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I have been flung into the land of weddings as preparation for my brother's wedding sets in. Two nights ago Ha's household travelled out to the restaurant catering for the wedding to have a taster session for the reception dinner. There are six courses in total, five main and a pudding and I swear each dish was better than the last. One dish even gave me the chance to try eel! It was a great time together with Ha's family and I am really enjoying all the Vietnamese food I try.
Yesterday morning we headed out shopping for the outfits Ash and Ha will wear for their wedding photo shoot on Saturday. This is where the bride and groom have three outfits and get a professional photo shoot in a location of their choice to create a book and slideshow of images of the bride and groom together for display at the wedding. Unfortunately I cannot let slip about too many details of the wedding preparation, as it is a traditional part of a Vietnamese wedding ceremony and will give away too much that should be a surprise for everyone not involved. I am allowed though to go along and capture all the behind the scenes of this interesting cultural experience to show at a later date.
We first shopped in a large clothes store for my brother and then had to take a rather long walk to find the right size and colour shorts, as my brother is a little big bigger than the average Vietnamese man! We even had to take these scooter taxis to a shop further away and found that some Vietnamese people drive with a little less caution than Ha does…After being out in the 38-degree heat, traipsing from shop to shop, we took a break and watched 'Man of Steel' in the cinema in the supermarket shopping centre. Here in Vietnam it is the equivalent of about £2.60 to watch a movie and this includes a popcorn and drink discount! After cooling off inside we went back home to meet up with Ha's Mum and have a second lunch. Then, as a four, we headed out to the bridal shop to choose Ha's outfits for the shoot, all hired out as a package deal from the bridal shop sorting the shoot. We picked up the last few things back at the market.
Today was much more of a chill day as yesterday had been so busy. Ha has been trying to find us refuge from the heat as it has turned up a notch the last few days and can be very oppressive when you are out in it for too long. This morning we visited Ha's auntie again so Ash could get a haircut before the wedding and she also painted my nails. Grandma was very happy to see us again and I feel much more apart of the family every time we visit.
We went out to the internet café again with Ha's brother as the air con there is so good. We brought Vietnamese baguettes for lunch which have a lot of meat and spice in them but again it was incredibly tasty. Ha's friend joined us for a drink and then dropped me home while Ha took Ash on a different scooter that is big enough for his long legs.
Since then we have relaxed at home and gone out for Bun Mam, a very traditional Da Nang dish that has a lot of different meats and fish sauce on noodles. Because of the fish sauce, the smell is very pungent but the taste is great. I seem to be adapting well to all the different flavours and have not experienced any trouble yet. I may have put on a little weight though as it seems pretty common for Vietnamese people to have meals as snacks in between meals! I'm not complaining though but I may have problems changing this new habit back in England…
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