Tet a Tete

Chuc mung nam moi! (Happy New Year!)

Upon our return from Cambodia on Saturday, we were greeted by a festive Hanoian atmosphere and some serious price gouging by airport taxis.  Like double what should have been charged.  To the extent that Kyle was asking for names and procuring evidence of fraudulence while loudly threatening to complain to a higher power.  But we swiftly put this negativity behind us and set out Sunday morning-ish for the Museum of Ethnology, which was holding a Tet celebration with traditional games and ethnic minority food.

Solid effort, Kyle.

The point is to try to swing as high as possible. It's traditionally done by a couple as a means to get to know one another while being chaperoned by the whole community.

These American guys really showed what's what.

This kid scored the only hole-in-one I witnessed. Kyle and I both sucked. :/

Making rice flour flowers.

This kid kicked ass at "stick-butting," an inverse of tug-o-war where you try to push the other person out of the circle.

Calligraphy.

Ink blocks. Kyle got one of a baby with a lobster because he says it's adorable...I'm still not convinced.

We didn't actually make it inside the building, which means I've been to the Museum three times, including volunteering, and still haven't managed to catch a single glimpse of their renowned exhibits.  But the museum grounds are filled with reproductions of ethnic houses from various groups, furnished with traditional housewares, at which mouth-watering snacks awaited us.  There were tonnnns of people there, so the pictures of the houses are generally from a week before when I went exploring one day after volunteering.

This one's my favorite. It's got its own aqueduct--swanky.

Entrance into the long house, over one hundred feet long. Yes, I used the right ladder, but I was very careful about my hand placement. ;)

Tall communal house.

This house was huge! Climbing twenty feet up the rustic ladder was fine, but figuring out how to make my way back down proved a bit trickier. I waited to watch how someone else fared then followed in suit when they made it safely down.

Parental discretion advised. This is an ethnic minority tomb. The sexual scenes aren't pornographic but rather represent the cycle of life.

These tombs also have carved weeping statues. This people comes from central Vietnam and have been highly influenced by Indonesia.

Stilt house, where the best food was served. :)

No food yet, but Kyle and I are enjoying our chopstick party.

Awesome! (Sorry, my vegetarian friends, but this smelled gooood.)

Delicious sausage. It went superbly with purple sticky rice.

The Ethnology Museum is one of the few places in Hanoi where you can take in a water puppet show.  We were fortunate enough to catch one today.  My favorites were the Dragons and Wizard Afraid of Ghost.  Check it out.

Dragons!

Monday morning was still a holiday, according to the U.S. embassy, so in continuance of our Tet-cation Kyle, Roman and I visited a supposedly haunted battlefield, now in the middle of Hanoi, on the anniversary of Vietnam's defeat of a Chinese army.  Alas, there were no Chinese ghosts in sight, but thousands of people in their Tet best came out to watch parades and dances, to eat sweets and snacks, and to buy balloons and rice flour figures.  I received a lovely purple rose molded from rice flour that has proceeded to harden to concrete.

The Vietnamese general who defeated the Chinese. He looks pretty hardcore.

Baby-sized balloons.

Rice flour figures! There were flowers, dragons and Power-Ranger-looking ninjas.

We finished up the day by visiting a nearby dinh (communal house) and pagoda to take part in some traditional ancestor worship and Buddhist ritual.  Burning fake money and papers with coins printed on them while thinking of your ancestors aids their prosperity in heaven and, hopefully, yours on Earth.  You then burn incense (in odd numbers and NEVER in fours, since that's the number of DEATH) and place the sticks in the incense holder before the pagoda entrance and at the stupas (small structures usually containing the remains of important Buddhist monks) while praying.

Burning fake money.

The stupas on which you place your incense...mine almost refused to light, but I managed to take part after some fire finagling.

It's been wonderful to see all of Hanoi in such high spirits with everyone smiling in their "Sunday best."  I'm very grateful I've been in Vietnam during the Tet season and have been able to have two New Years this time around.  Surely that's providential for next year.  So far my resolution of being stalwart and fearless in 2011 has been upheld more often than not.  Buddha willing, I'll keep it up. :)

Fit For A King

With Kyle's return from Bangkok last night, we're all starting to get into the Tet spirit.  Tet is the most exalted and important holiday in Vietnam and celebrates the lunar New Year and the coming of spring.  Everyone spends the week with their family, frequently leaving Hanoi in an exodus to the smaller surrounding villages.  Peach blossom trees and branches adorn houses and are decorated with prayers and wishes, akin to a Christmas tree.  Kumquat trees are also pouring into the city to decorate homes and businesses, as the round fruit represent fertility and the shape resembles coins of prosperity.

Kumquat tree!

Peach blossom tree!

In convivial spirits, we embarked late this Sunday morning on an unofficial culinary tour of the city, stopping first at Hang Ma Street, the avenue for seasonal decorations.  It was packed with Tet gifts and decor and food and LOTS of people.

I like the creeper around Roman's shoulder. :D

It was busy!

Did I say busy???

I meant packed!!!

This tarry, black, gooey, sweet rice concoction is about to go in my mouth.

And here it goes...

Delicious!

So delicious that Kyle just HAD to have two for himself. ;)

A confections store where we got dried and candied banana, oranges and cherries to tide us over between bigger snacks.

We then moved to a sliiighty less crowded area and found these AMAZING fried banana cakes, kind of like the corn one I'd had last week.  This was even better!  The banana was perfectly sweet and the batter tart and lemony, so we had to get two for the three of us to split.

The Spring Market Festival was happening today, and the convention center and surrounding pavilions were teeming with people sampling food and drink (Kyle and I each scored a ninth of a shot of coconut vodka--SWEET!), perusing art and Tet gifts, and trying on clothes and shoes.  We saw tent after tent of glorious orchids and beautiful jewelry.  Kyle and I got some sandwiches of the I-don't-really-want-to-know-what's-in-this-but-I-can't-stop-eating-it variety next to a booth selling "kegs" of rice wine and giant clear glass jars of the same alcohol with animals floating in them, supposedly in order to imbue the drinker with the characteristics of that species...it's pretty much the only thing we said no to today.

Wine "kegs" with bamboo straws instead of taps.

Lizards on the left and God-knows-what on the right, but it's suppose to help with your...vigor in the bedroom.

Cobra Juice!!!

Gift baskets for Tet.

After our long day of walking and eating and looking and eating and shopping and eating, we were all ready for a nice, hearty dinner.  The guys decided it was high time for me try Cha Ca, a dish with rice noodles, sauce, and veggies and fish cooked in a pan over an open flame brought to each table.  It was fabulous and I positively inhaled the final fare offered in this foodie feast.

For today's highlight, I finally bought something that was neither transportation nor food.  In the Myanmar tent at the festival, JADE in all shapes, sizes and forms was to be found, and I simply couldn't walk out without jade beads encircling my throat.  I put my bargaining skills to the test and left wearing my hard-won beauty.  I'm so head over heels for it, I'll be hard-pressed to take it off even for a shower.

The guys made me do this Titanic-esque pose.

Nature Vs. Culture

Today we're gonna get artsy fartsy, so strap in, shut up, and enjoy.  Thanh Chuong is a talented and famous Vietnamese lacquer artist.  He is also a great collector of everything that quintessentially represents Vietnam.

Just one of his many amazing works on display at the Viet Phu Thanh Chuong.

The Viet Phu Thanh Chuong (Thanh Chuong Viet Palace) is not an actual palace but rather a living, breathing museum, a layered labyrinth rich in historical artifacts and lush with natural beauty.  His ancient ceramics collection is enviable, but just as exciting is the manner in which it is exhibited.  Room after small room up a spiraling staircase showcases pottery and Buddhist statues in an intimate atmosphere that allows you to marvel at the grandiose without feeling overwhelmed by it.  At the top of this particular building (one of two dozen scattered about the large but closely-packed complex), two floors have archways leading to narrow porches, the view from which allows you to see the picturesque neighboring farm with a glistening lake behind in one direction and a breath-catching aerial overview of the Palace in the other.  The light from these archways illuminates the objects inside, giving each its own divine spotlight.  Having passed through the lower rooms laden with dust, the air in and around these upper rooms is sweet and crisp, and my lungs literally breathed a sigh of relief and glee for the fresh air filling them.

The ornate white structure houses the ceramics collection.

Farm and lake beyond.

Tower to the right. Can you spot the Buddha?

 
Greenery is tempered by the alternately extravagant and earthy structures that would seem to vie with their natural surroundings but somehow manage to have been adopted and absorbed into the ponds, trees, and flowers, through which towers, roofs and Buddhas peak.  There is layer upon layer of structures, alternating man- and nature-made beauties, that create a trifle of visual delight on which your eyes would like to gorge themselves.  But all these wonders are approachable with no panes of glass or roped stanchions to bar your way.  The structures should feel intrusive, but the whole complex is so organic, it seems as if the buildings have always been there and the plants have accepted their existence and learned to grow around them.

Roman playing a wooden fish bell.

The decorations on this archway are from the Cham, a society in central Vietnam that was greatly influenced by Indian culture.

  

A scrumptious trifle.

The theatre. Normally the benches would be turned to face each other to encourage conversation.

Through yet another archway lies a traditional thatch-roofed mud house.  It's got all the fixin's: benches and tea set in the main room for special occasions; low, mat-topped beds and wooden (wooden!) pillows; two rooms off to the sides for live-in grandparents.  This one even had a modern sink, but no glass in any of the windows.  Outside was a rice-grinding system, huge pots for storing water and fish sauce and various other liquids, tools, and an outdoor kitchen complete with fire pit and well (down which I managed not to fall).

Magical archway that transcends time and space.

Traditional house. The screen before the door is to keep out evil spirits, which can only travel in straight lines and can't turn or bend their route to enter through another door.

Roman demonstrating rice-pounding.

Tea time!

Roman modeling a raincoat...I told him he looks like a mutant porcupine.

It was incredible to be able to touch and feel history, to be able to breathe it in, hold it in my lungs and carry a small piece away with me.

Through one of the demon-repelling screens.

Water puppet theater! I can't wait to see a show!

Balancing these baskets is no easy task. Even the local women use their hands to help.

I got to see SUN for the second time in eight days! I basked like a sleepy cat.

So peaceful.

That night we went to the Tet party for the US Embassy at the American Club.  There were lots of performances, especially by the Vietnamese staff, with dancing, singing and a Lion Dance.  I almost met the American ambassador to Vietnam after he performed his rendition of Take Me Home, Country Road, but he informed us he had to "go take a piss" and sauntered off into the night.  It was pretty awesome.  I actually did meet a ton of Americans and a handful of locals, all of whom were very warm and friendly and had lots of tips at the ready.

Today's highlight: Thanh Chuong made a surprise appearance at Viet Phu!  Roman and I were nearing the end of our meandering and I looked down a path and there he was!

Thanh Chuong in the flesh!

I was completely awe-struck.  I didn't want to bother him, and Roman said he didn't really speak English, so I just admired from afar.  His wife Ngo Huong, a famous photographer herself and an acquaintance of Roman's, had accompanied him.  (I think Roman knows every fifth person in Hanoi.)  She came over to speak with us and asked if we were enjoying this masterpiece (my word, not hers), and was terribly gracious.  Talk about a power couple.