustion after such a long journey...

Most people in Dalat wore warm clothing when going out because the weather was slightly chilly. The streets were not as crowded and rushed as in Ho Chi Minh City... I liked seeing the highschool uniforms - dark blue sweaters with white dresses for the girls, and the boys in white shirts and blue pants - very much. They’re just so cute!

We had dinner at a restaurant about 1 km from the hotel. Because we enjoyed sight-seeing so much, we went there by wheelchair with the assistance of five students. It was raining slightly, so we brought umbrellas with us. The streets turned quite lively and we had to help each other push the wheelchairs up the sloping streets.

After dinner, we walked along the romantic Xuan Huong Lake. On the other side, rows of street lights and colorful car headlights in the rain created a fantastic scene. We visited the night market where sellers displayed lots of merchandise, even though it was still raining a little. Goods were found in all varieties and for very cheap, so we bought lots of gifts for our family members. We returned to the hotel by 9 pm.

The next morning, we woke up a little later because of how tired we were after the long journey the day before. Breakfast was served “buffet-style”. No one had a clue what “buffet-style” meant as none of us had heard of it before. But then we laughed out loud at ourselves when it was explained to us about how to eat at a buffet. Everyone was filled with laughter and delight.

After breakfast, we gathered in the hotel lobby where a group of students (who were there to assist us) were already waiting. We were divided into 2 groups, with 1 teacher in charge of each. We held a group meeting with the teacher, and were instructed in painting methods, such as rendering scenes with angular sky, color, and light. Especially because it was Dalat’s cloudy season, light would have a strong influence on picture layouts. Mr. Ngan had contacted the restaurant to arrange this painting section. I settled at the top floor of Thanh Thuy restaurant in order to get a broad panoramic view of Xuan Huong Lake. The restaurant also provided us with umbrellas in case it rained. The warm hospitality we received will never be forgetten…

At 11.30am we lunched on rice, two dishes and soup. It was a very funny lunch. Ms. Yem, Vice President of the Dalat Association of People with Disabilities, pretended to be a begger as Phong was playing his flute. We all bursted into laughter and this even caused many passersby to gather around in curiosity!
On the way back, Bay’s electric wheelchair stopped working. “Bay’s out of battery”, we joked. Lanh, who was assisting the disabled people from Maison Chance, had to work hard to push the chair all the way back along the long hilly path. To encourage him, we all shouted, “Try, try, try!” Finally, we arrived at our hotel for a rest and to prepare for dinner at 5pm. After that, we paid a visit to the University of Dalat for an exchange with students and other unions (People with disabilities, the blind, and the soldiers…)

There were various performances and activities to celebrate the Student Club’s 11th anniversary. Our performance was 17th in line, and we received tons of warm applause from the audience. While Mr. Ngan was presenting the history and mission of Maison Chance (care and treatment programs, vocational training and production management), I was carried on stage to prepare for my performance. I was painting with my mouth because I am quadriplegic.
I put all my concerted effort on painting and completed some work on some projects such as, Environment, Life, My, Love of Sea, and Waiting. My painting “The turning point of life” had won the “Employment Opportunity for the Disabled” contest held in Hanoi in October 2010.

I honorably gave the “Make a living” painting to the University of Dalat with a message to all the students. I bade them to study hard so that they could make a contribution to the development of our country, and told them not to forget the disabled people around them, who have always been striving their best to contribute to life despite whatever handicap they may have had.

As I handed over the artwork to a warm round of applause from the hall, I felt so happy and proud of my life. But without Maison Chance, this great honor would never have come to me. Thank you so much for my wings, Maison Chance.

Without any prior planning, Vuong, Loc, and Binh came on stage to perform a warmly-welcomed song. It was the enthusiasm that made the performance whole and perfect!

On the morning of October 16th, we walked around the city to do some shopping before heading home at 10.30am. The trip ended in joy and peace. I would like to thank Maison Chance for a meaningful trip. A special thank you to Ms. Yem and all the students, the Phuong Trang Company, the two drivers who supported our safe journey, and for the good accommodations. On behalf of all, I would also like to thank the Organizing Committee: A. Ngan, Mrs. Lan, Ms. Phuong, Lanh, Nhi, Hai, Bi, and Hien for taking care of us during the trip.
 

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