Oh Taiwan

It is 11:30 on a school night and fireworks are going full throttle outside my window.  It has been going on for over an hour, it is not a holiday (well, that's probably wrong because I can also hear the music that signals some parade for some religious ritual at some temple) and there are pretty strict sound ordinances in this city since everywhere is somewhere people sleep- apartments above my school, apartments above most stores/shops/businesses.  If you exit one of the bars at late hours, because it's in a neighborhood underneath housing, you are shushed to no end by the bouncers.  I am very pro-fireworks (why? because they're beautiful and mesmerizing and bring up all kinds of good 4th of July memories and something even my father is crazy on- but even I have my limits.  Particularly, when I'd rather be sleeping. 


Anyway, to fulfill the hippie/neo-hippie names I've been called (and which, hello, I so am not....) I went to a thing called Peacefest this weekend which consisted of camping and music and natural beauty...in the rain.  It has rained almost every day for 1/2 a month at this point but we miraculous had a somewhat okay morning and already had purchased tickets so before we could think twice, we just went and got on the train. 

 

That was the right decision.  There was quite a bit of drizzle but we camped right on the river in a small town on the east coast in the mountains...so you could see the ocean from where we were int he distance but we were along the river.  There was drizzle for the music festival that day.  The Red Cliff played, there were some Aboriginal performances, we made friends with a bunch of the local orphans, there was a guy from Minnesota making the most intricate street vendor food ever, lots of good people around, and the clouds broke around 2 a.m. back at the campsite just in time to watch a lightning show in the distance over the sea and see shooting stars above our heads.  7 a.m. and it's sweltering in the tents so we slowly just start tumbling out into a pool and the river since it's so hot and most of us are in a somewhat hung over state anyway.  I manage a sunburn in the early hours before we found some food, made our way back to the train station, grabbed a tea, and had a miserable standing train ride back packed with people...and the rain began again. hahaha.  Good times though.


I thought the fireworks finale was over...but no..the dog down the hall is going nuts, what seemed like the finale just keeps going...and one would think it'd be in open space??? Oh no...it's between buildings of course.  aye aye aye.  
An hour and a half later, and sleep would still be impossible!


*Picts were taken by some of the boys with great cameras, not me


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