Happy New Year!

We got back to Vicky's apartment right before Midnight on New Year's Eve.  Soon an ear splitting din started to arise which sounded a bit like millitary jets but turned out to be the sound that Chinese firecrackers make when they have the chance to echo off of multiple surfaces around the development.

As we got closer to midnight, the noise grew louder and then suddently there was an explosion and I realize that people were setting off Fireworks - not the normal "residential" ones we see on the 4th of july but private citizens were setting off shells the size that we'd see in public displays back home.  Around the Agile Gardens development there were maybe half a dozen large fireworks displays.  This mixed up with smaller displays (one guy shooting fireworks from the adjacent building).  From around 11:45 until 1:00 AM this continued interrupted occasionally by loud bursts of Chinese firecrackers.  I didn't have a cable release handy so the photos aren't as good as if I had planned to photograph fireworks, but you can see the effect.

About that point I collapsed... it was a long day.