Day 12: Lanterns of joy

This has mostly been a dull day, sitting around on the internet, popping out to buy bus tickets, other boring stuff.  I do like that its still really sunny here and in the high 20s, while I see people whining on facebook about rain back home.  ha ha ha.
Then I got a text from a couchsurfer telling me about a street festival going on not far from here this weekend and decided to check it out.  It was awesome!!  There was a cuban band with lots of trumpets and trombones, there were fire poi and belly dancing people, there were clowns, there were hippie shops.  We got to make our own lanterns out of tissue paper to join in with the parade, led by chinese dragons and stilt-walking lampshade people.  Then there was a live band, The Do Dos, and we danced around with our lanterns near some bonfires made of tubas and trumpets.
I met a Ukrainian girl who is like a cross between Stas and Sophia!  Its a shame this is happening the same weekend that I'm going away so I'll miss all the fun tomorrow, but I'm so glad I got the text and found out about it.

Off to Banff bright and early in the morning and not sure I'll get to an internet connection while I'm there, so it might be Monday before I can write again.