Loy Kratong in Chiang Mai, Thailand

by Roger Collis
(Chiang Mai Thailand)

At the last Loy Krathong thirty of my friends and I decided to take a trip down the River Ping, which flows through the centre of Chiang Mai.

We ordered dinner on board and looked forward to watching the firework displays and celebrations taking place on the banks of the river.

Little did we realise that our boat and others on the river, would be targets for the merrymakers on the banks.

To our surprise we were assailed with rockets and other explosives from both banks, to the extent that some of my friends were seriously counting the number of lifejackets on board (about eight if I remember) and one of our party was actually hit by a rocket.

Much of the meal was eaten from underneath the tables.

Luckily, plenty of beer was available and after about half an hour our perception of danger was reduced considerably.

No real damage was done however, and we all disembarked safely, although some of us seemed to have developed sea legs whilst afloat.

This is part of the charm of Chiang Mai, folks.
Can you imagine this happening in England?