The Festival of the Lanterns

What do all those people want?

Four hopeful and only marginally inebriated ladies managed to make their way to Fisgard Street, after a few false starts (one of which that led them almost all the way back to Sidney).   We were eagerly anticipating the showcase of the celebration of 150 years of  Victoria's Chinatown lantern festival, including moon cakes, Chinese dancing and music, and all the dark and sultry mysteries of Fan Tan Alley.  That's why we got there early.  So we could get a great parking spot.   Which we did - right on the first floor of the parkade.  Which should have been our first clue. 

 We amused ourselves for half an hour while waiting to rendevous with Bee under the Gates of Harmonious Interest.  The vendors were busy setting up booths in the middle of the street, as two blocks of Fisgard were cordoned off to traffic.   There were a few displays of cute children's clothing, an entire booth of carpentry  tools (we could not elicit a connection with the Ming dynasty) and well... not much else.   We dutifully filed up and down both sides of the street, peeking into mildewed shops filled with glittering trinkets, glistening roasted ducks, delicate china and bamboo toys.  We thought by stopping to have dinner at Don Mee's (a long, leisurely one) that the real action would begin by the time we were finished.  So we split a good bottle of Australian Pinot and took some time spinning in the table centrifuge, which was loaded with delicacies.

Not too sure how we missed all the action, but by the time we had walked a few blocks back to rescue Bee's Coco from getting a parking ticket then returning to Fisgard (via the inner harbour on a fall evening so warm and perfect it belonged in a Fellini movie), all the vendors were busily packing everything up.   By 8:30 the stage was dismantled, the moon pies had eclipsed, and there was a great scurrying from within, like everyone needed to get back home by 9 p.m. so they could catch Seinfeld before bed.

Fortunately Bee had thoughtfully picked up 4 honeybuns on Yates Street, and the Three Sacred  Aunties and Benevolent Mother inhaled them in the parkade before making the long trek home in the moonlight.

Today?   We are continuing our harbour duties, fueled by  home-made butter and caramel.   And leg of lamb.  Because honestly, it's just so hard.