Amazing Thailand

[watgate]

The mentality of the Thai government and its leaders never cease to amaze me. Chiang Mai has already been experiencing a poor tourist season and many businesses are already feeling the pain. So now Loy Kratong comes and what does the  Thai government do, they significantly scale back the Kom Loy lantern releases. This was probably the main reason why so many tourists came to Chiang Mai for Loy Kratong to experience the magical release of Kom Loy's into the night sky as they illuminated the sky as they floated upward in a breathtaking, almost surreal experience.  As word gets out that the Kom Loy releasings has been scaled back significantly it wouldn't surprise me if more and more tourists forgo the trek to Chiang Mai for the once very memorable and stirring Loy Kratong celebration which Chiang Mai was known for. With all the problems already with tourist numbers and the burning season going to start in the not too distant future, the businesses and folks who work so hard in Chiang Mai are going to have a much smaller window to earn enough money to last them through the long low season. I guess when you are a government worker who doesn't rely on the tourist dollar for their livelihood, it is easy to implement new policies that are detrimental to the masses who are dependent on the tourist dollar. I also wonder if all the commercial enterprises that have sprung up all over the Chiang Mai area offering expensive Loy Kratong festivities replete with the lantern releasings  has anything to do with the significant scaling back of the  Public's ability to release Kom Loy's in Chiang Mai. Lastly, I know the reason why the releasing of Kom Loys was scaled back, ostensibly for safety which is laudable but I really feel for the folks who have so little and work in Chiang Mai and the very real potential for less tourists in the future and less tourism dollars to go around.

[Puchaiyank]

You should welcome the lack of traffic jams and overcrowded tourist venues.

 

Just think, now you can walk around without having to look for droppings to step over...????

[Captain Monday]

There are pics like this all over social media.

I heard people some people lost their homes Tuesday night.

Yes it is a beautiful sight.  Maybe it is time to rethink our status as visitors realize it is not 1980 anymore and Thailand can longer be a playground to engage in dangerous temptations banned by every rational country such as releasing actual firebombs in cities with no liability for the damages caused.

Edited November 14, 2019 by Captain Monday

[EL159]

"Magical, Breathtaking, Surreal"....Are you on drugs or only been here 5 minutes? Theyre paper lanterns with candles inside. Oh. By the way. Santa Claus doesnt exist either.

[watgate]

El159 I think you should go back to enjoying yourself at the bottom of a beer bottle. You clearly are delusional. A widely distributed travel magazine handed out at the beginning of Loy Kratong stated "Hundreds of lanterns floating in the night sky and kratongs decorated with candlelight floating in the river, these are the symbols of the full moon festival (Yi Peng) " . It also stated that" the images of thousands of lanterns in the night sky above should be the first impressive picture that attracts you to visit Chiang Mai during this festival" So you see EL159, clearly many countless folks came to Chiang Mai to marvel at this spectacular spectacle of lit lanterns floating magically and majestically into the night sky. Enjoy your beer it is most likely the only pleasure  you have in your stale existence.

Edited November 15, 2019 by watgate

[madmen]

Hopefully those floating fire starters are banned for good !

[watgate]

Captain Monday your point is well founded and obviously the authorities also thought so, thus the scaling back of the lantern releases. I don't think the authorities will ever totally eliminate the lantern releases at night in Chiang Mai. If they did, you can bet that all the commercial enterprises that have sprung up throughout Chiang Mai down to Lamphun holding Loy Kratong festivities to include lantern releases at nite would never be shut down for obvious reasons. Also, if lantern releases at nite were ever totally cancelled by the authorities in Chiang Mai tourists would stop coming here for the festivities since that was what Chiang Mai was famous for and why many tourists made the trek here for. All it would take would be for tourists to stop coming here for the Loy Kratong festivities since the lantern releases were discontinued and hotel occupancy rates would plummet. If that ever occurred you can bet your bottom dollar the Chiang Mai authorities would quickly reinstate the lantern releases due to the pressure from the hotel industry. So Captain Monday it looks like you might have to stand guard by your house with a hose and a bucket of water in case one of those firebombs hits your house.  Good luck.

[Dante99]

23 hours ago, Captain Monday said:

actual firebombs

The balloons are actual firebombs?

 

10 hours ago, EL159 said:

Theyre paper lanterns with candles inside.

?

[elektrified]

I for one am very happy to have seen almost no khom loy at all during the holiday. Every Thai friend and family member of mine absolutely hates them. They are responsible for numerous fires and potentially bringing down an airplane. Good riddance! And shame on the locals who broke the law by selling them to tourists who didn't see the signs that they were prohibited and in the end they had to just throw them away.

[nightfox]

Does the OP work for the Chaing Mai tourism board? or are you just promoting Chaing Mai....FYI their were plenty of Kom Loy's all over Thailand dispight of the government banning. Pattaya beach was night sky was nothing but Kom Loy's not only Chaing Mai.

[CNXexpat]

On 11/14/2019 at 9:17 PM, Puchaiyank said:

You should welcome the lack of traffic jams and overcrowded tourist venues.

 

Just think, now you can walk around without having to look for droppings to step over...????

Oh please. Stay outside the city center during these 4 days if you don´t like tourists. Why do you live in Chiang Mai and not in by example Udon Thani? I guess because it´s nice here. And where it´s nice, tourists are coming - and expats.

[cmsally]

Can't say I miss the fire lanterns. This year has been the first in many that I haven't had to sprint down the soi with a very heavy fire extinguisher.

Don't advise a hose and water as most of the fires they start involve some kind of electrics.

[Pilotman]

In a former life, moons ago, when I was flying into BKK, at Loy Katong, we briefed procedures for avoiding these lanterns, should they be around the vicinity of the approach and departure lanes.  The truth was that we would not have seen them and they could have represented a real hazard to aircraft.  Now its drones that are the danger and they are year around and arguably much more of a threat.  

[EL159]

On 11/15/2019 at 6:15 PM, watgate said:

El159 I think you should go back to enjoying yourself at the bottom of a beer bottle. You clearly are delusional. A widely distributed travel magazine handed out at the beginning of Loy Kratong stated "Hundreds of lanterns floating in the night sky and kratongs decorated with candlelight floating in the river, these are the symbols of the full moon festival (Yi Peng) " . It also stated that" the images of thousands of lanterns in the night sky above should be the first impressive picture that attracts you to visit Chiang Mai during this festival" So you see EL159, clearly many countless folks came to Chiang Mai to marvel at this spectacular spectacle of lit lanterns floating magically and majestically into the night sky. Enjoy your beer it is most likely the only pleasure  you have in your stale existence.

Wrong again Mr (T)Watgate,  Actually I dont drink so your criticism fails on all counts! As another poster says, how much do TAT pay you for your nonsense posts?!

[orchis]

it was massive.

[Captain Monday]

On 11/15/2019 at 9:07 PM, Dante99 said:

The balloons are actual firebombs?

 

?

Yes, that is their effect. And as indiscriminate could be considered terroristic. Causing fires and have been banned in many countries. Thus Smethwick UK 2013.

Edited November 19, 2019 by Captain Monday

[sunnyboy2018]

CM Municipality is one of the worst in Thailand. They have a ready made tourist attraction festival and yet they búģģėŕ it up. They have destroyed the night life, overseen environmental disaster, ruined the character of the city,  over exploited and over regulated the night market. Phuket old town, Yasathon  Phanom Phrai, Nong Khai and so many others all do civic celebrations better.