Thailand's Festival of Lights

Chiang Mai becomes a total madhouse around the Loi Krathong and Yi Peng festivals. We didn't realize that this wasn't normal for the city until a week later, when everyone got out of dodge!

The morning after, Loi Krathong style!

Although heat (35 and humid!) and crowds are usually not our thing, we really enjoyed the entire festival experience. There was just an energy all around that you couldn’t help but be swept up in! And it wasn’t just the tourists. Everyone was involved. It felt like all of Chiang Mai was out on the streets, having a good time.

A very happy outcome when you consider that just the day before, it felt like our entire visit would be a bust!

Chiang Mai

I wanted to go to Chiang Mai in Thailand for one reason and one reason only: The Yi Peng Festival. Like many, I was awed by the images of thousands of lanterns being released into the sky at the same time and I wanted to witness this beautiful tradition for myself. And since this was to be our first stop after our big trek in Nepal, we decided to stay put for 10 days to give our bodies time to rest and recover.

Lanterns fill the sky like stars during the Yi Peng festival in Chiang Mai

Were it not for the festival and the post-trek timing, we may not have spent so much time here, or even come to Chiang Mai at all! If so, we would have missed out on a truly charming and wonderful city.

There's a chill and relaxed vibe to Chiang Mai that we really fell in love with. I can see why expats and retirees choose to settle here: people are very kind and friendly; it's tourist friendly, but totally hassle-free (the "no tuk-tuk, no massage" litany didn't begin until we got to Cambodia and Southern Thailand); the food is amazing and incredibly varied; the value for your money is almost too good to be true; and there are beautiful temples and leafy side streets around every corner.

Nick and I had a great time on so many levels. But here are our favourite non-festival experiences in Chiang Mai...