Weekend :)

So this weekend was great. I'm sure you saw the lantern photos I took and saw how beautiful the festival was. About 500,000 people there! Crazy. So crowded! People came from all over the world and I just had to drive across town. So cool :D Saturday was spent eating good food, resting, reading, watching soccer and rugby, and writing a bit for class. At five we left for the festival and were in the car for about an hour and a half, half of that being in heavy traffic. Got dropped off and started walking towards the center of the festival along a small river. There were tons of people and many shops along the dirt road selling food and lanterns. We eventually got a a temple grounds and were serenaded by hip optic chanting as we walked in hordes towards the monks and an image of Buddha at the center of the grounds. I almost felt like I was in a dream. It was very cool. The moon was shining and teers of monks were chanting and lanterns were being released. It was beautiful :) but also crowded. So we hopped the fence and got to a less crowded area. Then the chanting stopped and some announcements began in many different languages. Everyone started to prepare their lanterns at the same time so the release would be very beautiful. The lanterns can be big or small. The biggest one I saw could fit a whole person in it! They were made of a bamboo ring and very light paper making the lanturn. There was a farmable ring at the base that was light and then the lanturn filled with hot air and would flought upwards. It was beautiful. All the lanturn a were released at once and it was like nothing else I'd ever seen :) you were suppose to make a wish for all people when you release the lanturn. We released four and then started to walk back to the songtow. It was very crowded and so it was every person for themselves lol I headed to the river and walked along there and that seemed to be much faster than the path. I bought some black bean buns from my favorite guy and then went to release my candle boat that I made on Friday. I was familiar with candle boats, being a Quaker ;) and I felt very at home releasing my boat in the river with many other Thais. Then I bought two lanturns for the price of one and started walking again. Met others from our group but I lost them again but was the first one to find P. Jeiw, our driver. I was very happy to see him and he was happy to see me :) I thought I would have to wait for a long time for my friends but I only had to wait five minutes :) then we all walked back to the car. Jeiw is a great driver and was able to skip all the traffic on back roads and got us home in 30 minutes :) then it was time to watch a live rugby game, a rare thing here in Thailand halfway around the world. It was New Zealand vs England. NZ won. Classic. Then sleep! 

Sunday. 

Sunday was relaxing. I made a habit of waking up at 7am and so now I always do, no matter when I go to sleep. I kind of like it. It give me time in the morning. I'm turning into a morning person which I think is cool :) I had pad Thai and watched weekend soccer games. Then I grabbed my climbing shoes and headed for the city on my bike. Nice ride. Really pretty day and not too much traffic. I went to the flower market first and got a small and large knife to add to my collection. The flower market sells a lot of stuff, as well as flowers. It's on the Ping river. Then I went climbing and met Amy and her mom there. Her mom climbs! At like 60! Wow :) it was fun and I worked out real good. Got nice and tired and biked back home around 4ish. Had some dinner and then watched as lanturns light the night sky again :) tried to write some but was very unmotivated. I hope I can write some tonight. Then I was so tired from my full day I hit the hay after some Redwall :) good weekend :)