The Bua Tong Wild Mexican Sunflowers Festival starts on 11th November 2007 on the hillsides of Khun Yuam and Mae Sariang about 100 kilometres south of Mae Hong Son. The hillsides are covered in these bright yellow wild Mexican Sunflowers for a month from mid November.

Here is the weather forecast for your visit to beautiful Mae Hong Son:

http://www.tmd.go.th/en/province.php?id=3

Mae Hong Son is a truly delightful place & well worth a visit for a week during your stay in Thailand. Mrs Atchara Sitthikarn owns VR Travel and she has an excellent website with lots of information about Mae Hong Son and her staff will make you most welcome:

http://www.vr-travelmaehongson.com

I lived in Mae Hong Son for 4 years from 2001 and I enjoy visiting as often as possible. My friends Pranee & Niti Siriwat who own Rose Garden Tours in the centre of town next to the 7 Eleven have an excellent tour company with English & French speaking tour guides:

http://www.rosegarden-tours.com

Tell Pranee & Niti you were recommended by The Walking Man and enjoy your stay in this lovely & peaceful Thailand paradise.

Join us & Escape to Thailand…The Land of Happy Smiles…

http://www.walking-in-thailand.com

Keep smiling!

Yours truly

The Loy Krathong Festival in Nan is on Saturday 24th November 2007…The night of the full moon…

By sunset at 5.30 pm the riverside area will be crowded with students sitting on the ground making the Krathongs…Banana leaves, flowers, candles and incense are used to make these beautiful and intricate Krathongs or Flower Boats…Then the students place the Krathongs on tables to sell them to the hundreds of people who start arriving from 7 pm…

I will be sitting in my friend Mr Chai’s Nan Riverside Bar…Which has the best location on the riverside…Many of my Thai friends start arriving with girlfriends, relatives and visitors from other parts of Thailand…The town is in a great festive mood…There are small restaurants with tables along the river bank and these are full of diners and the beer and whiskey will be flowing faster than the river below…

Hot air balloons are for sale for Baht 20 (USCents 50) made of a large plastic bag with red, yellow or blue stripes & has a piece of wood soaked in wax as the flame…You light the wood…Fill the balloon with hot air from the flame & let it rise into the night sky…As the evening develops there are many floating away into the night sky and floating down again when the flame goes out…OR you can buy Sky lanterns & Floating water lanterns here:

http://www.chiangmaicraft.com/skylanterns.asp

People bring fireworks and let them off everywhere…The noise is deafening…You would never be allowed to do this in England these days…This Is Thailand…Where you can still have Fun…

There will be a procession through the town at sunset with many beautifully decorated floats and all these are then parked and displayed along the riverside…Food stalls abound…Later in the evening there is a beauty contest with many local Lady Boys and musical entertainment and I am sure there will be a few hangovers in town next day…

Local folk law states that it is extra lucky to float your Krathong on the river just after midnight and some big fireworks go off on the stroke of midnight as people flock to the water’s edge…I have seen Loy Krathong in many places in Thailand during my 12 years and feel Nan is the best place to be for this picturesque event…The people are relaxed, happy and smiling and very welcoming to me, a foreigner, living with them in their community…My Thanks to the People of Nan for making me so welcome…

To all my readers…You will be very welcome to join us in Nan for Loy Krathong on Saturday 24th November 2007…

Join us & Escape to Thailand…The Land of Happy Smiles…

Keep smiling!

Yours truly

The Walking Man

http://www.walking-in-thailand.com