Loi Krathon...

We were whisked there on a strange looking vehicle,
sort of an inverted tricycle where you sit at the
front and the driver sits behind. As we belted along
the highway we picked up the flaming torches burning
at regular intervals, lining the route. We passed
houses bedecked in fairy lights twinkling away and
firweorks would burst periodically around us. We were
so excited and the air was so crisp but made murky
from the smoke from the torches and caught by the full
moon to give a spooky whiteness to the air. The sky
was dotted with what looked like yellow stars but
were, in fact, hundreds of little paper balloons all
burning brightly, floating into the atmosphere.

We arrived fairly early but already there were
thousands of people amongst the stalls and bagging the
best spots near the main lagoon where at midnight
there would be a grand fireworks display following the
closing ceremony.

We grabbed a quick bite to eat and wandered about
soaking up the atmosphere before heading to Wat
Matahat which is the largest temple structure and site
of a fantastic show that makes use of a cast of
hundreds and uses amazing lighting. The place was
packed and we had seats right at the back but we ended
up sitting on the wall behind us and had a great view.
Toward the end there is a fantastic set piece where
all these girls in traditional Thai dress perform a
mesmerising dance toward a stretch of water with their
little krathons lit and set them into the water. Then
they release a hundred or so of the burning paper
balloons simulateously and it is just magical...

We spent some time afterwards walking around the
perimeter of the lagoon trying to seek out a nice
stretch. We were reluctant to follow the Thai example
of sitting almost ON TOP of the massed battery of
ludicrously powerful fireworks - couldn't get pass the
big cars or the odd clump of razorwire to get to it
anyway. Health and safety just didn't even figure in
the equation for these guys but by God, did they get a
plum spot!

After setting our krathons into the lagoon we ended up
very close to a little island that juts out into the
lagoon and spent a happy while chatting to two Dutch
people we had met earlier that same day by chance (and
with an estimated 100,000 people in the old city at
that time it was slim odds!) in time for the fireworks
which were really incredible. Afterwards, Chez and I
blagged ourselves a big paper balloon to set off into
the sky from two nice Thai guys (which were left over
fromthe show we had seen) and we held it until the
flame had buit up enough heat and let it soar
heavenwards with all our hopes and dreams.

It was getting late but we didn't want to leave. The
sky was still dotted with yellow "stars" and there was
still the vestige of smoke from the fireworks that was
slowly lifting to reveal the softly lit buddhas and
the stupas from these ruined temples. It was
enchanting and charming and I now know why the email I
received from Cheryl 4 years ago was so alien and hard
to describe. Suppose it is one of those cliches where
it needs to be seen to be believed, eh?