the cookies have landed

the cookies have arrived and so has kristina. mmmm! yummy chocolaty goodness.
we have moved to the fourth floor of our guesthouse, two beds no hot water, 8 flights of stairs. Chiang Mai is packed with both forginers and thais alike. the streets are crowded with people and vendors, musicans, dancers, it is intense. tonight is supposed to be "the big night" on the river, a parade and shows at every park or wat that can hold a stage. we followed the parade lastnight and went to the river. we boat a little boat made out of orchids and banana leaves, topped off with a candel and incense. you light the incense and candle and float the boat off into the river in thanks of the end of the rainy season, and good luck. it is a beautiful thing to see, hundreds of people lighting little boats and letting them go in the water. there are also these miniture airballons that people light and let float into the sky, i'll have to post some pictures later, this computer isn't letting me upload them. the ballons float higher and higher till it looks like a whole new sky with a million little red stars mapping out new constilations. all this not to mention the fireworks. this is no america, there are no laws as to who can or can't and where and how, it is a free for all. in some respects it is good, some bad.
the fireworks make me recall my favorite 4ths of july. one year at homira's house where you could barely see the fireworks because of the thick cloud of smoke, there were so many fireworks we could have easily gone till the next forth of july setting them off. then there is the good ol oakland loft where the sticks rained down from the sky the fireworks were so plentiful. i think my very favorite was this year with my sister becky and james and the kids. small, funny, and watching my sister scream over the fireworks was more fun than watching them myself.
so yeah it is a war zone out here. this morning i was woken up by fireworks as well as a marching band playing what sounded like theme music to a space ship movie, i almost lept out of my bed with excitment. then at breakfast i watched little kids throw explosives intoo the little river thick with fish. i got so mad i wanted to push the little bastards in, but i have to be sensetive to the culture, and since the parents weren't doing anything i figured i shouldn't either.
kristina and i went and got a pedicure together, and have just been kicking around town. i found somewhere to process my color film and am nervouse to see the results, tommorow i pick them up. tomorrow we head to the thai/lao border and then after that we take a 2 day boat trip down the mekong to laung probang in lao.
so all in all it's been a great week, it is nice to have a traveling companion. i love to travel alone, and for this trip it is good to be alone, but all in all i am tired of doing it alone. one day i will find someone that actually likes to travel like i do. there is just so many amazing things to see and do, and it is so sad that i can only sort of share it through my blog, the only real way to go is to expereince it. i run into so many couples that are traveling for 6months -1year and i think that is the most amazing thing ever.