Shambhala de da de da

I'm back from Waskesiu and I finally have a few minutes to myself...
And so, I just have to post a few photos from Shambhala. Of course I didn't take very many, but hopefully they'll hint at the goodness. The festival was really unlike anything I've ever been to before...like a mini world I went to for 5 days. 10000 people all very happy, united in the hopes of having a fantastic time. People from all over, all shapes and sizes and everyone just being themselves, camping out in the mountains.
Like a pimped up Motion Notion with the added fresh scent of lemon.
6 stages - so no matter what, if there wasn't what you wanted at one stage there was always somewhere else to go...and stages each had their own vibe - the beach stage which was by a mountain creek, was mostly reggae and funk, great for swimming and dancing, and at night a bit of house. People of the likes of Spongle and Cilla played there.


The Fractal Forest stage was a in a grove of trees, with lazers and the DJ stage was in a giant stump of an old tree - lots of breaks and funk to be had - DJ XS nd Michelle Bass were there (XS is a buddy of the Thievery Corporation and records with Thunderball and Chris Joss - I talked to him for a while, cool guy. I told him to tell them all to keep making fantastic music).

The Portal was nestled in the woods and was home to a lot of world beats and psy trance/techno goodness - DJ Hallucinogen played there.

The main stage was a rave out center with lights and sounds and lots of blinky lights- I got to see the Freestylers there (a favorite of mine from the UK). The Village (an EWOK VILLAGE! Mee hee!) had walkways in the trees where much goodness was played and some people were fishing for hippies and ravers with glowsticks from the upper walkways. The Rock Pit was a good old fashioned pit stage. All through the trees paths wandered from stage to stage to beach to foods to tents, lit up with strange lights with things always in the trees wherever you looked. At night it was like a whole other world. I've really not experienced anything else even close to it...everyone was so free and unique...I've seen a large buffed black man wearing nothing but chaps and a feather boa. I've seen Chewbacca and Princess Leia, Mario, knights, maidens, vampires, X Men, monsters on stilts, men with mirrorball heads, twisted pixies, a man with a giant happy hammer, aliens, warriors, soldiers form the future, smurfs, full out amazon warriors, a naked chick selling watermelon, acrobats, a guy who sold me a martini wearing a pink frilly crab costume, and a leprechaun...just to name a few.
There were lots of crazy other outfits with no particular theme and fantastic music of all sorts 24 hours a day. Needless to say I felt right at home in my Tank costume, which came out on a few nights. When I left for Shambhala I set out to find myself and rediscover what I needed. I do believe I found the beginning to a great many wonderful things that are becoming who I am...it's a process. A process I am looking forward to.

We camped with our friend Ken and his group of friends...they were all amazing friendly people. Two of them had just gotten married a few days before in a full midieval wedding...they had a Just Married sign over their tent...and the thing is, everyone we met was like that: interesting, unique and full of life. Maybe we just got lucky but there was an overabundance of happy people there enjoying the music and the time to play in the woods.
A good time...

I had a fantastic time...on my anniversary I got to give Jay something that is a slight bit close to just how much I feel for him and give back what he brings to my life...a girl I met raises butterflies as a hobby and was releasing them to people just to make them happy. So I got to find Jay and give him a tiny box with a poem on it about the legend of whispering a wish to a butterfly and setting it free to take it to be heard and answered...and then when he opened it there was a live monarch butterfly inside, just out of hibernation! He was stunned as it walked out, flapped its wings and flew to his shoulder a minute, then onto my shoulder and then off into the sky to take his wish away. It was something I'll remember forever.

Ah all joy and all for my love...

So many memories. All good ones.
And with that on my mind...goodnight.