Dragon Boat 2008

This past Sunday was the Dragon Boat Festival in China. Unlike Saskatoon, this festival means a day off and mass festivities. I went to Xixi Wetland to check out the action. The amount of people that were there was simple nuts. Unlike in Saskatoon, where there is ample wide open shore to watch from, Xixi has trees, small paths and other obstacles to viewing and taking pictures. Also, check out the media circus. I have never been in a scrum quite like that before. My one saving grace was that I was taller than most other people there.

The coolest thing, was after taking pictures for a few hours, I went to a small village where I was invited to paddle one of the boats! I jumped at the invitation. Part of the boating is docking at various houses to take offerings of rice and money. They then light off fireworks and you continue on.

The fireworks, however, are not the simple roman candles that you buy at truck stops in Canada. These are the 1/4 sticks of dynamite that crazy Americans use to blow up barns. At one point, one came quite close to the boat and we all ducked as it zipped past out heads, mere inches from one guy, just before it exploded.

Despite the intensely polluted water, I got completely soaked and had a killer time. I can't wait for next year...