This week, my mini (millionth) tour of Thailand continued as Heather and I ditched the Bangkok boys and made our way up to Pai and Chiang Mai. Our four days in Pai mostly consisted of lazing around our cute A-frame bungalow, getting massages, reading by the river, and one ambitious excursion to a nearby cave.
Since arriving in Chiang Mai we’ve vowed to be a bit more active, which we kicked off with one of the most magical nights of my life at the Yi Peng lantern festival — attending was basically what inspired this entire trip up north, and it was worth it, multiplied by about a billion. You’ll be hearing about the whole thing in a lot more detail but for now, I think the expression on my face in this photo by my friend Torre says it all.
Amazing as this trip has been and as much as I am looking forward to these last lingering days in Chiang Mai, I am beyond pleased that next week I’ll be reporting from Koh Tao again. Crystal clear ocean and palm tree shots coming right up. Happy Monday, guys!
Photo A
Magnificent Lod Cave in Pai
Photo B
Two shutterbugs goofing around in a cave…
Photo C
…and on a bridge
Photo D
The magic of Yi Peng
Photo E
Sending off love and light
Photo F
The heart theme continues as I paint with light by playing with my shutter speed
Which photo is your favorite?
I just finished Torre’s book (what an epic adventure) and went to like her facebook page when I saw your face as her most recent post….quite surreal! Looks like an awesome experience. I have to go with E this week, so cool!!!
Aw, that’s awesome Ashley! I adore Torre, and her writing!
I like photo E, and am sooo jealous you guys got to go to that festival. Looks SO amazing!
It really was. And once was not enough — already plotting to go back next year!
Paper lanterns for win! π
I can’t believe how many hundreds of photos I have from that day, ha. Not easy to narrow down!
Photo E is beautiful, but my favorite is Photo D. Makes me feel like I’m right there. Looking forward to your post on Yi Peng!
I almost didn’t even put E in actually since I usually try to feature my most creative shots in Photo of the Week. Looks like I would have missed the fan favorite!
Alex,
I can’t wait to read more about your time in Thailand. You’ve inspired me to visit Thailand for the first time next summer (specifically Koh Tao). π My husband and I are going to celebrate our four year anniversary with lots and lots of diving. If you have any specific advice I’d love to hear it!
Have a great day,
-Krystle
Hey Krystle! I’ll be writing updates to my favorite Koh Tao restaurants post soon (with lots of romantic trip worthy ones in there!), as well as reviewing my first Koh Tao hotel! So there should be some helpful new content out soon, but for now, all my tips and tricks are already in the archives π I can’t think of a better place to spend your anniversary!
And DUH, I forgot to put that my favorite photo this week is E. π Looks like an amazing experience.
It seriously was!
I think we have a clear winner — E for Epic.
Huge creativity points for all of them though — esp. impressed with your heart!
You should see the hundreds of outtakes π It wasn’t easy… but then again we had many hours of waiting time to play with (assuming you mean the Photo F heart!)
This is a easy one. It has to be E. This is something I want to witness for myself.
Even once was not enough… I want to see it again already!
Photo E actually made me gasp…it is soooooo pretty. Especially the one on the left. It reminds me of photos of distant galaxies or star constellations!
It did feel a bit like floating in the milky way, Caity π Absolute magic!
I love Photo D, and E is amazing as well! Yi Peng is definitely on my bucketlist. I’m excited to read about your experience!
I’m excited to write about it, especially as it was quite difficult to find information on ahead of time!
It just has to be photo E this week!
Definitely seems to be the fan favorite π
Not even a contest!
E wins this one by a huge margin!!
How magical…
“Magic” is the word I’ve been using to describe it everywhere. Amazing!
I’m torn between D and E – what a magical experience!
It was indeed. Can’t wait to write and share more.
Definitely photo E! I am confused, I thought that the Yi Peng Festival was at the beginning of November?
There are two lantern releases, a paid version (this year on November 6th) and a free event (this year on October 25th). The free one is kept kind of hush hush and the date is only released a few months in advance.
I think I’m just going to be like everyone else and go with E. Those are some spectacular shots! I would have loved to have been at that festival. I lit one of those lanterns in Thailand once. It promptly caught on fire and became consumed by the flames. I had to throw it on the beach and kick sand on it to put out the fire. It wasn’t my finest moment π It looks like you had much better luck!
Oh no! Well believe me, many of these caught on fire, landed in trees, burst into flames, etc. It’s definitely not a festival that would pass any health and safety codes in the US, and that’s part of what I love about it!
I got a treat for you Alex. Check out this lantern video (and the others they made because they are BANANAS!) made by a couple living in Thailand. https://8milesfromhome.com/post/97639534847/yi-peng-sky-lantern-festival-a-bucket-list
Unfortunately my wifi isn’t good enough to stream any videos out here π But I know from being there in person it is cinema gold!
I can’t choose between D and E because Yi Peng (although I thought it was called Loi Krathong – or are they two different names for the same festival?) is AMAZING!! I found myself there by accident back in 2011, rocked up in Chiang Mai and wondered why all the guesthouses on my list were fully-booked! It was one lucky accident! An incredible sight to behold, and it feels even better when you’re part of it all π Looking forward to the full post!
Happy accident indeed! Yi Peng and Loi Krathong are actually two different festivals but both tend to overlap as they are based on the lunar calendar — from what I have come to understand. Yi Peng involves the sky lantern release, while Loi Krathong involves floating lanterns on the water. Wish I could stick around to see Loi Krathong here in Chiang Mai as well, but excited to be back on the island π
Definitely E – I am so envious that you got to go! That experience high on my bucket list!
I can definitely understand why now. It’s magical!
Lod Cave really looks magnificent! So voting for photo A π
Nice to hear from a dissenter π It was a seriously cool cave!
E all the way! The lantern release is way up high on my bucket list!
Maybe I’ll see you there next year!
I love photo E. Last year I got to celebrate Songkran for the first time in Chiang Mai but I have yet to experience the lantern festival and I so want to! It looks beautiful. Safe journey back to the island π
Thanks Amy! Can’t wait to have my feet back in the ocean!
Photo ” E ” : Image gives you the impression of a deep sense of “hope” in this life .. and “ambitious” in the infinite sky of freedom and love and beautiful wishes .. flying high in the sky .. and be an eternal flame in this vast universe ..
forward dear “Alex” and Enjoy adventures
Thank you Sameer! Best wishes to you as well π
Definitely Photo E!
Thanks for voting, Anna! π
Yay, I’ve been waiting for photos of the lantern festival. Well done, it looks so incredibly beatiful. I’m definitely voting for E!
Clear fan favorite this week π
Ok, I’m confused! I’m pretty sure the Thai people were referring to the festival as Loi Krathong, but we released lanterns into the sky, as well as floating decorated baskets on the water. Either way, it was an amazing experience π
I could very well be extremely confused myself π But regardless of what they are called, they both look like fabulous experiences!
My absolute favorite this week is Photo E!!! I’ve always wanted to go to this particular festival! Thanks for reminding me to put it up higher on my bucket list!!!
If I can help it, I’ll be going again next year too. Magic!
Everybody is saying E so I’m saying A. I love the sense of scale of the cave. I’m in Chiang Mai next week so hopefully the festivities will be hal as good as what’s in the photos.
I can’t wait to see photos of what that one is like to compare! Wish I could have attended both, you know, for research purposes π
I love the cave photo to the right in A and the lanterns in E!!! can’t wait to attend the lantern festival myself, as I have plans to move to Thailand next year! So amazing
This should definitely be on your bucket list when you arrive. Magical!
Wow, photo D! I’ve always wanted to go to a floating lantern festival, I imagine they’re one of those things that’s even more beautiful in person.
It’s truly impossible to describe. No amount of photos prepared me! I can’t wait to go again someday.