Photo Essay: Yee Peng Floating Lantern Festival, Chiang Mai

The Chiang Mai regulars rave about the Yee Peng (or Yi Peng) floating lantern festival that takes place each year, and after attending the event last weekend we are now amongst the converts. It was one of the most incredible, beautiful sights we have ever seen.

Yee Peng is an ancient, traditional Lanna festival that takes place in northern Thailand to pay respect to Buddha. Chiang Mai has the biggest celebration.

After arriving hours early to take our place in the field, and waiting eagerly in the hot sun, the ceremony began with Buddhist chanting and meditation led by monks in saffron robes. It was peaceful and beautiful, but I’ll admit that by the end of the hour-long religious ceremony we were restless, having already waited for four hours. Finally we were instructed to light our candles mounted on stands throughout the field. The field was illuminated with the soft glow of thousands of flickering candles.

Then it was time to light our paper lanterns or Khom Loy. At 90 cm in diameter they weren’t the easiest things to handle between the two of us (especially as I was taking photos with one hand), and our awkwardness alerted the event staff who came to help us and make sure we didn’t set the whole thing on fire.

Once the lanterns are lit you hold them for a few minutes and wait while they fill with hot air and inflate.

The field fills with huge inflated lanterns, everyone eagerly awaiting the signal to release them.

Then, it’s time. Thousand of lanterns are released at the same moment into the night sky.

Above us, all around us, we are surrounded by glowing, floating lanterns. That one moment is one of the most magical and surreal we have ever experienced.

The sky fills with lanterns. As a reader on our Facebook page commented, like luminescent jelly fish in the deep ocean.

They float upwards surprisingly quickly.

The initial release is the most spectacular, but we didn’t want it to end, so were glad that there are a few more lantern releases.

We lit our second lantern.

And watched it join the others in the sky.

Just when we thought the event couldn’t get any more spectacular, fireworks exploded amongst the lanterns.

As the lanterns drifted further away into the black sky they looked like orange stars.

Once the final lanterns are released the jubilant mood becomes more serene. Candles flicker and gently illuminate the field while lanterns gleam overhead. A praying family reminds us that this is a religious event, a time to pay respect to Buddha.

How to Attend Yee Peng

If you would like to attend Yee Peng in future years here are some practical details.

The biggest Yee Peng (also written as Yi Peng) festival takes place in Chiang Mai every year around the end of October or November. The exact date depends on the moon cycles which the Lanna calendar is based upon. The floating lantern festival happens at around the same time as the nationwide Loy Krathong Festival which will take place around 10th November in 2011.

Yee Peng happens near the Mae Jo University about 20 km north of Chiang Mai. We drove there on a moped (which you can hire for 150 Baht/$5 a day) but you need to be fairly confident in driving on the highway and in the traffic after the event.

Alternatively you can take a songthaew (covered pick up truck that functions as a shared taxi) from the Warorot Market in Chiang Mai. It is best to arrange for a driver to pick you up afterwards  as it isn’t always possible to find a shared songthaew back.

Entrance to the festival is free. There are plenty of food stalls, and you are only allowed to use lanterns purchased inside the event (100B/$3).

The ceremony starts at 6pm. We arrived around 3pm but this was too early – 4.30pm or 5pm would have been fine.

Highlights of 1 Year in South America

Us at La Cuesta del Obispo while road tripping in Northwest Argentina

Last Tuesday we celebrated one year of travelling (and 10 days before that our blogoversary), all but four days of which were spent in South America. It’s an important milestone for us, as when we left the UK we had saved a years worth of travel funds to give us the chance to make Simon’s Line In web design business work. If we couldn’t make the digital nomad lifestyle sustainable after a year we planned to head to Asia to teach English.

Luckily we haven’t had to eat too much into our savings and we are nearing the point of breaking even each month. Our never ending voyage is set to continue – we have just moved onto Central America and have plans to visit Europe and North America in the summer.

It hasn’t always been easy (I’ll write about the challenges we’ve faced in the next post) but we have had many memorable experiences, and we don’t regret leaving at all. Here are our highlights of a year spent travelling as digital nomads in South America, visiting Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Bolivia, Peru and Colombia.

Santa Teresa, Rio de Janeiro – Brazil

Bonde (cable car) in Santa Teresa

We had a bumpy start to our new life arriving in Rio, but we were quickly won over by the charms of the Santa Teresa neighbourhood. Cobblestone streets, colourful graffiti and quiet plazas were much more our style than the high rises and busy beaches of Ipanema and Copacabana.

Ilha Grande – Brazil

Lopes Mendes beach, Ilha Grande

Unbelievably in a year in South America we only visited the beach once. We spent our first week on the island of Ilha Grande getting into the swing of the digital nomad lifestyle and avoiding the cruise ship crowds by trekking through the jungle covered hills to discover waterfalls and long stretches of white sandy beaches. We would have stayed longer but we were shocked by the prices and there’s no WiFi.

Buenos Aires – Argentina

One of many cafes in Palermo Soho

We spent two months in Buenos Aires studying Spanish and attempting to learn Tango. It’s our favourite city in South America and the one place we’d definitely like to return to. We loved the graceful architecture, excellent vegetarian restaurants, ice-cream by the half kilo (the best outside of Italy), huge parks, unique music scene, many galleries, and the funky Palermo Viejo neighbourhood.

Learning Spanish

My favourite thing about Latin America is that Spanish is spoken almost everywhere. It’s a fantastic opportunity to travel for an extended period and learn the language. We both took classes in Buenos Aires to get us started and I’ve continued with conversation classes for one week stints in Sucre, Bolivia and Medellin, Colombia.

Horse Riding

Horse riding in Tupiza, Bolivia

From age 7-18 I rode every week, but in my 20s the high prices in England put a stop to that. One of my travel priorities was to get back into horse riding and for Simon to learn too. We have loved galloping through the pampas of Argentina, Wild West landscapes of Bolivia, the Andean mountains of Peru and to a hidden waterfall in Colombia. Simon has picked it up easily and we’ll definitely be riding more in Central America.

Iguazú Falls – Argentina/Brazil

Devil's Throat, Iguazu Falls

Although we can often be disappointed by big tourist attractions, Iguazú Falls, one of the world’s largest waterfalls, lived up to expectations. Getting up close to such a thunderous volume of water is an incredible sight. We spent a few days exploring both the Brazilian and Argentine sides and taking a full moon walk to Devil´s Throat on Argentina’s bicentenary.

Couchsurfing in Small Town Paraguay

Most travellers don’t bother to visit Paraguay, which is part of the attraction – it’s not often that you get the feeling of having a country to yourselves. We enjoyed theJesuit ruins at Trinidad but Paraguay isn’t about must-see sights or activities and we had our best experience in the small town of San Juan couchsurfing with a Peace Corp volunteer. Our host introduced us to locals and took us to some crazy events like Fire Ball (football with a flaming ball) and a cowboy festival that turned into a rave.

Road Tripping in Northwest Argentina

Quebrada de Cafayate

Our best experience in Argentina was renting a car to explore the area around Salta. We loved the red rock canyons, giant cacti, vineyards of Cafayate, multi-hued mountains and pre-Incan ruins. Having the freedom of a car to explore the quiet roads past dusty villages and gauchos on their horses was an added bonus.

Bolivia’s Southwest Circuit and Salt Flats

Arbol de Piedra

When people ask us where our favourite place in South America is we say Bolivia. Argentina was a highlight as well, but Bolivia is unique and we had many incredible experiences there. Our jeep trip through the southwest from Tupiza to Uyuni was the most mind blowing – we spent four days at a dizzying altitude of between 4000-5000 metres passing deserts, colourful lakes, volcanoes, flamingos, llamas and giant salt flats.

Sucre – Bolivia

Mercado Central, Sucre

Sucre is probably the most liveable city in Bolivia. We fell for the sunny climate, white colonial buildings, cobbled streets, vibrant market and friendly people. It’s my top pick for Spanish classes too.

Playing With Monkeys in Samaipata – Bolivia

In the chilled mountain town of Samaipata we visited a small wildlife refuge and discovered that monkeys love Simon. He ended up with one on his head and another leading him around the garden!

Spotting Wildlife in the Amazon – Bolivia

Capybara

Our pampas trip in the Bolivian Amazon region had its ups and downs but it’s hard to complain when you are canoeing so close to hundreds of alligators, capybara, turtles and squirrel monkeys.

Cusco – Peru

View from our hotel in San Blas, Cusco

Cusco is the most touristy place in South America and the only place we saw tour groups in shiny buses, but the ancient Incan city is gorgeous and it’s easy to escape the crowds by wandering aimlessly. It’s also the launching point for a visit to Machu Picchu, which we enjoyed despite feeling it was overrated and overpriced.

Circuito Magico del Agua, Lima – Peru

Fountain at Circuito Magico del Agua

Most people don’t like Lima but for us it was worth visiting just for the wonderful vegetarian restaurant Alma Zen and the Circuito Magico del Agua (Magic Circuit of Water). It’s a park full of many different water fountains that’s only open at night to take advantage of the colourful light displays. It’s a fun and unique night out.

Volunteering in Rural Peru

Quechua woman cooking up a vat of potatoes at a community event

Simon’s 30th birthday treat was staying at a comfortable mountain lodge far away from it all in the Peruvian Andes near Huaraz. After a few days reading by the fire, enjoying glacier views and horse riding, we came to an agreement with the owner and exchanged creating a website for their NGO for accommodation and food -  we ended up staying for nearly three weeks. It was an interesting experience to stay in a rural Quechua community with no cars, helping out at the local school and attending acommunity event complete with 50 cooked guinea pigs (we didn’t partake!).

Tropical Fruit

Weird chontaduro fruit, Colombia

I enjoyed açai juice in Brazil and fresh orange juice from street carts in Bolivia but nowhere beats Colombia for tropical fruit. The range is incredible and I made it my mission to try as many weird fruits I had never heard of as possible (guide coming soon). Best of all fresh juices are varied and very affordable and you can buy pre-cut mango, pineapple or watermelon for just 1000 pesos ($0.50) on streets everywhere.

Jardín – Colombia

Cafes line Jardin's plaza

We didn’t explore Colombia as much as we had planned after spending two months in Medellin, but our first stop was an excellent choice. You won’t find Jardín in the guidebooks, which is part of its charm as we were the only gringos in town. There are many pretty villages to explore in the coffee region near Medellin, but we chose Jardín for the chance to horse ride to La Cueva del Esplendor – a waterfall within a cave. Mostly we just loved chilling in the town’s colourful plaza and people watching.

Meeting Other Travel Bloggers

Bloggers lunch in Medellin. Left to right: Roman, Scott Kobewka, Lainie of Raising Miro, Us, Yev the Maverick Traveler, Go Big Mike, Miro

Colombian Fruit: My Mission to Try Them All

My favourite thing about Colombia was the fruit: delicious, cheap, plentiful and there are so many unusual varieties to try. You have the usual tropical fruit like pineapple, mango, papaya and watermelon but there are many more including some that are only available in Colombia or nearby countries.

I made it my mission during our 2.5 month stay to try as many Colombian fruits as I could. There is a bewildering array so I have documented it here so you know which ones to look out for on your visit.

Passionfruit – There are a number of passionfruits in Colombia:

Maracuya – This oval yellow passionfruit is the most common variety. It’s ripe when the hard skin is wrinkly. You cut it in half and scoop out the gunky insides which are full of small seeds. I liked it on my granola, but due to the tart flavour it is more common in delicious juices – one of my favourites.

Gulupa – A smaller, less common version of maracuya with a dark purple skin. This inside is similar but I preferred it to maracuya as although it’s still tart it’s a little sweeter.

Granadilla – A round, orange passionfruit with crunchy blue seeds in the gooey gunk. It’s much sweeter and milder so is better for eating alone rather than as juice. Another tasty addition to my granola.

Curuba – The banana passionfruit is a longer version in a small banana shape. I didn’t like this too much as although the gunk tasted fine the seeds were bitter and difficult to avoid.

Lulo – A very typical Colombian fruit that is only found there and in neighbouring Ecuador (where it’s known as naranjilla). It isn’t the easiest fruit to eat – it needs to be eaten when very soft, there are seeds to deal with and it’s a bit tart, so it’s usually used for juice. Jugo de Lulo is wonderful and refreshing with a sweet, almost sherbet flavour. Simon says it tastes like skittles (the sweet/candy). Don’t miss it.

Pitahaya- Also known as dragon fruit I enjoyed the pink version in Asia and here it is yellow. The spiky skin reveals a white filling with small black seeds. It’s tasty and sweet and can be eaten scooped out with a spoon. It is quite expensive compared to other fruit here, and not as easily found.

Mora – These small purple berries are very similar to blackberries with a tart flavour. It makes an excellent juice.

Feijoa – It looks like a small green cucumber with light brown/orangey flesh inside that I scooped out with a small spoon. I thought it was tasty – quite sweet, aromatic, and not too many seeds. It’s also known as pineapple guava or guavasteen.

Uchuva –This orange fruit is the size of a cherry tomato and grows inside a papery wrap. They manage to be sweet and sour at the same time.

Guayaba – Guava is popular and cheap in Colombia and is supposed to be very nutitious. The skin is edible but mine was too bitter so I stuck to the mild, pleasant pink flesh. I found the hard seeds annoying though.

Guayaba Manzana -The apple guava is much bigger, round, green on the outside with a white inside. It tastes just like guayaba and has the same hard seeds.

Guanábana- Another Colombian classic the soursop is a strange looking thing. It’s huge with a green spiky skin and a slimy white inside. It’s messy to eat so it’s best to stick to the juice. The juice wasn’t bad but I found it a bit strange– it looks like milk and has an unusual but mild flavour.

Tomate de Arbol –The tree tomato aka tamarillo is tomatoey as you’d expect. It isn’t sweet and although I liked it raw it’s usually consumed as juice or boiled in sugar. It’s oval shaped with a dark, orangey red inside and small black seeds that are OK to eat.

Carambolo – The starfruit has a mild flavour, that doesn’t taste of much to me. It looks cool though. Note: I’ve since had starfruit in Costa Rica and it had a much more tart taste.

Níspero – This unusual fruit is round with a rough brown skin. The pale orange inside also has a slightly rough texture and a sweet, malty taste. There are a few large black seeds but they are easy to remove. Apparently it tastes like chocolate as a juice.

Zapote -It looks like níspero but is smaller.

Chontodura –This bright red fruit is orange inside and looks like sweet potato. I had never heard of it before but was told by the vendor it’s from the Pacific Coast. Doing some research I think it’s also called pejibaye in other countries. I bought what I thought was a juice but it turned out to be fermented and I laterdiscovered: “A strong alcoholic drink is made by allowing the raw, sugared flesh to stand for a few days until it ferments. This is prohibited in some parts of tropical America.“

Caimito – The Caribbean coast has many new fruits to try. I saw this dark purple fruit on a street stall in Cartagena and jumped at the chance to add to my exploration. It’s also known as star apple and the white filling has a mild, grape-like flavour I liked.

Corozo – Another Caribbean addition this small red fruit is only consumable as juice. It’s a bit like cranberry and is delicious.

Despite my mission I didn’t get to try all Colombian fruits. Some I couldn’t find include mamoncillo, anona, and borojo so look out for them on your visit to Colombia.