Llama Festival

A few weekends ago me and Mark went to Llama Fest at the Hare Krishna temple!  Mark had never been there before so it was a very special occasion for him.  The Hare Krishna temple is where the Hare Krishnas worship, they have the same basic beliefs as Hinduism.  At the temple they have a number of llamas, peacocks, and other animals and during this festival they take the opportunity to sing, dance, let people pet the llamas and even to race llamas!  Below is a picture of me and Mark outside of the Hare Krishna temple.

There are a lot of fun booths and sights to see at the Llama Festival.  We enjoyed going into the temple and hearing a bit about the Hare Krishnas and participating in a mantra chant.  We saw the various statues and I told Mark about some of their main gods and the history surrounding them.  Here is a picture of me and Mark in front of a golden elephant (elephants hold symbolic meaning to the people) that is at the bottom of the staircase that leads into the temple.

There was also some learning for Mark to do about Indian food.  Hare Krishnas are vegetarians and at the festivals they serve meals so that people can get a taste of the more traditional foods.  Me and Mark both got a plate- and we liked it purdy good.  However, I'm going to have to take Mark to India Palace sometime soon so he can taste the "finer" side of Indian food (and the non-vegetarian side).

And of course at the Llama Festival me and Mark were able to mingle, pet, and get up close and personal with a number of LLAMAS!  One of which I named Jacob of course...  We learned that llamas do not spit all over people (contrary to popular belief).  And that while they are dirty and smelly- they actually have really nice feeling fur. 

We had a lot of fun!  I think Mark would have enjoyed it a lot more if it had not been so hot, but I think I will be able to convince him to attend another festival at the Hare Krishna temple in the future.  :-)