So my first stop was a district on the outer edge of Saigon where I stayed with my cousin, his wife, and his two children for the beginning of Tet. What people might not realize about the lunar new year in Vietnam is that the cities generally become ghost towns. The holiday is sincerely about family and just about all restaurants, stores, and bus lines close down and people celebrate with those that matter to them most. In fact, most expats who don't have local ties generally leave the country during Tet (otherwise they would starve with all the food sources closed down!)
As soon as I arrived to warm and sunny HCMC, I was quickly adopted by my relatives. My world became all about new year's food, gambling, and unannounced visits to other relatives houses for 3 days. What I really took out of the days I had with them was the shocking, eye-opener experience of it all. I hang out with locals often in Hanoi but now that I think about it, my friends are generally well-educated and/or health professionals, i.e. they live well. My relatives on the other hand, while they aren't the poorest of the poor, it is hard for me to believe that we are the same blood yet have grown up with such different comforts. I have never felt so privileged. It is something I know that will stick with me and I am very grateful.
This is some of the relatives eating our first meal together at my cousin's dad's house. I should call him "uncle" but instead I call him "grandpa" because of his age. tsk tsk of me. This "grandpa" had me eating every single body part of a pig against my better judgment!
This was taken at my other cousin's house/dog meat restaurant. He brews different flavors of wine that go well with lemon grass meats...um, yeah. If you stare at the picture then maybe you can figure out which animal body part is used to flavor this wine...
This is my cousin at his brother's house helping to make 32 banh chung (new year rice cakes). WOOOT! SO GOOD...but 32 giant rice cakes needs to be eaten like 4 times a day for a week to finish em. -_-
I couldn't make a trip to Saigon without visiting my buddy V. We've now hung out in north, central, and southern Vietnam. Bad ass right?
This week I found out I'm pretty good with kids, thank you peds...that or their natural awesomeness.
This pic was taken on our way to the new year flower festival on the back of my cousin's motorbike.
I love these kind of pictures - I do it to all my friends now. Haha!
@ HCMC's flower festival...put Hanoi's flower festival to shame!
Oh yeah, and this is some my family and some bouncers from a HCMC club. LOL!
So while the cities die during Tet, NYE is still a big deal. I've never been in such a pushy, crowded, and sweaty street!!! But the new year fireworks to come at midnight were worth it.
Darn you telephone wire...still a pretty pic!
After the fireworks, the family got together again for eats, gambling, and liquor. HA...did I mention this was taken at 4 in the MORNING??? party hardy, it's Tet after all!
Despite going to bed at 4:30am, we woke up and found our way to the temple for a new year prayer.
My nephew and nieces showing off our new year red. (OK, my orange red was the best I could do!)
