-^-for posterity-^-

the first day of the new year is not that exciting for foreigners. the streets are empty. the shops are boarded up and nothing moves, only the red and yellow flags that are perched outside every house.

we went for breakfast fairly late. nothing was open. all the normal shops were boarded up. all of our usual cafés were closed. tet is a time for family, not business and having no family around makes for a boring lunar new year.

we finally found some young, enterprising lady who was selling some sort of meat and noodle combination. we ordered a couple bowls but without the meat. the flesh looked old and was sitting in the early morning sun and had attracted flies.

the soup was good but nothing else was. streets that are normally packed with people were deserted. it was as if an air-raid alarm had sounded and all had fled for their lives.

later on in the day things started to pick up. there were large bands that roamed the streets banging drums. they were headed up by a small dragon that directed by two young boys. they would strut around proudly as the drums thumped out a loyal rhythm. the dragon visited many random houses and we were able to watch from our balcony as it danced towards a small, tin-roofed shack where it was greeted by a flock of children. the dance ended and the dragon moved on.

hopefully tomorrow the streets will have come alive again.