Whatever happened to...

...the Hare Krishnas? I know they got booted out of the airports, but jeez, they used to show up in more places than that. . We had them at ASU when I was a student there. One of my fond memories is the main Hare Krishna dude and the biggest Campus Crusade freak going at it on the mall. Both screaming at the top of their lungs; both red in the face. For us spectators, it was a great show, well worth skipping class for. . They used to have a temple at the western tail end of Tempe. Actually, it was just a rundown house they bought and used. One night, when our group was very bored and ...er... very wasted, we went down there for a visit. We chanted with them and hopped around. We partook of their evening meal - various fresh fruits in a sweet paste. They called it "pashad" (sp?). They kept repeating : "Have some of our very nice pashad!" They were very happy to have visitors. . We stayed for their nightly Bhavagad Gita study, and had to stifle our giggles because one of the devotees kept falling asleep during the teaching. That was hard to miss because he was sitting in the lotus position. Which means as you fall asleep, your head inevitably dips towards your navel. The head honcho had to keep giving him quick, sharp raps to his knees. . So I miss those saffron-robed, pony-tailed freaks. They were good, cheap entertainment. I imagine they're still around somewhere here in Phoenix. I just don't know where.