I Love The Smell Of Patchouli In The Morning

When I told my co-workers that Jenn and I were going across the mountains to visit Asheville, NC every one of them said "Enjoy the Hippies".  Well, I scoffed at this.  Surely, there weren't that many of the hippy variety in such a small mountain town.  Once again, Josh is WRONG!

The drive over was uneventful.  It's only a couple of hours across and it was actually quite beautiful scenery.  So, we roll into town and look for a place to park, which we find relatively easily.  Two bucks to park for the entire day is a sweet fucking deal no matter where you are.  Anyway, we start walking around the downtown area and I have yet to see a hippy.  I see some funky shops, many coffee houses, and a giant iron sculpture (like an Iron that you press clothes with) that was at least eight feet tall.  Interesting.

Then we find the central square.  Lo and behold....hippies, dude.  Gathered in this little square were a flock of the pot-reeking variety.  One, dressed as a tiger complete with tail, was painting the faces of his eagerly waiting customers (both of them).  Others, like the guy in a dress and the biggest shock of dreadlocked hair that hasn't been seen outside of a reggae concert, were just milling about and taking in the sights. 

The surreality of the scene hit me when a marching band from Winston Salem began warming up on the street.  Did I mention that it was a day of an African American cultural festival?  So, with the band warming up Jenn and I sat, sipped our sodas, and watched as two freaks began martial-arting one another.  Let me paint the scene the best I can because it is uber-weird.  Behind us, in a circle, is the marching band's drum line...who had a surprisingly loud sound from such a smallish drum line (there were only like 12 of them) warming up and "breaking it down".  In front of us is the hippy scene.  Two thin youngish men (mid 20's at the oldest) dressed exactly alike (bright blue paints with a fruity assed white shirt with a rainbow in the center) were performing for the crowd.  At first, they were chanting some bullshit and playing homemade instruments.  Then, after the inner city school band arrived, they moved to doing slow motion karate-type moves on each other complete with Matrix-style blocks and manouvers.  I have no fucking idea how they didn't know how retarded they looked.  The effect of mushrooms probably blocked the stares and snickers from their consciousness.  So, with an entirely black marching band warming up behind me and two, white freaks doing their mating dance in front of me, I couldn't help but thinking: Dr. King would be so proud of this harmony.

The rest of the day was great.  We walked through the festival (which was much bigger than I anticipated) and moseyed around the city and got to experience the downtown area.  One thing can be said for the patchouli-set: they are extrememly welcoming to all.  I like that. 

It really was a fun and relaxing day.  We'll have to go back again for the weeked and take fat dog with us. 

Peace You Fucking Hippies

JR