Travel Photo Thursday – Ping River Krathongs
During the festival of Loi Krathong, little rafts of flowers, banana leaves and incense are floated down Chiang Mai’s Ping River.
Krathongs for sale by the river
We are still strangers in Chiang Mai, unsure of the meaning of Loi Krathong and its rituals. We get lost all the time — even with the map we bought this week — and we can’t ask for directions.
Despite getting lost AGAIN last night, and getting caught in the rain, we managed to find a little spot on the Ping River where locals were quietly sending beautiful krathongs down the river.
A couple prepare to launch a krathong
Launching the krathong
Stall holders make and sell krathongs late into the night
Tonight we’ll venture out again. I’m hoping to launch our own krathong down the river, and send some paper lanterns up into the air.
I sent “wishes” down the Ganges when I was in India several years ago. Tonight I want to send a wish down the Ping River, and float one up into the night sky. (All materials are biodegradable, apparently, which really does make these rituals seem appealing.)
This post is part of Budget Travelers Sandbox‘s Travel Photo Thursday series. Visit budgettravelerssandbox.com to see more amazing travel photos from around the world.
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14 years ago
By: Barbara
A career girl who dropped out, traveled, found love, and never got around to going home again. Now wrangling a cross-cultural relationship and two third culture kids.
Lovely photos 🙂
Muza-chan recently posted..A Japanese Song per Day: Zi:Kill – Rocket
Thank you Muza-chan.
Very amusing shots. Good luck with your krathong.
Easy Hiker recently posted..Easy Hiking Is Adventure For Beginners
Thanks. Our krathong went down the river, only getting stuck for a few moments on a boat tied up to the shore. We had less luck with our lanterns the following night. The first one crashed into the river and sank. The baby found it very distressing.
Lovely, lovely photos.
Wowee! I want to head back to Thailand so much. Do you think that Krathong couple would let me muscle in next to them?
You could try, but the guy might poke you in the eye with some incense for getting too close to his girl!
That looks like so much fun floating them down the river!
Actually, the night we floated things down the river it was quite wet and muddy. I guess that’s why people built little bamboo jetties over the river. We thought they were too crowded, so we found an uncrowded spot, stepped down to the water’s edge — and ended up calf-deep in mud. I nearly lost my shoe! But it was worth it. It’s warm enough here that a bit of mud and water won’t cause much harm.
Wonderful shots Barb. I’ve never been in CM for Loi Krathong, and it is high on my list.. Enjoy the holiday 🙂
You should move it to the top of your list!
Beautiful shots.
InsideJourneys recently posted..Travel Photo Thursday: Elephants
so beautiful! and what craftsmanship. WOW!
wandering educators recently posted..An interview with Global Citizen Yusuf Sharif Wilson
This is so cool! Sending wishes down river sounds intriguing.
Debbie Beardsley @ European Travelista recently posted..Armored Schloss Ambras
It’s a beautiful sight, too. You can see the floating krathongs in the last photo in my latest post about the lanterns.
Wonderful photos! We couldn’t even get near the Ping at the height of the festivities last year…and we knew where we were going 😉 I’ll miss sending up a Yi Peng lantern this year. Enjoy!
Snap recently posted..From Chiang Mai to Australia
I think there’s a knack to getting through the crowds. Luckily Darling Man is Vietnamese, so he just cuts through the crush like an eel!
I LOVE Loi Krathong. It remains one of my favorite memories of living in Thailand.
Laurel recently posted..Kaese Spaetzle: German Mac and Cheese
We have wonderful memories of Loi Krathong now too! You should plan a visit back here soon, Laurel.
Looks so beautiful; I only stayed in Chiang Mai until the Yi Peng festival, but now I am thinking that maybe I should’ve stayed for the Loi Krathong also.
Jarmo recently posted..Why Thailand Hates Backpackers, or Why I Visited Burma
You could always come back for next year’s Loi Krathong. I’m quite looking forward to the water festival, Songkran, in April next year.
Awww, lovely photos…. I can’t wait to get myself to Thailand.
Cheryl recently posted..McDonalds Around The World: Budapest, Hungary.
Thailand is a wonderful place to visit. I feel really at home here. It’s going to be tough to leave!