Birthday nhau-ing part one

Let me start by apologizing for taking such a long time to post. I was so taken aback by Ngoc's recent post that I was quiet sure I would not be able to capture our times as he did. Luckily for all, he has harassed me enough to write a post while we travel by bus from Hoi An to Hue whether I want took not.

The photos above are from Ngoc's birthday night in Dalat last weekend. Somehow we didn't post these with the previous posts from Dalat! The night was spent with family in their living room. Ngoc and I were both quiet excited to be having a REAL nhau in Vietnam.

During the day we were sent off by the two eldest women of the house hold so they cold gather food and prepare dinner for everyone. We took the kids to see some waterfalls in the mountains. When we arrived back there was only a few simple tasks that I let ngoc assist with. I was more concerned about making sure the beer was cooled in time and that I would not have to drink my beer with ice again!

The night went perfectly. The floor was cleared and cleaned, news paper put down to sit on,many plates and utensils brought out. Course by course we ate, and drank, and ate, and ate, and drank, and laughed, and ate....you get the idea

The dishes were simple and traditional snacks for this kind of event, but the seafood was purchased special for ngoc. Dalat is in the middle of the mountains far from the sea, so you can imagine this was truly a special treat.

We had spring rolls that we rolled by hand with beef, green papaya salad, and other veggies. Fried egg rolls, steamed crabs, and giant prawns. The men washed this down with about 6 beers each, mmmMmmMMM....

I was prepared for this kind of night after the many times with Ngoc's family in Oakland. I've seen this Vietnamese pastime in its extremes and it's not always pretty, but with the right crowd, a loving family, and great food it makes for evenings that are not soon forgotten.

Actually, all of these factors are not even necessary for a great nhau. Hell, just last night we only had great food and each other on plastic chairs on the sidewalk and it was a great time. Sometimes it is the simplest of things that bring us such happiness. Whether it is spending my high school years in jen's garage doing nothing but acting goofy and making up stories, the times in Philly with Or and Sum playing with the cats and listening to music, or taking a long walk through the city on any random Sunday night for no particular reason. These are the moments in my life I've learned to cherish.

Ngoc will sharing next with part two of his birthday extravaganza. We decided to go to the other extreme and stay at a fancy resort for one night after arriving in Nha Trang...so much for the money saved by traveling on a shoe string! Just wait for the photos!

Love to all