Sad to leave "my" Bangkok neighborhood, excited to visit Chiang Mai for the Yee Peng lantern festival
Thailand, day 4. Today I fly to Chiang Mai for the Yee Peng lantern festival – the whole reason for my visit to Thailand – but I don't want to leave; I've fallen in love with Bangkok these past few days.
Breakfast in Bangkok
I take a final walk around "my" neighborhood in Bangkok, greeting the friendly locals with sawasdee kaa, giving in to temptation at every corner: gaa-fae yen from the busy coffee stand, sticky rice with pork floss from a makeshift sidewalk stall, some mysterious banana leaf packets (inside: coconut pudding), and purple taro cakes hot from a flattop grill ("Aroy!" I'm told, and I agree: delicious).
I smugly convince myself that I'm passing for a seasoned ex-pat, wandering the backstreets, using my few Thai words with confidence, until a man – Charlie – stops me, shakes my hand enthusiastically, and says, "Welcome to Bangkok! Where are you from?" Ha! Foiled!
From Bangkok to Chiang Mai
Sadly, my Bangkok adventure has come to an end. I grab a tuk tuk, then a city train, then a one-hour flight north. I'm in Chiang Mai by early afternoon. I'm here for the annual Loy Krathong and Yee Peng festivals, and – judging by the crowds at the small airport – so are thousands of other people.Chiang Mai is smaller than I expect: a 20-minute cab ride from the airport to my lovely (★★★★, $$!!!) hotel in the Old City.
Chiang Mai is also less charming than I expect. The 700-year-old Old City – 4 square kilometers, contained by an easily scaled wall and narrow moat – appears to be filled with backpacker hostels, cheap bars, "massage" parlors, nail salons and tattoo shops.
Now, I've got many tattoos and I love being pampered and getting boozy, but it's sad to see all of these things concentrated in a small space, catered by locals and frequented by tourists, especially when the locals are beautiful young women and the tourists are... not. I wonder how many people are visiting Chiang Mai for Loy Krathong and Yee Peng, and how many for cheap beer and sex.
Colorful lanterns all over Chiang Mai
I set out to explore the Old City on foot, determined to find the charming side of Chiang Mai; it isn't too hard to find. The Old City is decked out with colorful lanterns and dotted with ancient Buddhist temples. The streets are relatively quiet, with low buildings shaded by bright green leafy trees. If you look past the unfortunate consequences of tourism, you'll see beauty and color everywhere.
The Yee Peng festival opening ceremony
Dusk comes early this far north. As the sun dips, I stumble upon the opening ceremony for the famous Chiang Mai lantern festival, Yee Peng. Smiling representatives from the Immigration Bureau politely hand out cards to the crowds of foreigners, warning of the fines associated with overstaying your welcome in Thailand.
Hundreds of women and girls dressed in colorful Thai outfits – each holding a pair of unlit candles – sit in lines along the streets. A man starts chanting prayers (I assume) over the loudspeakers. Forty-five minutes later, he's still chanting, the women are still sitting, and my feet are starting to hurt. Even the Thai performers are looking restless; I catch one yawning, others checking their phones.
Eventually, the women light their candles and begin to dance, slowly, elegantly. The effect is mesmerizing, as is the sight of hundreds of lanterns, filling the night with light and color.
Hundreds of women and girls dressed in colorful Thai outfits – each holding a pair of unlit candles – sit in lines along the streets. A man starts chanting prayers (I assume) over the loudspeakers. Forty-five minutes later, he's still chanting, the women are still sitting, and my feet are starting to hurt. Even the Thai performers are looking restless; I catch one yawning, others checking their phones.
Eventually, the women light their candles and begin to dance, slowly, elegantly. The effect is mesmerizing, as is the sight of hundreds of lanterns, filling the night with light and color.
Chiang Mai street food
When the ceremony is over, I head to the Chiang Mai gate night market. Chiang Mai is famous for its street food, and I hungrily peruse the wild array of food available: grilled fish, prawns and meat skewers; strings of spherical pork sausages; curries and noodle dishes; sweet potatoes and fresh fruit; mango sticky rice, made-to-order crepes and all kinds of candied desserts. I spend a few dollars and get more food than I could possibly eat, then head to bed, exhausted and satisfied. I think I'm going to like Chiang Mai after all.