Festival healing

My last three days in Chiang Mai coincided with Loi Krathong, the ceremony held on the full moon in November to mark the end of the Wet Season. The festival is everywhere, all over town and the Thais love to party.

Fireworks are everywhere. Like Darwin on July 1st, nobody waits for the actual night to let off crackers, so the sounds random of gunfire were every where around Chiang Mai for the 2 weeks leading up to the full moon, reminding everyone of the upcoming Festival.




My favourite thing was the large paper lanterns, which had a wax ring inside them that burns lifts them into the sky to release your bad luck. At the night sky would be full of these lanterns. On the final night of the festival I left Chiang Mai by train. A 10 minute journey to the station took 30 minutes through standstill traffic through happy crowds and dangerously close fireworks. Then I left Chiang Mai, sitting in the open train door with a beer in my hand, with the beer-selling lady, who I shouted, we looked out at the full moon with hundreds of dots of orange lights, like stars but moving faster across the sky.



Partying on back at the Marlboro Guest House...




My mostess Amara and guess who!