:: and the update::

the week of Feb 14 was a big one...in Basel, that Monday is the start of Fasnacht, Basel's biggest festival - think Carnivale without the beads and more beer than spirit...

crazy suisse dressed with huge masks, parading thru the town for 3 days bashing drums... this seemed really cool at 4am Monday morning when it started after a weekend of party but after 3 days, drums being beaten outside your apartment gets a bit tedious...

first the drums would be louder than the tv - this was especially irritating as we had just only a week ago discovered the german mtv channel (we found extra channels on the tv that could not be found without tuning the tv each time you want the extra channel again)- at least 30% of which was in english - including Pimp My Ride - after 2 years of no television or bad german programming, you may begin to understand why I loved this simplton show....

then the tv blew up - smoke coming out the back of the set and everything - it was found on teh road at one point, i was suprised it made it this far, but that did not stop me from being pissed off! now when the drums went past it was this thud, thud, thud of patronising.....

so no tv and loud drums....another part of Fasnacht happens the night before in a town called Liestal - where they drag these huge bonfires through the middle of the old town - this was an incredible sight to see, and i know the baselers would prob. be pissed to hear me say this but, i thought this was even more impressive than the fasnacht parade (sorry basel)

celebrated valentines day on the saturday before the 14th as the 14th was a public holiday here and after partying all night and watching a parade at 4am in the morning, you sleep all day monday...mykey and auralia his girl came up from geneva and was awesome to catch up again - mykey sporting full face beard, i nearly walked past him in the street having not recognised him!

for a better account of fasnacht can check Laura's blog here

Laûra leaves back for Ausl tomorrow - going to be so depressing...she will be back in 4 months for vacation...i received my work permit extension yesterday so I am here until end Sept for now. after that we will see...

and Jen, Aug/Sept in India is very doable...only if Latif wears that tie...