Rest day (already!) in Ha Giang

Kim has been recording most of our journey with her smart device (very handy -- I'm definitely a convert!) but she was napping today while I explored the town of Ha Giang.

It's day 5, but we only cycled for an hour this morning because we had to stop for a permit before we enter the "stunningly beautiful" mountain terrain (according to one friend) of far north Vietnam. And we're saving our legs for tomorrow, our first big mountain pass.

Ha Giang is built around a river that snakes through steep green hills. It's really beautiful, although our first blue sky since arriving in this country is probably enhancing my perception.

This afternoon I pedaled around (pannier-less -- wow, so light!) and stumbled upon a religious ceremony at a temple on the edge of town. There were a lot of people, mostly women, kneeled on the floor around an altar, in front of which a priest-type figure was waving his long-nailed, gold-ringed hands gracefully from under a red cloth. I inconspicuously joined the crowd (looking Asian is a plus here, although much fewer people scream "hello!" at me as they do to Kim).

Four women sat around the man and handed him offerings and incense, which he waved around ceremoniously before handing back to them. They also changed his outfit a few times -- an embroidered purple satin outer garment with matching boots and headdress, then the same thing in yellow. Between the changing and receiving of offerings, he smoked several skinny cigarettes and fanned himself delicately with a fan that changed color depending on his outfit. A few times he also stood up and shuffled to the beat of the music (blasting out of speakers next to the altar) and waved a big bundle of incense that burned with a big flame.

Throughout the whole thing people streamed in and out with offerings of money, oranges, Chocopies, Heineken beer, and other goodies. At one point women came around with stacks of bills and handed out 1000 dong notes (10 cents) to people in the crowd, including me! I noticed people around me pocketing it, so I did the same...I'll reinvest it at a local business tonight...

I've always wondered what happens to religious offerings. At some point all those oranges start going moldy. And at some point the temple must need new paint, or has to pay the electricity bill. Will certain offerings be selectively removed from time to time? I suppose it happens out of sight of the laypeople, who are just satisfied that they've done their part for the deities, or whoever/whatever they pray to.