The Loy Krathong Lantern Festival in Chiang Mai
It celebrates the full moon in the 12th month of the Thai Lunar Calendar. This is what we have been looking forward to during the entire 3 months we have been in Asia, but when we got to Chiang Mai and saw the prices for the official event, we were disappointed. Most things in Thailand are very inexpensive or at least reasonable, but the cost of this one event would blow our daily budget away. We considered doing it anyway until we found the free version that the locals attend. We opted for that instead. It still cost us the price of the car to get us there and when you are there you have the option to buy the lanterns and food and so forth so not completely free, but so much cheaper. It was a little crazier, with fireworks being launched everywhere and huge crowds, but we feel like we got a less touristy and more authentic experience. We were surrounded by Thai families celebrating together as well as tourists like us who went the cheaper route. We didn't even buy anything, we just enjoyed watching everyone send their wishes to heaven on a beautiful November night in Thailand.
This one is held at Doi Saket which is about 25 km Northeast of Chiang Mai. If you choose to attend this one, give yourself a lot of extra time. It took us 2 hours to go 25 km because of the traffic. Be ready for some craziness, it's so worth it!
