Loi Krathong Festival

Tonight is the last night of the Loi Krathong festival here in Chiang Mai. It basically means the "Festival of Lights", and between the lighted boats on the river, the lighted balloons in the sky, and the never ending fireworks, the holiday definitely lives up to it's name. You can read more about it on Wikipedia by Clicking Here . The closest thing I can compare it to would be the 4th of July in the USA, only it lasts for four days straight!! Four whole days and nights of blaring music citywide 24 hours a day and more fireworks than I've ever seen or heard in my entire life. Needless to say, getting any sleep this week has been difficult at best. There has also been a massive influx of tourists here in the city for the festival. It's good for the local economy, but for those of us who have been here a little while trying to blend in, they can be a little annoying. I was kind of astonished today when a European guy stopped me and asked for directions to one of the markets. The only thing more astonishing than that was the fact that I was able to give him the directions he needed.

I'm hoping that things will quiet down here a little tomorrow as the country scales back down from 24 hour "party mode". If nothing else, I'm looking forward to the end of the constant onslaught of fireworks and mortars. This place has sounded like a war zone for the last week or two. I will have to admit however that I have indulged in a few "bangs" myself. One of my Thai friends crossed over into Burma last week and bought some REALLY GOOD fireworks. The stuff you can buy here is scary enough, but these were absolutely huge. Unlike anything I had ever seen available to the average person in the States.