Tet

For many Westerners (particularly Americans) the word Tet was made famous during the Tet Offensive in the Vietnam/American war. The attack took place on the first day of the Lunar New Year known in Vietnam as Tet. It would be like saying the "New Year's Offensive". On January 31st, 1968, the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) and the National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam (NLF; also commonly referred to as the Vietcong) launched the largest scale attack by either side of the war to that point. The widespread reporting of the Tet Offensive had a huge psychological impact on the world and marked a turning point in the public's perception of the war.

Tet is the most important holiday in Vietnam with many customs both before and after the actual day. Since it is an extremely family oriented holiday, travel can be very difficult the week preceding and the week following Tet - which is why I am stuck in Hanoi until the 6th! Tet is a time to honor the ancestors by repainting their tombs (many are buried on the family's land, often in the rice patties); those that live in the city will hang pictures of their ancestors on the wall, or display them in front of their store front - sometimes there are over one hundred pictures! Last week, the streets were packed with people shopping for gifts as well as stocking up on food and necessities (as much will be closed after Tet), paying off debts (it is good luck to be debt free on the first day of the New Year), visiting the pagodas making prayers and offerings. I participated in this last ritual by throwing a few thousand Dong on a plate in one of the pagodas in town. I attribute this act with a big stroke of luck (or Karma!) the very following day.

Cambodia

Siem Reap

I began my Cambodian adventure with my friend Steve. We set out on bus from Bangkok, and with only moderate hassle at the border followed by hair-raising driving into oncoming traffic, we made it to Siem Reap. The very first evening, after our $1.50 dinner, we wandered into a street party accidentally as we were looking for our guesthouse. It was a combination New Years party (it was the 4th) and Hotel Grand Opening party right there in the dirt street. It looked blocked off at first, but the six cops that were outside the railing motioned us that it was OK to walk through. There were tables and chairs all around leading up to a dance floor. There was a band on stage, and people in the street dancing around a pot of flowers. As we made our way past the dance floor, one of the guys motioned for us to join them. Who am I to pass up a good time? Before long we found ourselves engulfed in this festival of fun with free beers being placed in our hands and laughing away with people who barely spoke English. A great first night!

The next day, for $12, we commissioned a driver to take us to Agkor Wat and many of the other surrounding temples. They are truly spectacular.  Built in the 12th and 13th century, they were first Hindu and then Buddhist. An amazing feat of construction in any day. Some of the temples have been used in the Tomb Raider movies with Angelina Jolie, and every guide can will tell you that!

New Years Resolutions

We have now entered 2011 and many people have gone through the annual ritual of making their New Year's resolutions.It might be catchy to have a short (let's say three: odd numbers are good luck after all!) list in a combination like, "More, More, Less." More working out, More saving, and Less time spent on Facebook perhaps?  It is easy to say, but More and Less are hard to measure unless you quantify them. The problem is that when we quantify a goal, we are more bound to it, and it is easier to say we "failed" if we don't hit the mark. When we use a wishy washy" More" or "Less", then there is more flexibility for us to play with.

For me, New Years is a fine time to reflect and goal-set, but it shouldn't be the only time. Just like Thanksgiving shouldn't be the only time we express thanks for what we have, we should constantly be goal-setting and reflecting. The New Year's ritual simply serves as a reminder for us to keep working on it. My current term resolutions or goals are as follows:

More blogging: writing has always been a struggle for me, but I like it when I do it. It's kind of like working out, you know it's good for you, yet it is easy to put off, and keep putting off. You can put in a partial effort, just to get it done, but you feel really amazing if you go for the hour long Bootcamp class and make it through! I pledge to write at least four blog posts a month.

More personal contact: I have many interactions on a daily basis, yet once the people are gone, then it is easy to fall out of contact. There are also many people back home that deserve more attention than they currently get. My goal is to write personal emails to at least 15 people per month. This may not sound like a lot in the connected world we live in, but I mean actual emails or messages - Facebook wall posts don't count and reply's don't count. Couple that with my limited internet connectivity and I'm happy with that goal.

More learning: Finally, simply as a function of my travels I am learning a tremendous amount about new cultures and histories. Unfortunately, I don't always take the time to visit museums or read more on the country. I vow to now either watch a movie, or read a book about each country that I visit. Lonely Planet doesn't count. For Cambodia, it will either be the Killing Fields, or Pol Pot's Regime.

That is my short list of goals for now, once it become habitual, I will move on to the next set of goals. You all can help keep me honest on at least one of those resolutions, and call me out when I fall short - after all, what are friends for if not to push you along when you need it! What are your resolutions??

Happy New year (they are still saying it here in Cambodia so I feel safe saying it as well), I hope everyone many solid resolutions and happy travels in this new year!

New Years in Bangkok

On Laziness

Every once in a while it is nice to have what we long-term travelers (yes, we are a tight knit community) call an "admin week". During this week, one might catch up on emails, blogs and phone calls, manage finances, and plan future travel. When I arrived in Dahab I thought "what a perfect place for an admin week!". It was a nice relaxing place, with free WiFi everywhere (not at all common in Egypt), good food and beautiful scenery.

It was a perfect place to do everything that needed to be done, and also get in some relaxation time. While I did do most of what needed to be done (I planned my next six months of travel, I managed my finances, and I emailed a bunch of people) I did neglect a couple things - namely updating the blog.