Celebrating Tet

Beach Resort Near Hoi An

Tet holiday is beginning... families leave offerings for their ancestors in the doorway

I'm currently still in Hoi An, but we plan on leaving for Hue on Thursday. Tet was nice, although not much different from 4th of July celebrations in the U.S. (think lots of sparklers, fireworks, food on the grill, etc) for non-Vietnamese since the holiday is all about family and worshiping ancestors. Still, I had a lot of fun and enjoyed watching the locals celebrate. One thing that always surprises me is how public most things are here – for example, almost all the aspects of worshiping ancestors are performed in front of the house, where everyone can see...e.g. burning paper money, leaving out food, lighting incense, etc. Of course while the locals are performing these important rituals all us tourists are standing approximately 10 feet away snapping tons of pictures...and the locals don't seem to mind. I guess they're probably used to it by now.

New Year's Eve (Tet) - Out at Before & Now w/Jessie and Sarah

Lanterns floating down the river

More lanterns on the river

Fireworks at midnight

Offerings in front of every doorway in Hoi An on the way back to the hotel

The past few days Sarah and I have spent relaxing and sightseeing around Hoi An. We've rented bikes twice (to go to the beach), but unfortunately I forgot to take a picture both times...it's the first time I've been on a bike in at least five years. Yesterday we also rented a motorbike (Sarah drove) and went to see My Son which are ruins from the Champa Kingdom. Motorbike was great...a lot of fun and the roads here aren't as crazy as in Hanoi. We got lost going to and from My Son...the map they gave us was terrible, but we didn't really mind since we got to see more of the countryside.

Tomorrow I'm signed up for a Vietnamese cooking class!!! I'm so excited...I miss cooking like crazy, and the dishes we're making are some of my favorites. Hopefully my food will come out well, since I'm pretty sure what we cook is what we eat for lunch...I'll let you know how it turns out!