Loy Krathong

Tomorrow is the holiday called Loy Krathong... my favorite Thai holiday. It is kind of like Valentine's day. Everybody gets dressed up in traditional Thai dress and then goes and Loy (floats) Krathong. Krathong are little flower floats with incense and candles that you and your lover send down the river (or out to sea) with your hopes and wishes. Alternatively, you can use flying krathong, which are little hot air balloons that you set aloft in the night sky.

Unfortunately, Most krathongs are a slab of styrofoam, and the balloons are white plastic bags. Needless to say, cleanup on the day following Loy Krathong is always a painful sight, with the beaches of Pattaya and Jomtien literally covered with styrofoam and plastic bags.

Things are changing however: I saw that Carrefour was selling bread krathongs that are obviously much friendlier for the fish.

Took and I went to the local Thai formal dress shop and rented a pretty blue dress for her to wear tomorrow. They didn't have any shirts that fit me, so I'm having a nice blue silk overshirt made. (Overshirt is my invented word for something that isn't quite a blazer, but more substantial than a shirt.)

We'll cut quite a figure on Walking Street tomorrow evening.

I gave Go 200 baht for doing so well over her first couple of days. Bless her heart: She went out and bought things to make her own little krathong, which she politely asked permission if she could float in my pool tomorrow night.