Celebrating Loi Krathong in 2012

Tags

Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Yi Peng

In November of each year the waterways of Thailand teem with floating krathongs.

Since I am not going to be there for the celebration this year, consider that I am being extremely nice in providing these dates for you (they’re at the end of the article – I didn’t say you wouldn’t have to work for it.) To make it up to myself, I’m covering one of the three hot spots for celebrating Loi Krathong in Thailand by posting a link to a board I would not otherwise direct you towards, but it’s a story by Smiles, who despite his rep can in fact not be a cantankerous old coot. Sometimes. I’m posting this info now because I know many readers will be in Thailand during the Loi Krathong period and may be trying to decide where best to celebrate it.

Bangkok, of course is one of the popular cities for celebrating the holiday. And Chiang Mai is the other. Though up north they call the event Yi Peng. Same, same, but different. And not an event you want to miss if you can fit your planned trip to cover the appropriate dates.

I’ve had the good fortune of being in Thailand for two of the celebrations (which for the glass half empty crowd means I’ve missed out on the party like 20 or more times). Thais use the lunar calendar so dates of annual events change every year, sometimes by almost a month, and the Loi Krathong celebrations usually occur just when the Western high holiday season begins, otherwise known as the shopping for Christmas season. I’m not big on shopping, but I make a mint off of those who do enjoy the sport so I’m usually stuck at home and have to miss one of the best holiday celebrations in the Kingdom. (While I am on the subject of Christmas Shopping, don’t forget that you can pick up a signed copy of my Sunday Funnies posts soon at a mall near you for anyone and everyone on your shopping list.)

And Khom Loi fill the skies above Chiang Mai.

The first time I was lucky enough to be in Thailand for Loi Krathong was with my friend Ann. Our trip had not been planned to take in the holiday, and whether we would bother to go watch the festivities was an on-going debate with neither of us arguing on the side of going. From what we had heard, the celebration was a lot like a similar one observed in Hawaii, the Japanese Obon festival. And both separately and together we’d both seen the thousand floating candles chugging along the mucky waters if the Ala Wai Canal enough times already. Battling holiday crowds to watch the Thai version just didn’t have much of an appeal.

But we’d made fast and furious friends with the manager of the Swiss Park Hotel by then, and Can Can would not allow us to miss Loi Krathong. And wanted us to be part of her celebration. Which years later, as we got to know Can Can better, made more sense. A sweet but matronly middle-aged Thai lady, she was officially unmarried and unofficially some local’s second wife. In status conscious Thailand that made her persona non grata for the big holidays. Her husband had to spend that time with his real wife and family. And so by default, we became Can Can’s family for Loi Krathong that year.

Even if you know little about the celebration other than everyone launches little candle lit floats in the nearest body of water, it’s one of those festivities you’ll enjoy. And whether you know what you are doing, or why you are doing it, it is one of those celebrations that requires participation. Standing back and watching others let their floats drift off with the tide is not as much fun as when you’ve released your own little boat.

Lighting of a Khom Loi delights the kid in everyone.

Can Can was an excellent Loi Krathong hostess. She took us to a spot on the Chao Phraya that held a good sized crowd but wasn’t so crowded that it made getting to the water’s edge difficult. She’d prepaid for our krathong and let us pick out the ones we wanted from her favorite vendor. And provided just enough commentary for the ritual to make sense without becoming overpowered by all the meaning and hoopla. It was a fun and memorable evening. And then the next morning we went back to having our holiday.

For many in Bangkok celebrating Loi Krathong means heading for the River of Kings. The official celebration with some massive krathong (illuminated boats in this case) runs from the Grand Palace to Central Pier with many historical buildings on both sides of the river lit up. In some viewing spots it looks like the entire town showed up, in others the gathering is more like a small village. City residents also flock to Lumphini Park to use the lakes there for launching their floats, while others gather near their local klong for the holiday. It’s difficult to not find a water way that isn’t be used by locals for floating krathongs, but the events are so spread out that Bangkok can’t hold a candle – floating or not – to the festivities help up north in Chiang Mai.

Several Years after my first Loi Krathong experience, I planned my trip to include the festival, except this time it would be called Yi Peng. No one is sure about the beginnings of the holiday, lots of different theories are offered. Up North they have their own idea and though the celebration is almost identical to that held elsewhere in Thailand, they’ve given theirs a different name and a different back story. They’ve also injected steroids into the holiday and Chiang Mai is The place to celebrate regardless of what you call the celebration. Grumpy old farts disagree. So do those concerned about personal safety. But it’s a Thai holiday so your best bet is to adopt the local’s philosophy, turn your fate over to the gods, and have a grand time.

Chiang Mai’s Yi Peng celebration features at least two nighttime parades. With spectacular floats and lots of hunky young men.

Chiang Mai’s festivities spread out over four days with at least two major parades held in the Old Town. And everyone who packs into the usually bucolic town heads for the Ping River to launch a krathong. The streets leading to the river are closed to traffic at night and turn into a sprawling night market with all the usual booths plus a few hundred selling floats. The staircases leading down to the river are packed with people coming and going and the banks are amassed with humanity. It’s a grand party as long as you like your parties to resemble a war zone. Up north, the krathongs almost play second fiddle to fireworks. And that’s where the problem begins.

Whether being tossed or shot out of launchers, exploding fireworks are always best aimed at other people. Raised on Three Stooges styled comedies, the locals find great humor in risk to others. Even back up along the streets surrounding the Tha Pae Gate it’s impossible to walk along a road without someone throwing a string a fire crackers at your feet. And the fireworks are always accompanied by much laughter. Back down at riverside the explosives fly fast and furious. To the point even some locals quit laughing and flee to higher ground for safety. As dangerous as it sounds – and is – to not experience that part of Yi Peng in Chiang Mai is a crime. But missing out on the experience of seeing thousands of khom loi filling the night sky is even worse.

While launched all around the city, the plaza at the Tha Pae Gate seems to be the headquarters for letting the large floating candles fly aloft. Every night thousands are sent sailing but the night of the main parade is exceptionally spectacular. The whole area is lit by the Khom Loi already launched and those being readied in the hands of gaggles of locals and touri alike. Young or old, everyone is mesmerized by the sight and everyone joins in on the celebration. I’ve read some well-written descriptions of the sight and have seen some great photographs but neither comes close to being part of the evening. If the dangerous use of fireworks puts you off the idea of experiencing Yi Peng in Chiang Mai, the floating Khom Loi more than makes up for that minor concern. There are also numerous other festivities held throughout the city and at some of its more popular wats, some of which I covered in a previous post which I’m sure will be shown below under “Related Posts’.

The historical backdrop of Sukhothai makes it a popular spot to celebrate Loi Krathong.

The third hot spot for celebrating Loi Krathong is Sukhothai where the festival takes a more rural and traditional approach. Set among the ancient edifices of the historical park it is part pageant, part party, and very well attended. It’s also my excuse for making at least one more trip to Thailand during the Loi Krathong holiday so that I can experience a third version of the festival. For a great report on what it is like to attend the event in Sukhothai, here’s a link to Smiles’ post:

http://www.gaybuttonthai.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=3200

And now for the dates (drum roll please): Loi Krathong falls on November 28th this year, a Wednesday night. So immediately talk of the celebrations being held on the weekend (either before or after) kick in. Because in some years the celebrations are moved closer to or to the weekend. For Loi Krathong being one of the most popular holidays in Thailand, finding out the exact dates is always a confusing chore. Unless you can book a week in the city you want to experience Loi Krathong at, your best bet for 2012 is to go with the night of the 28th in Bangkok.

For Chiang Mai’s Yi Peng celebration the date seem to be confirmed as the 26tth through the 29th with the two parades held on the 28th and 29th respectively (with the second night being the one with the largest release of Khom Loi even though the night before is the official night of Loi Krathong). Ya gotta love Thailand. The celebration in Sukhothai is listed on TAT’s website as the 27th through the 29th and while this is the most formalized of the three celebrations it’s dates are always the hardest to pin down. Your best bet is to go for all three nights, there are numerous events held over the three day span, but you might want to call one of the larger hotels in Sukhothai and ask for the schedule – and book your room – as I’m sure their rooms are already quickly filling up.

Too late in the year for me to enjoy Loi Krathong in Thailand this year, for 2013 the holiday falls on November 13th, a Wednesday again, but possibly early enough in the month to squeeze Loi Krathong into the tail end of my trip.

Related Posts You Might Enjoy:

I Fell In Love With A Bar Boy: Candles In the Wind, Celebrating Loy Krathong In Chiang Mai

Wat Phan Tao: Yi Peng’s Oasis of Tranquility

Bonus Shot: Solitude at the Parade

Bonus Shot: Solitude at the Parade

Tags

Chiang Mai, Photography, Yi Peng

Portrait of a Parade Participant

Illuminated floats, marching hordes of dancing men and women in dazzling costumes, truck loads of Northern Thais showing off their political leanings by proudly wearing red T shirts, the nightly parades held during Chiang Mai’s Yi Peng festival are loud, colorful, and filled with photo ops. I’ve already posted a few pix I took during the parades. This shot, for me, just stood out above the rest. An intimate portrait of a young parade participant while the crowds partied on around us.

Bonus Shot: Yi Peng Blur

Tags

Chiang Mai, Photography, Yi Peng

Saffron Fire

Night shots using ambient light are tricky. Especially when you aren’t totting a tripod around. If you have time to set up a shot using whatever is handy to steady your camera, you might be in luck. Snapping off a photo of a quickly disappearing scene, however, results in but a blur 90% of the time. My friend Noom likes to edit my photos after I load them onto my computer each day. He’s a tough task master. “Burry,” he’ll announce as he rapidly hits the delete key.

The bastard. Sometimes those blurry shots have an appeal of their own. Colors and patterns become more interesting. They can be more evocative of a scene than a clear shot would have been. Or maybe I just hate to let go of a shot I would’ve loved but didn’t manage to get.

This is one such photograph. At the end of our visit to Wat Phan Tao during the Sunday Night Market that coincided with Chiang Mai’s Yi Peng festival, a small group of drummers appeared, reminiscent of the Kodo drummers of Japan. A crowd quickly gathered. Several young monks, either as part of the show or merely moved by the music, began a frenetic dance around the drummers. A sensory overload as the deep beating of the drums filled your chest and the candle lit colors of the swirling monks delighted the eye. Snap.

Wat Phan Tao: Yi Peng’s Oasis of Tranquility

Tags

Chiang Mai, Markets & Shopping, Wats, Yi Peng

Crowds pack the street at the Sunday Night market in Chiang Mai.

The regular sites of Chiang Mai take on a new light during the annual Yi Peng festival. I could have just as easily included this post in my previous entry about Loy Krathong, but felt it deserved its own. Lucky you. Not one, but four Loy Krathong posts in a row. (Uh, no I can add. There are two more to come as Bonus Shots.)

Chiang Mai’s Sunday Night Market is what its nightly Downtown Night Bazaar aspires to be. Hundreds of vendors line this walking street selling homemade goods, art, delectable snacks, and all the crap you already saw at the Night Bazaar. Only cheaper. Every intersection boasts a group of young Thais singing or playing native musical instruments. Its popularity with the locals is evident as the crowds become claustrophobic by 8pm. Touri, used to driving on the right, walk up the wrong side of the road, trying to push their way through the opposing force of hundreds of Thai bodies out for an evening’s stroll. Thais stroll slowly. The market centers on Ratchadamonoen Road from the Thae Pae Gate to its terminus at Wat Phra Sing. It also branches off onto adjoining side streets for several blocks in both directions. It’s huge.

The local wats get into the spirit of the market and open their grounds to food vendors. Some offer a few carts of food, others large selections with seating for hundreds. It’s easy to eat your way through the market. Especially since most dishes cost under $1.00. Ono food and a great excuse to pig out on Thai dishes.

My friend Noom and I were in Chiang Mai for the Yi Peng festival and saw no reason to not include a trip to the Sunday Night Market as part of our festivities. I love street markets. Noom loves buying souvenirs. I also love taking pictures of monks, so we hit every wat along the street as we make our way through the crowds. The horde inside the wat compounds is always a bit thinner than out on the street, so the wats are also a good place to take a break and catch your breath.

Wat Phan Tao, next door to its more famous cousin, Wat Chedi Luang, usually has but a few food vendors around its entrance for the Sunday Night Market. It’s teak wood structure lit at night is undeniably beautiful, but really, a visit to this wat is better during the day. For Yi Peng, however, the monks had a special surprise. In the wat’s vast courtyard, they had laid out hundreds of small clay pots, each holding a small lit candle. The scene mimicked a thousand Krathongs floating down the Ping River. Without the accompany barrage of firecrackers and M80’s. A tranquil setting ablaze with light, it was one of those scenes impossible to describe with words alone. So I’ll shut up, and let a picture do the talking.

Noom poses among the flames at Wat Phan Tao.

I Fell In Love With A Bar Boy: Candles In the Wind, Celebrating Loy Krathong In Chiang Mai

Tags

Chiang Mai, Gay Thailand, Yi Peng

Floating lanterns fill the skies during Chiang Mai's Yi Peng festival.

Songkran probably tops the list of favorite Thai holidays due to the sheer exuberance of the country wide water fight. But Loy Krathong comes in a close second, and is the most picturesque and beautiful of all Thai celebrations.

If you are an experienced Thai hand, please do not bitch at me about the spelling of Loy Krathong. There are several ‘correct’ spellings. Same same as Suriwong and Suriwongse. You say tomato. . . I’ve arbitrarily picked this spelling. Besides, in Chiang Mai they spell it Yi Peng.

Loy Krathong is celebrated on the night of the full moon of the twelfth lunar month. The lunar calendar sucks ‘cuz it’s close to impossible to find out the exact date of a specific event from year to year. In this case, the holiday is usually toward the end of November; a time of the year I need to be in the States racking up those holiday season dollars. But I lucked out one year when instead it fell at the beginning of the month. Perfect timing for me. Not only was I free, but I’m usually in Thailand then anyway.

Krathongs being readied to set adrift.

Loy Krathong is celebrated in Bangkok with numerous festivities where ever there is a body of water. Large floats and fireworks light up the Chao Phraya River. Sukhothai holds one of the more famous celebrations at the Sukhothai Historical Park, a beautiful natural setting for the spectacular light-and-sound show. Chiang Mai, however, puts them all to shame. Spread over a three day period, there are nightly parades, the sky is filled with floating lanterns, and the Ping River is awash with Loy Krathong floats. Same holiday, but in Chiang Mai it’s called Yi Peng. And it coincided with Noom, my bar boy friend and current love of my life, and my second visit to Chiang Mai.

Noom and I had already spent several days together in Bangkok at the beginning of my trip. Then, I headed down to Bali for a week before returning to Bangkok and to Noom. We’d visited the Tawan Bar’s anniversary party where Noom finally got to meet Nut, a tale I’ve already posted here. Our relationship was growing and solidifying; I was officially a ‘boyfriend’ and had met one of Noom’s brothers and his wife, a tale yet to be told. Things were pretty cozy and rosy; we both were enjoying our friendship as it blossomed into something more. And both were looking forward to our Chiang Mai trip.

Noom had begun thinking about his future, realizing that at some point – regardless of how hot he is – working in a gogo bar wasn’t gonna be bringing in the bacon in his senior years. He was leaning toward becoming a tour guide. Having visited Chiang Mai once already a year before, this trip Noom was in full ‘future tour guide’ mode. On arrival we grabbed a taxi at the airport and Noom made fast friends with the driver, collecting a handful of his business cards. Goal #1, having a taxi driver contact in Chiang Mai for all future touring trips covered, Noom settled back to enjoy the ride letting out a curious, “Where we go?” as we zipped past the Montri Hotel, our place of residence on our previous trip.

For this trip I’d upgraded (slightly) to the Raming Lodge, a more central location on Loi Kroh Road. While I checked in, Noom grilled the counter staff on booking tour groups into the hotel. I went up to the room while he finished up his ‘bidness’. Okay room. A bit dark. A bit dated. But of decent size. And between the main part of the room and the bathroom there was a set of large wooden louvers which I promptly slid back, the vision of Noom’s naked body in the shower each day dancing in my head.

Noom finally came up to the room heady with excitement over scoring a free room on future trips if he booked at least five rooms of touri. The word ‘free’ has a magical quality about it to Thais. No matter what that costs. Depositing the stacks of brochures and business cards he’d gathered downstairs onto the bed, he promptly shut the wooden louvers. Damn! Expecting a late night out celebrating Yi Peng, we settled back on the brochure-laden bed for a nap. Thai bar boys love to sleep. Noom normally nods off at any opportunity. I popped my iPod earbuds in and laid back for a doze only to be almost immediately woken by a nudge to the shoulder. Huh, what? Blah, blah, blah from Noom, and I settled back again. Nudge. Huh, what? Blah, blah, blah from Noom, and I settled back again. Nudge.

I laughed. Noom can zone out with his iPod or fall into a slumber, no problemo. But I guess if I’m the one, well, Noom does not like to be ignored. So cute! So I rolled over, laid my head on his chest, threw an arm around him, and planting one of the earbuds in his ear, drifted off with John Mayer’s Gravity serenading me to sleep. Noom, getting the attention he deserved, decided a nap was a good thing for him too.

Chiang Mai holds three nightly parades druing the Yi Peng Festival.

Yi Peng is a major celebration in Chiang Mai. And Chiang Mai is a major touri destination. So you’d think it would be easy to find out what events were scheduled. But this is Thailand. Telling the touri where and when things would be happening is not a priority. But then stumbling upon a parade or celebration is one of the rewarding experiences of international travel. Plus, I’d Googled my ass off before the trip so had a rough idea of where we needed to be and when we should be there. As the sun set we had a quick dinner and walked over to the Tha Pae Gate area for the first of three nightly parades.

Turns out this was the staging area for that night’s parade. But the beginning of a parade is about the same as the middle, so it was a good spot to watch. I’ve been in Thailand enough to get used to some of the local customs that would be considered rude back home: I completely ignored the three-deep crowds who had gathered along the sidewalks, grabbing the choice viewing spots. Stepping right in front of them, I had a ringside view without anyone blocking me, and happily snapped picture after picture of the passing parade.

Studly flames at the Yi Peng parade.

The parade was spectacular. Illuminated floats worthy of the Rosebowl featuring traditionally garbed beauties of both genders. Ranks upon ranks of marching locals representing their clubs, businesses and organizations. Truck loads of red shirt party supporters blaring Thai political crap (warmly received by the Northern Thais). Dancing girls, prancing boys, and sultry ladyboys decked out in their finest costumes. I’d been expecting a cute little rural parade and instead got an Hollywood-like extravaganza lasting over an hour. And in the meantime, over in the plaza in front of the Tha Pae Gate, large, candle lit lanterns drifted into the night sky. Now this was a surprise. How’d I miss the whole floating lantern thing on my Google trip of discovery?

Khom Loy, a Yi Peng Floating Lantern

These large balloon-like lanterns, called khom loy (meaning ‘floating lanterns’, uh, duh!) are a major part of Chiang Mai’s Yi Peng celebration. Thousands are released over the three day celebration. The sky fills with illuminated lanterns, blocking out the stars (and causing a serious navigational problem for airplanes). They are about the size of a 30 gallon garbage can. Made out of thin paper over an expandable wire frame, they are handed to you flat. After pulling them into shape, you use your trusty Bic to light the waxy ring wired into the center bottom of the lantern. It flames up releasing gas into the lantern while you hold it still at ground level. When the lantern fills with gas you let it go to soar into the sky. Or if you let it go too soon, it soars diagonally across the plaza and into the crowd who scatter to avoid being set on fire. Many lanterns don’t make it far. Some become entangled in power lines, others in trees. Sanook takes precedence over safety.

Noom and I are comfortable with each other’s company and have no problem drifting apart in a crowd. I looked for photo ops (uh, just point your camera anywhere) Noom looked for souvenirs. Instead he found a lesbian. Selling khom loys. By the time I reunited with him he had become best friends with Pom who was in town to make a buck selling lanterns at the festival. Noom was busy corralling customers for her. Big smile on his face when he spotted me. Pointing at Pom he yelled, “Lesbian!” Noom has a thing about spotting dykes that rivals my fascination with taking monk shots.

Noom introduced me once again as his boyfriend and then qualified the introduction with, “We gay!” (Though he is straight and has always reserved the ‘gay’ moniker for fem boys in the past). He added, “same-same”, pointing at Pom and then at us, just in case either of us had not been able to make that connection. We were introduced to Pom’s brother who was helping her out. Then all four of us got busy handing out khom loys, collecting baht, and helping light our customers’ lanterns.

Anticipation for lift off.

I had a great time vending, but kinda thought it might be cool to actually set off a lantern or two, too boot. But Noom, in his normal ‘make up your religious beliefs as you go’ manner decided we could not light lanterns until the next night, the actual night of Yi Peng. OK, whatevers. Around 2am, the crowds finally thinned, hugs all around, and we headed back to the hotel.

The plan for Night #2, it being the official night of Yi Peng, was to head riverside to set our krathong adrift. The roads along the river were barricaded to prevent traffic, an unnecessary act since there were so many people packed into the streets no vehicle could pass anyway. Along the route, in addition to all the usual crap for sale in Chiang Mai, were the krathong booths. Thousands available to select from, you could get small versions of the flowered floats for as little as 25 baht, or large fancy ones for upwards to 1,000 baht. Regardless of the size and splendor all krathongs have a candle in their center and three sticks of incense to light to please, or appease, the gods. In Thai culture, the belief is that since all lives are ruled by the power of good and bad luck; when you send these candle lit floats down the river, and lanterns into the sky, it brings you good luck in the new year. And any bad luck from the past year is washed away with the beautiful drifting lights. (That Loy Krathong is not celebrated at the time of any one of the three new years Thais celebrate each year is besides the point.)

Noom picked out a medium sized float (just large enough to make other Thais jealous without actually going to the level of ostentatiousness) for 300 baht and then carefully instructed the vendor on the modifications he wanted made. There is a small chamber under the candle to slip in a few baht coins; evidently like with other officials in Thailand, the gods must be bribed. Noom had harvested his finger nail clippings to add to the coins (I don’t know if this a standard Thai custom, or one of his specialized religious beliefs). With Noom reverently balancing our float in his hands, we made our way down to the war zone that was known as the Ping River.

Expats and regular visitors to Thailand will tell you Chiang Mai is the absolutely worse place to spend Loy Krathong. This opinion is largely due to the enormous amount of fire works that the locals light off. If it is fun to light a 200 role of fire crackers, it’s more fun to do so when you throw the roll at someone. The Loy Krathong celebration at riverside looks less like 4th of July and more like the D Day invasion at Omaha Beach. With just as much blood. Hundreds are injured, maimed, and lose body parts each year during the Loy Krathong celebration in Chiang Mai. Never mind, it’s sanook!

Noom ready to launch our krathong.

When we finally got to the water, Noom said his prayers, lit the candle and incense, and set our krathong off on its journey. The belief is that if your krathong drifts out, catching the current and sails down the river, good luck will follow (or bad luck will be washed away. One of the two.) If instead it floats back to shore, you’re fucked. But one man’s bad luck is another’s fortune; immersed in the shallows, large groups of locals wait greedily for wayward krathongs to float their way. They gather these up, scoop out the coins and pass the floats to comrades waiting on shore. The rescued krathongs are immediately taken back up to the road to be sold to unsuspecting festival goers. God I love Thailand!

We avoided a bitch slap to our karama; our krathong floated out into the middle of the river and sailed away. Duty done, and with Noom quite annoyed with his fellow countrymen bombarding our position with fireworks, we went back to the Tha Pae Gate and caught the last half of night #2’s parade. Just as spectacular as the previous night’s though manned by different groups (we’d missed the large parade floats that would be launched onto the river, so when the moon aligns right again we’ll have to come back). There were even more people packed into the plaza than the previous night, and the price of khom loys had doubled. We found Pom and her brother on the outskirts of the crowd. They were concerned about being beaten by the local Mafia as their sales were not ‘approved’ so they’d taken a spot from which they could easily dash to safety. (Uh, no, I’m serious.) Noom went into body guard mode and watched over them as they quickly sold out of inventory. But not before setting aside a half dozen lanterns for us to light.

Noom readies to launch a khom loy.

Finally! My chance! And Noom did what Noom does best. He turned the fantastic into the extraordinary. Earlier in the day he’d grabbed a hundred baht off me and furtively bought something at 7/11. Turns out it was a set of fat tipped marking pens in several colors. Our khom loys quickly sported names, wishes, graphics, and colorful swoops and swirls. And the crowd went wild. We set one floating off together; then I on my own and he on his own. We joined Pom and her brother to decorate a super-sized lantern and watched with shit eating grins on our faces as it slowly lifted off ablaze with colorful wishes for the New Year in both English and Thai, drawing everyone’s eyes. The locals swarmed us begging for use of the pens. I expect that the next time I manage to get to Chiang Mai for Yi Peng, felt tip pen decorated khom loys will be de rigeur.

The following night saw another parade and another night of thousands of lanterns littering the sky. We met up again with Pom and her brother for dinner, walked through the always enjoyable Sunday Night Market, and then spent most of the night cruising the plaza at the Tha Pae Gate watching the spectacle.

Another night, another parade, another stud.

Neither of us were injured by fireworks, Noom added another lesbian to his growing roster of Chiang Mai friends, and I got to experience a uniquely Thai celebration, the memory of which will remain with me for years to come.

Yi Peng through the eyes of a child.

(Oh, and the wooden louvers back in the hotel room? On the last day as Noom showered I slammed them open. He laughed. And then put on quite a show.)

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