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Saying goodbye to T was hard. We were with him for such a long time it seemed as if we were like family, joking around and having fun. Mr. Min was an awesome driver and we thanked him and gave him a well-deserved tip. T led us into the Hanoi Airport and helped us with our bags. He said he would e-mail us about his new daughter and send us a picture. After thanking him we went through security and our flight to Da Nang.

When we landed a tour guide was waiting for us. His name was Thin, and so was he! The driver rode to our hotel. On the way there, we stopped by three places. We first stopped by China Beach and took a small walk to soak in the sun we experienced the first time in Vietnam. SUN! Finally! The second place we stopped at was the Marble Market. Everything was made out of marble of course. They had marble female Buddha’s for sale.

Then we explored Marble Mountain. As we drove into the entry way I looked up and saw the rocky mountain and a long silver crescent shaped elevator that stretched up to the top. Whoa! Thin paid for the tickets and we walked up the steps. To the side of each step there were all the zodiac animals.

 

We took turns poising in front of our zodiac. We explored more into the cave. The mountain was tall and dark with hidden lights that lit up parts of the cave. There was a screeching sound from far away that sounded like the Golden Snitch in Harry Potter. They were bats. Thin told us part of the cave represented the Gates to Hell. They had the devil perched inside a hallow section of the mountain.

We saw the 10 devils of Hell and the All-Seeing Eye that’s on the back of a dollar bill.

Thin introduced us to the Yin and the Yang or also known as male and female. Last, we saw the big golden Buddha with the smoking sticks that were stuck into a bowl. I rang the gong three times in order to have good-luck for the New Year.

Then we drove to the hotel in Hoi An. When I looked out the window, the streets weren’t all that different from the other places we’ve visited. There were lots of stands with snacks. The thing that caught my eye was the Tailor shops full of pretty articles of clothing.

The hotel was really nice! They had a pool, computers, pool table and chess.

We explored the streets with Thin. Everywhere we went we saw motorbikes with kumquat trees sticking out of their trunks and local people hanging up decorations and lanterns.

One day, we went out into the country to have lunch. The country side was beautiful and quiet. We could see the green grass and the farmers preparing crops.

The cook showed up how to make Vietnamese pancakes and grilled chicken and banana leaf. Over all, the lunch was outstanding. After lunch, we had a deluxe foot, face and shoulder massage. We stuck our feet in buckets and they began to massage our feet. Then they massaged our cheeks and eyebrows. It tickled, so I kept on laughing.

TET

Tet is the biggest event in Vietnam, the first day of the Asian lunar calendar. It lasts for seven days. Stores close before Tet to prepare for the celebration. People buy new clothes and clean their homes. On Tet Eve (Jan. 22), we took a ride through town and planned to stay up until midnight to watch the fireworks. As we peddled around, I got to see tons of local people cleaning their homes and the women dressed up in pretty silk gowns. We had dinner at a really fancy place called Cargo, with an outstanding view of the river. My Dad and I got there a little early so we could have time to relax and play some cards. From a distance you could the muffled booming of loud disco music playing. I could make out some of the songs, but they were all remixes. Earlier, my mom visited an orphanage and played with the kids.

She really enjoyed it and she felt so bad for them because they don’t have a home. Plus, you can’t adopt from Vietnam anymore. My mom met us at the restaurant and we ordered our dinner. Then we wanted to see what Tet was about. One of the locals outside their home was throwing rice and candy out on the streets. They also had tables outside their house containing food.

We stopped to take a closer look. He told us that the rice symbolizes getting rid of the bad luck and the candy is for the children who have died. Then he took a bowl and lit a fire. He burned paper and fake money. He informed us it is money for their dead Ancestors. The Ancestors received $100 dollar bills, so they must have been very pleased.

On the river we saw cool lit up figures of animals with all sorts of neon colors.

We heard loud music from far away and saw searchlights scanning the night sky. Looking out from the bridge you could see the water lanterns. The lanterns were different colored paper cut out into a cup with a candle inside that could float on water. Each one was placed on the water and thousands of these water lanterns made the whole river light up.

As we neared the building, the music rose and laughter and talking overpowered the silent night. It was like a carnival. People were playing games. One game you had to toss the bucket over the prize you wanted – the choices were beer or soda – and then you could have it. Another game was for a prize too. You had to toss a little foam ball into one of the holes that was propped up against a slanted board which was nearly impossible to do. There was a TV screen showing dancing and singing. There was also live singing and dancing too. We had to find a seat for the fireworks, so we started to make our way back. Before we could watch the fireworks we walked a little more and took a picture for a group of students that came from Beijing. I looked up and spread my hands out. Was it raining? Sure enough, little droplets fell from the sky. Luckily, they stopped just before the fireworks began. Then the show was on! One after another streaming up like a bullet and booming into the night, creating a big colorful bright spark. Boom, boom! One right after another, followed by the amused crowd applauding.

The colors were vivid and the loud bang of the fireworks rang through my ear. More came followed by more clapping and astonished expressions. Each firework gushed out into their path and dissolved like sprinkling glitter resulting in smoke that looked like a shadow of an old tree, lanky, fat and misty. Then the fireworks paused leaving the crowd in awe. Suddenly, more erupted and the crowd went wild. One firework shot up and broke into several small ones creating the sound like when you’ve just poured milk into rice Krispy cereal. They crackled and melted away while others rose up and popped in the dark night. The grand finale started. There were at least twenty of them blasting off and cracking open the colors one by one. Booms were everywhere lighting the whole atmosphere. Cheers were thrown out and whistling came from the crowd. Fireworks kept streaming up and whistling. There was one time when a ton of fireworks burst out all at once, one roared, another and another. Some waterfalled down and others faded away twinkling. It was over and the rush began. There was an outburst of clapping and merriment and motorbike engines were starting up and chattering increased and bodies were being pushed around. That was the beginning of Tet. But we would be on a plane on the first day of Tet.