merely talk

I woke up a couple hours later. The tent was sweltering. The combination of me and Amy breathing and the sun had created a sauna, making it impossible to sleep. I tried anyway though.

Our neighbors were being loud. They were playing their stereo and talking. I think they were setting up their tent as well. I heard them talking about heading to the beach and soon after it got quieter and I was able to snooze once again. Amy had opened one of the tent doors and the fresh air provided temporary relief. But by 9 it was too much, and we got up.

We put on our bathing suits and grabbed our towels, and walked over to the beach. Which wasn't so much sand as big rocks. We put our towels right by the river and sat with our feet stuck in the water. The water was deliciously cold and my toes were soon numb. It was wonderful. There were little minnows to watch, as well as many people. It looked like a big chunk of the festival goers were there. Some had set up their chairs in the water, others were washing their hair and bodies. Some were riding on inner tubes down the current. The water was incredibly clear, and every rock I picked up was perfect for skipping. So I decided to spend the day learning how to skip stones.

After a little while Amy went back to the tent to get us some food and the sunscreen cause it was time to reapply. I had moved further into the water and was now sitting on a rock with half my body submerged. It was the strangest sensation. My upper body was baking in the sun, but my lower body was tingling with the cold. I found it so weird that the sun wasn't warming up the water, but I was grateful all the same. It was so hot and there was no breeze and any relief was welcome.

A DJ had started to play just down the beach, and the music was very relaxing. Perfect for a lazy day at the beach. Amy came back and we ate breakfast and sunbathed until about 1, and then went in search of shade.

We went wondering into the forest. The entire festival looked so different by day. We were on a ranch with mountains on every side and what had looked so alien and strange the night before was now normal. It's strange what sunlight can do.

We went and looked at the different stages and the art that decorated the paths. A few people were dancing to the music that was playing, but mostly people were sitting or lying down, recovering from the night before and seeking shelter from the sun. We listened to one DJ in the sand pit for awhile, and I watched some very strange dancers. But after awhile the bench we were sitting on became really uncomfortable and the music had stopped being good. We went down another path and ended up in the camp grounds. From there it was a short walk back to our tent. A few of our neighbors were out and about and started talking to us. One, Jesse, complimented me on my strawberries (I was wearing my bikini which is blue and had little red strawberries on it. Subtle eh?). We started chatting and ended up heading back down to the beach with him and his friend Tyler.

Jesse was carrying his stereo playing a song that had someone repeating "Do you find me attractive?" An Australian man came up and walked with us for awhile and he asked Jesse about the music.

Australian man: "Do you find me attractive?"

Jesse: (What the fuck? look)

Australian man: The music mate, is that what the music saying?

The AM started laughing and so did we. Jesse was pretty drunk so it took him a few seconds to catch on, but when he did. It was all good. AM parted ways with us soon after saying he would be laughing about this little moment for the rest of the day.

At the beach we joined the rest of Jesse's group. And dealt with being alternately splashed or shot with a water gun by Jesse. He had renamed Amy and I. I was now Strawberries, and Amy was Peppermint(her bikini top had green and white stripes on it...do you see a theme here?)We called him A-cups, keeping with the theme.

Amy and I started to pick up various rocks and name them. We had tiger rock, cheetah rock, rainbow rock, duckhead and duckhead: electric boogaloo...I think there was also a pickle rock that was briefly named penis rock. It was fun. And it was a great way to pass the time. I fell asleep a couple times, and I got the wierdest burns. But the sun and river and music were so relaxing it was worth it. It was the first time in a while where I had been so relaxed and calm. Ever since I've moved back to Vancouver (and just before actually, bracing myself for the move and all) I've been so stressed out. First it was because of the leaving of wonderful people in Edmonton. And the absolute agony of being away from Miah (dramatic, no?) and then it was the stress of the new job, which has yet to get better. So being a ten hour drive away from the job, sitting in a river and basking in the sun was really what the doctor ordered. I felt so calm and at peace, it was truly wonderful. And even if the rest of the trip had been a total bust, it would have been worth it for those few hours where my mind was completely empty.

Eventually we got up and went and had lunch, and then went shopping. There were little kiosks set up in one of the villages selling clothing, jewelry, art and pipes. Amy bought a pair of beautiful earrings that I spent the rest of her stay coveting, and I got an awesome anklet and a really pretty bracelet. I have yet to take either of them off.

Post shopping there were more naps on the beach, a dinner of sorts and then another nap in the tent. After the sun set it got quite cold again and the tent was warm, and so were our clothes which had spent the day in there. It was glorious. We slept until about nine, and then got ready to head out again. We did a brief tour of the grounds, but eventually went back to the tent to sleep again. There was a DJ Amy wanted to see at 1 at the Fractal Forest, and another one at 2 at the Main stage.

I slept until 11:30 and then we went to the main stage once again and danced for an hour. At one we headed to the Fractal Forest, but I was too tired to dance anymore, so I found a rock to sit on, and started chatting to a lovely girl from Nelson. She had lost her friends and was supposed to meet them at the giant pyramid. And she was wondering if I knew of any other pyramids. I didn't, but we got to talking anyway. Her friends came by after a few minutes, and then Amy came and found me. She had finally found Christina. Which was a relief. We were both worried because she had hitchhiked to the festival from Edmonton and when we hadn't found her on Friday night I was scared something had happened to her. So I felt so much better when I found out she had made it okay. Amy went back to the dance floor and I sat and watched the people and listened to the music. The DJ was crazy and weird and so energetic. I really wished his energy was contagious. But it wasn't, and soon all hopes I had of staying up until at least 3 were gone. Amy came by again and I told her I was heading to bed.

I had only been in the tent for a little while, when Amy came back. She said she was too tired as well. It was so annoying, neither of us wanted to take any drugs. But we wanted to stay up and listen to the music. Which just wasn't possible. I wish there had been a way to do it. But there wasn't. And our willpower against the drugs was stronger than our desire to see all the DJ's. So we both slept.

The next morning we got up, and packed up the tent and the car. We said goodbye to our new friends, and drove away down the dusty bumby road. Which was less scary in the daylight, but not by much.

Amy drove to Castlegar where we stopped in a Tim Hortons to brush our teeth and use flushing toilets. And also for the lovely caffeine. Then we went to a gas station and cleaned off as much dust as we could off the windows. Over the course of our stay at Shambhala my pretty silver Honda had become brown. We did a passable job, and then got on our way.

The drive back was mostly uneventful. Just outside of Hedley Amy dropped the Gingerale she was drinking, which was interesting. If only because she was driving at the time, and it spilled everywhere. I'm actually thankful, cause now my car no longer has that new car smell. I've never really liked that smell.

We got back to Vancouver around 8 or so. The last leg had been a little brutal, cause there had been heavy traffic and it was so slow moving. We were both tired and a little cranky, and the sun had been giving me a headache for quite a few kilometers.

Unpacking the car took three trips on the elevator, but we got it all. And we had a really good dinner of potatoes, carrots, corn on the cob and veggie dogs.

All in all it was a great weekend. I'm so glad I went.

A few afterthoughts:

• I knew there would be drugs there, but I was not prepared for how messed up people would actually be. Everyone was so high it was kinda scary. I've never seen so many people be so out of it before. It actually almost ruined the experience for me. I liked it so much more during the day cause that's when everyone was coming down. It was easier to take.
• I am so glad I went with Amy, it was great having a girls weekend with someone I rely so heavily on for advice and sanity. I've been going a little crazy since we stopped living together and it was great to have her coolhead and positive attitude around me once again.
• And finally I just have to say that the award for most valuable product needs to go to the wet-naps we bought. They made the porta-potties more bearable, my inner car cleaner, and our tent smell like diapers. Wet-naps I salute you.