to the veryfront right of the arena, super close to the mound of monks.
We found our place right near a giant sign that looked like an unlit neon sign but loaded with fireworks. Directly
under our feet were some strange brown ob-
jects that looked much like paper soup cans
tied together with wire about 10 feet apart.
We weren't sure what they were until some-
one rushed over to where we were sitting
and hurried us to another area repeatedly
saying we were in danger. We weren't ex-
actly sure why but about ten minutes later
we realized those cans were very large
freworks that would have blown up right
under our feet. Yes, we were on an
adventure.
Then, the ceremony began. The monks left the mound and marched around perimeter of the arena several times. They took the flames they were carrying to the center and lit a single torch that then, through hundreds of fuses, ignited all of the torches around the entire field. We had no idea what was going on but it was astonishing.
Everyone started unfolding their lanterns so we figured it was time for us to do it, too. The moments that followed are
etched into my mind for the rest of my life. I knew my
camera footage would be shaky. I was filming one-
handed because my other hand was clutching my
wife’s hand. I couldn’t have missed experiencing
this moment with her.