THE KAHNS IN THAILAND: PART 2 - Chapter 1 "Our arrival in Northern Thailand"

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(NB: There is so much to be said this time, that I could not contain in to one tidy blog entry… so prepare for a series coming your way, all about our adventures in Lanna Country, Northern Thailand…)

THE KAHNS IN THAILAND: PART II – Chapter 1

Our arrival in Northern Thailand

Thailand must have really missed us after our initial week in Bangkok at the very beginning of this Asian voyage... Our return was met with a wonderful celebration of fireworks, glowing floating flower displays across the rivers, and the release of thousands of rice paper lanterns into the sky. It was ever so kind of Chiang Mai to launch such a grand welcome for us. Some mentioned something about the Yi Peng Festival taking place at the same time, as well as Loi Krathong… but I didn’t pay too much attention, because I was too busy enjoying the party and showing my appreciation. And it is precisely due to this gratitude that I wasn’t even all that annoyed after a third straight night of fireworks had prevented us from getting a good night’s rest. It just so happened that we had booked a room in the Riverside House, a friendly little budget guesthouse right on the Ping River and across from the Iron Bridge which is a favourite launching point among firecracker-happy adolescents. Nevertheless, we loved this location, both for the postcard view onto the pretty river and bridge, but also because we could easily stroll across the bridge to Chiang Mai’s famous night bazaar in search of cheap souvenirs (which in our case took the form of flip flops and pedicures) and some dinner.



On the first night, however, the mad crowds on our doorstep were such that we didn’t venture more than 20meters down the road. Almost immediately, we lured into a family-friendly place called Duke’s, known for its steaks and burgers. After months without, the very thought of a large juicy American-style cheeseburger made us salivate and when we spotted them on the plates of diners on Duke’s seductive terrace, it was impossible to resist- even if we had to wait 20minutes in line! Being back in Thailand, we suspected that we were on the brink of another Pad Thai marathon here and so this was a convenient opportunity to first indulge in some nostalgic comfort food.



When we re-emerged from our burger feast, the party in the street was in full swing and the usually dark night sky was completely lit up with thousands of glowing orange lanterns drifting gracefully towards the full moon. We could hardly believe how beautiful it was (and how hard it was to capture on camera!) The kids were reminded of the Disney Rapunzel movie, “Tangled”, in which Rapunzel wants to leave her tower to seek out lights much like these. In fact, I am convinced Disney took its inspiration from Thailand for how it depicts the floating lights in “Tangled”. Out of complete coincidence, that movie is the one Disney film we have been carrying around with us on our i-Pad since September and the kids have now seen it more times than I care to admit. But in this case, the result was a contagious enthusiasm for seeing these lanterns in real life! For my part, I had seen photos in books or the Internet of the Yi Peng lanterns, but nothing prepared me for the impact it would have on me when seeing it for myself first hand. It was an emotional, hypnotizing experience… the kind that leaves you speechless and struggling to convey its grandeur when writing a blog about it weeks later. Suffice it to say, it will remain (for me/Lea, at least) quite possibly the very top highlight of this trip.



Within meters of our guesthouse entrance, a Thai family was busy lighting up a lantern and invited us over to join them in its release. It was a thrilling experience, as the lantern is quite huge- perhaps at least 1m20 in height and a good meter or so in diameter. They instructed us to each hold a corner, demonstrating that it needed to first be held in place while the air inside heats up. The circular piece of bamboo at the center base of the lantern took a few minutes to catch fire, being lit with a cigarette lighter. But it instantly filled the lantern with a soft orange glow. The family had written names and various personal wishes on the lantern in Thai, adding to its simple beauty. After a couple minutes, the lantern began to rise on its own and we watched it slowly drift off and join all the others in the crowded Chiang Mai sky. Every once in a while, you’d notice a grey lantern that had burnt out and was on its gentle way back down, but for the most part, the sky was filled with orange spots of varying sizes depending on their distance- many just a tiny dot in the sky, difficult to distinguish from the stars.



When flying into town, earlier that afternoon, I had been gazing out the airplane window when I suddenly noticed a square cube structure with a kite-like tail. I was quite stunned by it, as it is not the kind of thing you typically see when looking out (not down!) across the clouds. And mind you, this was before our descent was even announced, so we are talking about high altitudes. After a few minutes, I saw another square balloon. These were to be my first signs of the magical festival that was about to enchant us. As it turns out, these large square colourful lanterns, also made out of rice paper, are released during the day by monks. By nightfall, the rest of the population joins in with the simpler white paper lanterns and the airport is shut down in order to avoid any airplanes colliding with the lanterns. Had I not seen the colourful examples myself as we approached Chiang Mai, I would never have believed these lanterns could make it quite so high up into the sky!



The following day, we could not resist buying a couple of our own lanterns, since they are sold on every street corner around Yi Peng time. In addition, on this day (November 29th), it was also the official Loi Krathong day, when tradition dictates that you release flowery little bowls onto the water, each lit with a candle and some incense. This holiday occurs once per year, on the evening of the full moon of the 12th month in the traditional Thai lunar calendar. And so, we began the evening by diligently buying two Loi Krathong wreaths and joining the crowds on the banks of the Ping, to light and release these flowery little boats. The word Loi means 'to float' in Thai and Krathong refers to the lotus-shaped structure which resembles a flowery crown. The candle in the middle is meant to honour and symbolize Buddha, the source of light, while the action of sending the Loi Krathong on its way down the river, symbolizes the release of any anger, hatred or ill-will we may be harbouring. And indeed, we felt quite light and happy afterwards! We then ventured towards the River Market Restaurant just across the river from our guesthouse, where we had the good fortune of being seated at a riverside table- the equivalent of front row seats for the main show in town! When the owner of the restaurant spotted that we had two lanterns with us, he offered to let us light one on his lawn between the river and the restaurant, adding some firecrackers to the bamboo ring at the center. The effect was that the lantern rose faster and sparkled all along its initial assent, making it all the more fun to watch. We saved the second lantern to write some our wishes for the coming year and release from the rooftop of our guesthouse.



Freed of our ill-will and armed with extra good luck for 2013, we could not think of a better way to start December and a new phase in this family’s exciting journey… Thank you, Thailand.



(Stay tuned for Chapter 2… to follow in just a few days!)

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Comments

[Susan Jenny]

Smiling Thailand all right!
Isn't this the loveliest country? You see why we have talked about it so much and brought back so many things from living there? It gets under your skin very easily as this festival and the lanterns did to you up in Chiang Mai. The memories we have of the people we met and knew there are very warm and smiling so I'm sure yours will resemble ours. Thanks especially for that beautiful photo of Mimi with her flower float. Eager to read Chapter 2.

[Sona]

Waiting for the next one
I don't know the north of the country at all so I am really looking forward t chapter 2. We're enjoying a lazy couple of weeks in London and thinking of you as we wander your home town.