Bday trip and Loy Krathong

Hello ~
Long time no see!

So my birthday was recently and my mom gifted me a trip to chiang mai to experience Loy Krathong aka the festival of lights together.
We took a bus from phuket to bangkok (~ 10 hours), had to wait ~ 3 hours in bangkok and then took a train from bangkok to chiang mai (~ 12 hours). After 25 hours we finally made it!

Sneaky picture from the bridge which links phuket to the mainland.

Surprisingly nearly everything is WAY cheaper than in phuket. I mean I read it before but it was still a surprise that the prices are like a third of the ones in phuket. A THIRD.

Main event was of course Loy Krathong. There was a parade and people dancing, street markets and a really nice atmosphere. You could see the sky lanters glowing in the pitch black night sky with the full moon.

 

It was the real life version to tangled. Every temple was illuminated and decorated with lanterns. Every street light was on. Residents decorated their homes with candles or fairy lights and so did the restaurants.

 

 

Loy Krathong is over the timespan of around three days (as long as the full moon is fully full) and this year the first day was busiest one. On the third day we stayed in the hotel because we were exhausted. 25 hours of traveling and then full time programm exploring the city was taking a tole on us.

On my actuall birthday we visited the zoo of chiang mai and it was wonderful. One of my favorite animals is a koala but I have never seen one until that day. We saw pandas and koalas and a lot more. It was magical.

The whole area nearby the zoo is really pretty. Maybe 3 minutes away from the zoo is a park which is lovely for walks.

Conclusion:

That whole trip was totally worth it. The expieriences and the memories I made are priceless. Loy krathong has such a beatiful atmosphere surrounding it I would say this is something you have to expierience once in your lifetime.
Chiang Mai as a whole is gorgeous. The weather is pleasant and everything is so cheap.
Two of the reasons why my mom and I have decided to move to Chiang Mai!

I hope I find a bit more motivation to keep this blog updated.
I will try my best.

xoxo

(wanna see more pictures? check me out on instagram (_maria_411) )