Flower Festival

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This morning we are woken by lots of noise, it's a brass band playing 'The Final Countdown'. Thanks to one too many mohito's last night it's not the kind of thing you want to wake up to.
Today is the annual Flower Festival parade. Schools, local communities and just about everyone in Chiang Mai is involved in some way or the other. Beautifully decorated floats glide around the moat and up and down the main streets of Chiang Mai. There are also marching bands, unidentified groups of people (if only I could read Thai), lots of school children and an elephant. We spend the morning taking photos and video and trying to avoid being mown down by stray tourists. Chiang Mai is packed to the rafters today and the usual Sunday market has been going strong since last night. There is no room at the inn, or anywhere as people come from all over the north for this parade, we didn't even know it was happening.
Kev has seen just about as many flowers as he can handle, so we have a quick look around the market, sample the local 'meat on a stick', which this time is barbequed pork, it's delicious.
This evening we're going to a local Japanese restaurant for a sushi binge and then more drinking at the Guinness Pub (a theme will emerge!).
After more Sushi than is strictly necessary (but it's soooo cheap!) we stroll back to the pub. We're joined this evening by Francesco and Patrick, several mohitos later and the 'insect' van pulls up outside. Now I know I always said that I wouldn't eat these, but when you're as drunk as we are it really doesn't seem so bad. Meow and Roong buy two plates, one are small light coloured bamboo grubs and the others are silk grubs. We start on the bamboo grubs. Kev goes first, I'm still making noises and shaking my head. Apparently they taste like nuts. I pick up one small bamboo grub, the smallest one I can find. It takes a while to make it into my mouth, but, it does indeed taste like peanuts. I wash it down with a large mouthful of Gin Fizz. I can't manage anymore. At least it was crispy and not squidgy in the middle. The bamboo grubs are swiftly demolished, but the silk ones aren't as popular. I didn't try one but Kev says that they taste like peas. I'm still not convinced and can only continue to imagine what they're like. Luckily we're saved from the cockroaches and grasshoppers, I really couldn't get either of them into my mouth.

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