Today began with a visit to Chiang Mai Zoo, to pay a visit to see the city’s most famous residents. After a brief rest, I stepped out again to witness what the final night of the Yi Peng Festival had in store.
The parade was about to startOrnately decorated floats!This guy was attracting attention today as wellFascinating artMan, the work done on some of these floats!“Don’t call me now, I’m in a different era! You’re ruining it!”Thai ‘princess’ and ‘prince’
Not sure who this red t-shirt ‘army’ were representing
I wonder if Thais worship Lord Ganesha too
Hundreds of locals participate in the Grand Parade
The lady sitting on the car is the Consul General of the US Consulate of Chiang Mai, along with her family
Up ahead, I saw many Thais cosplaying. Hmm, I wonder which contingent this is? Why no surprise there! Japan’s floatLots of tributes to anime and videogame characters
Even dressing up as a Gundam robot!Absolutely beautiful workThe cavalcade made their may down Thapae RoadCameramen readied themselves
Not sure if the creature was meant to be a cow or a goatBut it did stop occasionally to be ‘fed’ money
I don’t who this character/mascot was
Awesome tattoo art
After following the parade from up front, I got distracted.
Yes, it was food… but…
Fried insects for sale!Was tempted to be all adventurous……but I hate insects when alive, leave alone when they are fried dead
Fortunately there were more appetizing food on sale.
All this stuff was cheapMy friend Loi’s survival foodLots, and lots of meat!
Okay, enough food. Back to the parade.
This being the last day of the festival, everybody was outLocals thronged the banks of Ping riverWalls of the Consulate General of the United States in Chiang MaiThe various floats pass by these stands where judges select the best in showMeanwhile on the river banks…
The eager crowd await the parade’s arrival through the final stageLeading the paradeSome formalities…and then fireworks!
River gods ‘flooded’ with krathongs
The American Consul family still doing the rounds
You also have fancier dining options by Ping river
Dinner boat rides are also quite popular
The parade making their way towards the municipality building
The banana trunk slices are what forms the base of the krathongs
Watching so many people release khomloys into the sky (and the fact this was the last day of the festival), I told myself I better release a paper lantern myself now. I still hadn’t done it yet! The past three days, I was busy clicking away and it made me feel like I was on assignment, on work (which in some ways, it is).
So I bought a krathong and a khom loy from nearby
I asked a local if I could borrow a light and instead she kindly shows me how to light the khomloy. She even helped hold it with me as the lantern filled up with hot air.
And there mine goes!I then released my krathong after making my wish(es). That’s the Thai lady who helped me.
As I walked back up to the main road, I kept telling myself with the disappointment of missing the events at Sansai that I had to come back again and do it right. More importantly, after the ‘assignment’ at Mae Jo, I will not spend all my time taking photos. Instead, I’m going to have fun releasing paper lanterns and playing with fireworks — and I won’t be alone
I went back to the main road for a few more photos.
Transgenders spreading the message of safe sexCondom-man distributing free condoms… and posing for photos with girlsThese kind of headbands are all the craze for young girls out hereNawarat bridge was packed with people
I headed back up Thapae roadI pity the guys who had to carry the dancer in this heat for hours!
Really impressive, the work they put into these floats!
Don’t you know driving while talking on your mobile is wrong?It broke! Poor girl must be so self-conscious now (even through it probably wasn’t due to her weight)
Hey, I couldn’t be biasedI’m really curious about the Indian connection in Thai historyThese floats are all winners in my opinionThis puppet was still doing the roundsBut even the men under the animal needed a break for waterAnd that was the end of the parade…I walked back to Thapae gate to pick up some dinnerPicked up some cashews, some fried rice and a shawarmaI even tried LEO beer for the first time. Essentially Singha’s offering to compete with Chang. My verdict? Chang is still better.
The fact that I had to split my last day in Chiang Mai into two posts is proof that this was a long day for me. I was quite tired, still feeling a bit feverish, but through it all — I was more than content with the photographs!
Tomorrow morning, I would head further up north to Chiang Rai and embark on the remainder of my journey across Thailand.
As a parting bonus, here’s a video of the some of the sights from today’s Grand Parade:
After following the parade from up front, I got distracted.
Watching so many people release khomloys into the sky (and the fact this was the last day of the festival), I told myself I better release a paper lantern myself now. I still hadn’t done it yet! The past three days, I was busy clicking away and it made me feel like I was on assignment, on work (which in some ways, it is).
I asked a local if I could borrow a light and instead she kindly shows me how to light the khomloy. She even helped hold it with me as the lantern filled up with hot air.
As I walked back up to the main road, I kept telling myself with the disappointment of missing the events at Sansai that I had to come back again and do it right. More importantly, after the ‘assignment’ at Mae Jo, I will not spend all my time taking photos. Instead, I’m going to have fun releasing paper lanterns and playing with fireworks — and I won’t be alone 
James
24/08/2011Lightman is my friend,nice guy who give doll and smile.