An Expat, Vietnamese Halloween

On Halloween day, we met Chris and Laura for the first time - two people who would later become our good friends here in Vietnam. We started out the day by having breakfast at a small, local restaurant near our old apartment.

Since they had just arrived, we decided to see some of the sights in district one. Our first stop, of course, was at The Coffee Bean, a Starbucks-style joint near the main post office and Notre Dame Cathedral. The Coffee Bean was in the Halloween spirit with ghostly decorations and Fall-themed drinks.

After we procured our caffeine for the day, we went across the street to the French-inspired main post office. I actually had some mail to send, but it worked out perfectly since it's such a famous tourist site.

We walked around for a little bit in the hopes of eventually finding Ben Thanh Market. We

didn't really know where we were going, so we got a little off track, but eventually found it. We were able to see some interesting cultural sights along the way, too.

Finally, we arrived at the market.

Doug wanted to find a wig and tank-top for his Halloween costume at the market, but I wasn't sure I wanted to dress up. Eventually, everyone in the group got a costume, so I decided that I should join in, too. I went as an 80's lady and Doug was Peter Snell, a famous runner.

Now, this is a little embarrassing, but we spent Halloween dinner at the same place that we'd spent Doug's birthday dinner...which was only two days later. This is what happens when you're new to a place - you pick a few eateries, bars, etc. that you know and you keep going there. Perhaps that isn't the best way to "get to know a place," but oh well. Here we are with friends at the Tavern, which was all decked out for Halloween:

After dinner, we headed to drinks in district one, which is the touristy part of town. Here we are at Allez Boo (which I mispronounced ah-lez-boo, much to the chagrin of the French-speaking Tracy).

On our way home, I was trying to take pictures of Doug "running" on the street. Really, he was just posing. Some kids thought it was funny to run in every time we tried to take a picture, so we eventually just told one of them to pose.

All in all it was a fun night. I do miss Halloween in the states, but I was happy to see all of the Halloween spirit in Vietnam. Hopefully next year we'll get to really celebrate, American style!

Doug's Birthday

(posted by: Stacy)

Okay, so, I'm a little behind with my blog posts. I apologize. Now, let's all try to move on and get updated on each others' lives, okay? :)

We've had a lot happen in the past month or so. Let's start with Doug's birthday.

Poor Doug. We moved to Vietnam on the 15th of October which meant two things on his birthday, October 29th:

1) We were nearly broke. Moving from the Dominican Republic cost us something like $6,000.00. Also, we had to put down a couple grand on our apartment November 1st. This meant no fancy presents for Doug.

Oh well, I guess we can't be ballers forever.

2) We were also moving the day after his birthday, which meant no fun weekend trip to celebrate. Last year, if you recall, we spent Doug and JP's (our friend who now lives in California and shares a birthday with Doug) birthday at a cabin in the mountains of the Dominican Republic. It was amazing. Clearly, this birthday could not compare.

Nonetheless, we had a nice time.

The day started with Doug demanding his presents first thing in the morning. Okay, so, maybe "demanding" is a little bit of an exaggeration. But he did insist and I did cave. So I gave him all of his presents before brushing my teeth, including a card that my parents had written before we left Boise.

That evening, we went to the Tavern, which is an expatriate bar near our apartment. They serve western-style food and good beer, so it seemed like a good choice.

Some friends from work joined us for dinner and drinks on the patio.

Later, they got the great idea of ordering beer bongs, which were on special.

Doug thought this was really funny.

Then, they got the great idea of ordering four shots of Tequila. All for Doug. This, he did not find so funny.

We passed on the liquor and took pictures of ourselves instead. It seemed like a better use of our time, anyway. Photos > Liquor.

All in all, it was a pretty good birthday, even if we didn't get to spend it at the beach or in the mountains. Of course, it would have been much, much better with all of you lovely and wonderful friends and family here to celebrate.

Phuoc An Hoi Quan and Jade Emperor Pagodas

[posted by: Stacy]

Today, we went to the Phuoc An Hoi Quan Pagoda, located in Chinatown (in Saigon). Since several different religious sites are located in that area, including a well-known mosque, we meant to visit a few other places. Unfortunately, it started pouring rain. If you've been to SE Asia, you know that the use of the word "pouring" is quite literal. We needed galoshes, ponchos, and umbrellas at minimum - when rain reaches your knees in some spots, it’s kind of impossible to use a map, wade through water, and dodge traffic all at the same time.

The pagoda was “beautifully ornate," as promised by Lonely Planet, complete with wood carvings, ceramic figurines, and interesting Chinese artifacts.

When we arrived, it had just started raining, as you can tell by the rain spots on Doug’s clothes.

There were lit candles and incense everywhere, along with offerings of fruit. The candles gave the scene a tranquil feeling and I felt compelled to turn off my flash and try to capture the moment in its natural state.

Along with ceramic figures, there are large woodcarvings and metalwork throughout the pagoda.

This garden sits just outside the main temple area, under a plastic roof that roars under the rain. The wall art is made of tile, pieced together to make an intricate design.

Just across the walkway hangs this tile artwork.

These brass animals hang from the walls, an interesting connection to the Northwest of the US.

These red objects are large incense coils.

This pagoda is known for its little ceramic objects. These particular ones are located just outside the main temple area.

We had originally planned on walking from pagoda to pagoda, but the torrential downpour outside caused us to rethink our plans. I bravely stood in the rain and hailed a cab (while Doug stood under a walkway to keep out of the rain), and we tried to explain to our driver that we wanted to go to the Quan Am Pagoda, which was supposed to be just down the street. We were drenched, but still excited about seeing more temples. Along the way, we saw people on scooters with rain up to their knees and even our taxi bottomed out at one point. Thank goodness our cab was an SUV with four wheel drive.

The driver didn’t understand where we wanted to go and ended up taking us home. Oh well, we can always explore more later.

You might remember that weekend before last, we visited the Jade Emperor Pagoda, a Taoist temple dedicated to the Emperor of Jade. This pagoda is quite impressive and beautiful. I have to admit, I felt a bit guilty taking photos at this place of worship. I’m sure that those who come to pray are used to the camera flashes during their meditation and offerings, but something seems inherently wrong in capturing that moment. Nonethless, being the photoholic that I am, I took ample pictures.

It was raining the day we went to the Jade Emperor Pagoda, too, so the outdoor photos were quick and limited. Luckily I was able to get a couple photos of the façade and courtyard.

Doug enjoyed the statues.

Unfortunately, the statues didn’t appreciate Doug’s imitation of them.

Inside, there were several worshippers giving offerings and saying prayers.

Incense is everywhere in this country, but the smell is overwhelmingly strong inside the pagoda.

Elaborate wood carvings and ornamental decorations cover the walls.

Fruit is a common offering to the Toaist gods.

There were no worshippers upstairs, so Doug and I took the opportunity to take some pictures.

The architecture at this particular pagoda was quite beautiful.

We’re looking forward to seeing more of the religious sites throughout the city; it’s amazing how many there are to visit. For now, though, I’m pretty content being in my new apartment, listening to the rain, blogging, and enjoying the quiet of Sunday.