When Should I Visit Thailand? Part 2
In Part 1, I started to break down the best time to visit Thailand based on festivals, ending with the month of May. I’ll continue today and take you through some of the world’s most colorful and sometimes outlandish festivals. Some of these festivals invite visitors to participate and even join in the preparation and parade. I suggest you arrive a day or two before the event is scheduled and stay flexible as I have seen a festival delayed by a day at one festival. It was announced that “We just aren’t ready yet.” When you see how elaborate some of the pageantries are, plus the fact that each year events get even grander, you’ll understand.
The Chiang Mai Cough
Before I get rolling I want to address a serious matter that I haven’t talked about before and that is the horrible air pollution that blankets the northern region of Thailand from February through April. Having lived in Chiang Mai for three years, I can say it is awful and life-threatening. The government is now focusing their attention on this matter so it will probably be fixed any day now.
Some of our favorite festivals take place around the middle of May. Many of these are in the northeastern part of Thailand which takes you off the beaten path. Don’t worry, there’s plenty to see in this region and I’ll cover that later. The first of these is the Rocket Festival. The sound of a PVC pipe packed with 100kg of black gunpowder whooshing skyward is a sight to behold. The parade that precedes launch day is Not to be missed either. Here’s a link to our blog about the Rocket Festival.
Other May Events
Other events during the month include the Royal Ploughing Ceremony, in Bangkok; Hua Hin Jazz Festival, Ko Samui Yacht Regatta, and the Chiang Mai Inthakin City Pillar Festival. I wouldn’t plan a special trip to Chiang Mai to see the Inthakin Festival, but if you’re already in Chiang Mai and survived the smog season then, by all means, have a look. Around the end of the month or early in June is the Buddhist holiday of Visakha Bucha. This holiday is celebrated all over Thailand with the highlight coming in the evening at almost every temple. Read More Here. It’s important that there is no, repeat no booze served on this or other Buddhist holidays so prepare accordingly or use it as an excuse to give your Liver a vacation.
July
This brings us to the June/July period when two must-see festivals take place. The Phi Ta Khon or Ghost Festival is celebrated in the small town of Dan Sai in the province of Loei. If you take my advice and plan on seeing this festival plan far in advance or expect to stay in larger neighboring cities and hire a taxi, private car, or bus to see the festival. If the photo above doesn’t convince you to attend, be sure to check out the blog.
Back to Isaan
Ubon Ratchathani Candle Festival, the other must-see festival of this time period, takes place in the northeastern part of the Kingdom. Although the parade is the highlight of the festival, we enjoyed visiting the different temples in Ubon to watch the floats being made. Here’s a link to our 2 part blog. We’re big fans of the Northeastern Thailand or Isaan as it’s called and I think you’ll be a fan too after your visit. There’s so much to see, do, and eat in this region that we’ve considered making an ISAAN 180º book! Someday!
If you’re in Sakon
October’s Mixed Bag
If bareback buffalo racing is your thing, then head to the Buffalo Racing Festival in the province of Chonburi. I confess that I don’t have photos of this event as a fish-eye lens just isn’t the right tool for covering this and living to tell about it. You see, I have a fear of speeding buffaloes and after seeing this fun event on YouTube I think it’s well founded. My attempts to photograph buffaloes is documented in this blog buried deep in our archives. Of course, visitors that don’t need to stick their camera in Mr. Buffalo’s face while he’s racing are safe.
Also around this time is the Hungry Ghost Festival in Nakhon Si Thammarat and the Vegetarian Festival. Although the Hungry Ghost Festival may not be for everyone, we Loved it. I think this is one of those things where a little background information will help you get more out of it. Part 1 and 2 of our blog have first place ranking on Google so we must have done something right!
If you think the Vegetarian Festival is a mild-mannered event with a bunch of people grazing on veggies, Think Again! Oh sure, there’s enough vegetarian food on offer to make a carnivore cry but perhaps the biggest attraction is witnessing the faithful who stick pointed objects through their face while possessed by the god Ma Song and in a trance. I put a tame photo above in case you’re squeamish about such things, but there’s plenty of photos on our blog here. I list this festival as a disturbing must-see and it’s celebrated in Phuket, Trang, Krabi, Bangkok, and Chiang Mai. Again, check the internet for exact times and locations on this and ALL the festivals in this blog.
Much More to Come!
Well, after October there’s nothing going on in Thailand so you may as well head home. I’m joking because I think you know that two of the most highly anticipated and photogenic festivals take place in November, along with two of our favorite yet little known festivals involving animals. I’ll cover those and start to make a list of attractions and things-to-do and eat in the Kingdom, other than festivals in part 3 and 4. Heck, now that I think of it, the blog may extend into a fifth part. Subscribe below and follow us on FaceBook so you don’t miss out.
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About the Authors
Photographer George Edward Giunca, and his Thai wife have traveled around Thailand armed with a circular fisheye lens to create a photo essay on the rich cultural diversity, and abundant natural beauty of the Kingdom of Thailand. Fleeing from angry water buffaloes, slapping huge mosquitoes, watching exotic festivals and religious rituals, gorging on delicious spicy food, applying aloe vera cream to sunburned skin, wading through rice paddies, getting drenched to the bone by heavy monsoon rains, and gawking at breath-taking scenery; made it a journey of epic proportions! The result is the book, THAILAND 180º. Later, they traveled extensively through Myanmar, Malaysia, and India, gathering a massive collections of 180º photos. They currently live in Chiang Mai where they continue to blog and are now working on a CHIANG MAI 180º book.
Here’s How to Order Your Copy of THAILAND 180º Collectors EditionToday!
In Thailand —>>>http://www.thailand180.com/thaiorder.html
The Rest of the world: We are offering our book on Amazon.com, below list price and I’ll pay for the shipping within the United States! http://amzn.to/1knDPRR
Not Familiar with Our Book???
This show details the origin of 180 Books, a series of art/travel books illustrated with a circular fisheye lens. By using infographics, pictures from our THAILAND 180º book, and never seen before images from our vault, we’ll demonstrate this unique lens and present our unique books.
Also, because there’s nothing to watch on TV, here’s a trailer about our book, “THAILAND 180”
Above is an interactive map of Thailand. If you click on a marker it reveals a photo from our THAILAND 180º book and a link to our blog article about the photo. Go Ahead~ Start Exploring ~Have Some Fun!
