Chiang Mai Hot Air Balloon Fiesta

We've ended up spending a little more time than we anticipated in Chiang Mai because we stumbled across one of the bigger festivals of the year, Loy Krathong. Originally we thought that we would just pick up our bikes from Mong's cycles and head out in an as yet undetermined direction. However, word that the airport would be shutting down Friday night because of fire balloons potentially threatening planes raised our interest in figuring out why. It turns out that releasing small, pilotless hot air balloons into the night sky is a major part of how people celebrate Loy Krathong. Since we had to organize our stuff, buy equipment like new bikes racks, and get Brooke over a small cold, we decided that staying two extra days wouldn't be a terrible idea. We got our feet wet enjoying the tastes of northern Thailand - pork sausage and chicken on the grill, various aromatic soups and stews in five gallon pots, and the occasional smell of fish sauce, lemongrass, galangal, basil, and peppers - but stayed mostly within the city apart from a few short rides.

Before moving on to Loy Krathong, we should mention how helpful Mong's cycles have been. Jove met the husband (Stuart) of the owner (Mong) two years ago when he straggled into town after tearing the sidewall of both of his tires. Last year, they were able to quickly find a replacement seatpost collar whose predcesor had been lost in transit. This year Stewart took Jove's bike back from the US to Chiang Mai and built up a bike for Brooke before we arrived. All in all, they helped make this start of this tour way easier than it otherwise would have been.

But on to Loy Krathong ... it really is a cool phenomenon, although a little overwhelming in terms of crowds. At the end of the today's short ride you could see pick ups coming into the city with two foot diameter paper rings with what looks like a smaller citronella ring suspended in the middle. The paper ring can be opened up to creat a three foot tall tube that fills with heated air and rises when the smaller flammable ring in the middle is lit. People light thousands of these at a time over the Ping River, sending off a herd of flaming cloth bags as they float off in the wind. Or, if the owner of the balloon doesn't wait long enough for hot air to fill the cavity, the balloon drifts back down into the crowd of people, who all run from the flaming bag. We saw burning balloons caught in a cell phone tower, and one extinguished one under the roof of a temple. The aerial show is mirrored in the water by tiny floats made of bamboo, leaves, and flowers, carrying candles and incense. These are the original "Khathong" and seem to be relatively more popular with Thai people, although everyone seems to love the balloons. Brooke and I bought one and sent it down the river with a wish, then watched from a bridge downriver as the khathongs streamed by.