Ours was alright up here in Udon Thani. I grabbed my lad from school early and picked up the wife from the casino (as you do). We stopped at the lake on the way home and the wife and lad jumped out and bought a couple of krathongs. Me and mum's one was traditional enough but the boy's selection was a grand looking affair with wings and a beak more like a Phoenix rising from the flames. Anyway, the plan was grab a quick dinner at home (I did some beef stir fry) then shower and off to the lake beside the old house for happy times with our old neighbours and friends. Just after 7pm, the heavens opened up and it rained and rained.... and then rained a lot more. Just before 9pm, there was a brief respite and I reckon every punter that planned on fireworks let them off over the next 5 minutes.... then it poured again! Just before 10pm, the wife reckons it would be too dark, wet and slippery over by the local lake so I suggested using the big wash basin in the drive way. She agreed!

After adding some hair clippings and lighting the candles and incense sticks, we floated the buggers. Then we cracked a bottle of Pinot Noir (for her indoors.... and I opened another Old Speckled Hen, lit up a stogie and we talked about the future until maybe 11pm when slurring slightly, we locked up, went upstairs and had one of the best nights sleep in ages... still raining.

Then around 5am, the bloody neighbours dog started it's bloody row!

So, how was your Loy Krathong? A rowdy affair? A hotel special? Or a quieter one with family and friends. I trust you had better weather than us!

Sent from the Back 'o Bennachie with an Asus eePad Transformer TF201 thingumabob.

It sounds like you have been here too long.

My local across the road was closed,that's the only way it effected me.

I ate some noodles.

With extra chicken meat and no bones.

I ate some noodles.

With extra chicken meat and no bones.

30 baht noodles?

35! I know.....

But the chicken meat is without the skin and no bones so i can eat everything that is in my bowl.

It is worth it though.

missed Loy Krathong. too cloudy to see the full moon.

35! I know.....

But the chicken meat is without the skin and no bones so i can eat everything that is in my bowl.

It is worth it though.

Bimey! They must have seen you coming...

We really enjoyed it.

Started last Sat night with the mass release of lanterns in MaeJo

Pretty awesome sight. Fun releasing our khom loys too.

even had one with the little booster rocket attached heheh fun

Then last night was a good friends birthday so the night started

with a great meal & merriment.

After that we headed over to the Ping River to float our kratong

Just by luck the spot we were at on the Ping is where the end of the parade that started at the moat

was so that was cool too.

All in all a great couple of nights that we thoroughly enjoyed.

Mine was the best one in 15 years here.

Took our 16 month old son to the small lake in our village just past sundown with a bright full moon out.

Not a soul around, and we lite 3 kratongs and floated them out on a mill smooth surface. All three bunched together, which made the wife happy and my little boy was happy, and that made me happy

Ken

I sat on a comfy seat on my balcony with a beer, listening to some nice music and watching the many lanterns floating up into the air from Jomtien beach, and the fireworks.

According to the news whilst I was doing that some unlucky Thai bloke was being shot dead down on Jomtien Beach Rd, so I suppose I did quite well.

Pissed it down in Ranong

Mine was quite memorable; we went to a small lake and floated the Kratong with a bunch of sparklers. The lake was really atmospheric and the whole event was short and sweet.

Had heaps of women at our place all making their own kratongs.....I had the headphones on to try and block out all the cackle.

Finally when it came time to go into town, I perked up as I loaded my esky with lots of cold amber fluid.

The show in our local village was held at the school. Tables were arranged on the soccer field, 10 people per table, 150 baht per person....that included 1 bottle of whiskey, bottles of soda, 3 large bottles of soft drink and a 6 course meal....plus entertainment which involved young kids dressed up doing kangman dance or whatever that sh*t is called.

I was more concerned with the lanterns that were "launched"....2 ended up tangled in the trees, one got caught underneath the awning of the concourse, several others were launched before they should've and landed on tables several metres away....crazy stuff.

Came time to float our kratongs...nothing spectacular...then started to rain but only lightly. I had had 4 bottles of my amber fluid by this stage so the drizzle didn't bother me...but as I was out voted we all went home.

It was my first time to see this and I spent it at 'sleeze on the sea' (alias Pattaya). There was no rain at all and the local thais were so friendly and happy. What a great experience

Thanks for reminding me

My wife spent the afternoon makig two kratongs with her Mom. She is really artistic and makes a terrific display which I always photograph.

Around 6 pm we left to go some place other than where I'd been told previously, typical Thai arrangements, and the things were floated off, splashed away as I clicked away once again at some pond at some Wat as some place.

There were hideously kids hideously dressed on a stage doing a dance all out of sync, a terrible amp system loud enough for use in Guantanamo, the same old Thai street food served up once again at single light bulb lit carts in dark corners on muddy tracks. We left for some other place that promised Thai boxing but the rain grew heavier, the electric lighting kept failing, more naff food and hideous kids lead to our going home.

All in all a total non event in country so devoid of culture it grasps at these awful bludgeoning celebrations to myth, phantasy or idol.

My wife bemoaned the awfullness of it and her Mom commented how poor a celebration it was.

My only sympathy is with the rural poor who have so little in their lives and a shower of rain managed to negate this.

My favourite Thai festival but I missed it. My my first was on the same day as my birthday.

Worked too late and didn't float a krathong. Oh well...

My first time doing it and wasn't great in bkk. Went with the gf to the golden mountain (wat saket) and it was extremely crowded. But the worst thing was the big presence of young boys and girls with their $@#& motorcycles being very rude and riding in the middle of the crow. Don't know what's wrong with those youths and what their family teaches them.

Never more in Bangkok, I will travel countryside next year.