Chiang Mai Lantern Festival

[sglad]

Thanks sglad for the link... Enjoy, and maybe I'll see you there amongst the many thousands.

You're welcome, Patanawet. Unfortunately, no more trips to Thailand this year. Need to conserve my annual leave; I only get 14 days a year and because I started work in July I only get a pro-rated amount (six days), two of which I used during a trip to Bangkok two weeks ago.

I hope you enjoy the festivities and maybe even loy a kratong on my behalf.

[Patanawet]

You're welcome, Patanawet.
I hope you enjoy the festivities and maybe even loy a kratong on my behalf.

Will do. And raise a glass to you later at Ram Bar or Secrets.

[aussie_]

No lanterns or fireworks in Pattaya. Banned from sale. There will still be parties at the beach. Not quite the Loy Kratong we used to enjoy.

[Smiles]

If you've not been to Loy Kratong at Sukhothai it is something you really should not miss. There are four or five lakes on the grounds which the kratongs are floated out on, and the number of lakes makes Sukhothai a bit less chaotic and a great deal more gentle.

At the end of the evening you can buy a semi-expensive ticket to the VIP and watch the quite spectacular show: all the backdrops are the actual ruins of Sukhothai, itself back-lit with golden lights. The whole thing reflected in the pool in front.

Well worth the journey.

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For myself, the best Loy Kratong night I've ever been to was the countryside of Surin Province. A small lake surrounded by rice fields and eukalyptus trees.
It was cold that night out there, but everyone having fun. These girls are two of Pot's sisters (he has 6 more somewhere!) . . . the one in the white sweater and hat could down Thai whiskey faster and with fearsome abandon than four strong men.


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Some mighty kratongs sailing downstream. My tiny kratong was held in my palms waiting to be launched and when I glanced across at this giant sea-goer I looked down on mine and developed a short-lived penis envy out there in the boonies.


kratong1.jpg

[frequent]

It’s not in my nature to be the Grinch that stole Loy Krathong, but as I recall a major source of pollution in the Chao Phraya at this time of year comes from the polystyrene “floats” that people use rather than the traditional banana leaves. That lets me segue to the editorial on plastic bag pollution in this week’s Guru magazine (available yesterday in my local coffee shops). While I endorse the sentiments expressed the Thais have yet to wake up to the horrors of plastic straws which - at 7-11 at least - come in their own plastic wrapping. No wonder Thailand has such a poor reputation around that sort of pollution

[Smiles]

"It’s not in my nature to be the Grinch . . . "

Yer yer yer ... and here I thought my misspelling of "eukalyptus" (should be "eucalyptus") would have Green Peace up my ass as quickly as I could say 'blowjob'.
But no no, our own somewhat-esteemed graduate of The Utah University of Boredom wants to "talk staw" to hardly-anyone-listening.

[frequent]

Yer yer yer ... and here I thought my misspelling of "eukalyptus" (should be "eucalyptus" ...

You’re simply not that interesting, Smiles

[gaomymy1]

Eagerness will get you indianapolis spa far

[frequent]

I’m pleased to read the report in this morning’s Bangkok Post that city cleaners have found only 5.3% of krathongs were made of styrofoam