Lanterns in Chiang Mai

We had a bit of a rough start in Chiang Mai after a very trying bus ride back from Pai to Chiang Mai, we thought Michael was suffering from motion sickness, but upon arriving at our guesthouse in Chiang Mai we quickly realized he was stricken with food poisoning. Luckily we had antibiotics with us, thanks to our travel clinic, and were able to get him on the mend quickly, but still not quickly enough. So our schedule got moved around a bit and I caught up in some chores and planning the last bit of our trip while Michael rested for a couple of days.

What made the entire visit worth it though, and the whole reason for us coming to Chiang Mai, was watching the thousands of fire lanterns (Khom Loi, mini hot air balloons) being launched simultaneously at a temple north of the city. We bought our own Khom Loi and launched it away with our wishes for better health this trip (so far so good :). This ceremony is performed by the monks to kick-off the Loy Krathong celebrations (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loi_Krathong). Afterwards, we went into the city to enjoy the beginnings of the Loy Krathong festival. We had to miss the big celebrations in Chiang Mai on the night of November 21 so we could catch a night train to Ayuthaya and Bangkok.

Here are some of the highlights:
Monks performing a candle ceremony.

The crowd at the event.

Jennifer with our Khom Loi.

Krathong on the Mae Ping River in Chiang Mai.