This month's festival pick...

Loy Krathong
Thailand’s Festival of Lights Upon the Waters

By Patrick Totty

Most experienced travelers know to stay away from Thailand in May or June, months when the country’s tropical heat and humidity reach their most oppressive levels. But later in the year, as the more northerly latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere are slipping into autumn, Thailand also becomes a different place. Seasonal rains cool down the temperatures and wash the skies clean. By November, as Thai farmers await the final ripening of their crops, the clear post-rain weather invites all sorts of celebrations and activities.

Perhaps one of Thailand’s loveliest festivals is Loy Krathong, an annual celebration that falls on the day of the November full moon. By then, the country’s rivers, canals, ponds and estuaries are brimming with water. To give thanks for this abundance, as well as have a good time waiting for the harvest to begin, Thais construct small boats, usually from banana leaves (loy means “to float” and “krathong” means “leaf cup”). They place candles and incense in them (and often small coins), light them and send the little boats sailing away on the water. On that particular November night, a bird’s eye view over Thailand would show millions of tiny lights drifting gracefully down the country’s waterways.

In many cases, Thais will launch the tiny craft with prayers, often ones asking for a successful harvest and a return of the rains at the right time next season. Along with their piety, Thais will find any excuse to set off fireworks, so Loy Krathong becomes yet another occasion to light up the sky. The juxtaposition of tiny flickering lights below and loud, dazzling explosions above makes for a memorable sight.

Loy Krathong is not the only reason for scheduling a visit to Thailand. The country’s cuisine, arts, scenery, size and culture make it one of the most varied destinations on earth. A few rules of thumb about Thailand will make your trip all the more rewarding:

In Bangkok, take public transportation – The Chao Phraya River is Bangkok’s main street, so head toward it whenever you want to get around. There are plenty of locations along the river where public water buses stop to take people about the city on their workaday errands. The fares are cheap and the schedules are frequent. If you’re approached by somebody shilling private tours, wave him off. You’ll see and experience far more of the city (and at a fraction of the price) if you ride around with ordinary Bangkokers.

Don’t eat anything but Thai food while you’re there – In Thailand, Chinese food is regarded as the ultimate cuisine, in much the same way that French food was considered the ne plus ultra in the U.S. back in the 50s and 60s. Part of that prestige is because the overseas Chinese in Thailand have risen high in commerce, and respect for their entrepreneurial skills has spilled over to their food. But what the Thais don’t often realize is that their cuisine, with its emphasis on utterly fresh ingredients and artful juxtapositions of spices and favors, is as tasty and satisfying to most hungry foreigners as any Chinese dish. If you’re lucky enough to eat at a seaside restaurant on one of the country’s more isolated beaches, don’t be surprised if your waiter takes your order, scoops up a pail and wades into the ocean to begin collecting the ingredients for your meal.

Tropical heat does not produce an emotional people – Thais are almost Germanic or Scandinavian in their phlegmatic approach to life, at least in public. On the country’s abundant two-lane roads, when Thai drivers pull out onto the opposite side to pass slower vehicles, and then realize at some point that they’re careening toward a head-on collision, they never show emotion. True, the backs of their necks will suddenly break out in trickles of sweat, and in between your own "Ohmigawds!" you’ll be able to observe their temples pulsate at a faster rate, but they will not groan, curse or otherwise indicate that they are contemplating their own deaths. (This isn’t to say that Thais’ famous reserve doesn’t occasionally break down. It does, and when it does, Thais can be as destructive as any rampaging Swede or Dutchman.)

Thais drink a lot of beer, but little of it is very good – The Germans brought beer brewing with them on their 19^th-century trade missions to Thailand. Within a short time, Thailand became an enthusiastic beer-drinking nation. The problem is that none of the brews here taste all that good. It’s almost as though nobody has his heart in the brewing endeavor. The upside here is that Thais like their beer ice cold. One of life’s sweet pleasures is to end a hot day in Thailand under some shade with a friend or two, cracking open a really cold one.

At least once, try to get lost in Bangkok – Rather than heading out for one of the city’s now ubiquitous western-style shopping malls, ask a taxi driver to take you to one of the old market sections where the streets are choked with stalls and shoppers, and your black or white American face (unless you’re of East Asian ancestry) will stand out in the crowd. Spend some time walking around one of these traditional commercial areas. It will give you a real taste (and smell and vision) of Asia. When you’re finished browsing, head for the Chao Phraya to pick up a water bus back to your hotel or hail a cab. Usually simply saying your hotel name will be enough to get you home.