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There are so many sites that suggest what you should be trying on holiday? Is there anywhere that i must go? Many people try to point you in the direction of things you should do, so why not instead have an article that tells you what not to do? (more…)

Right People always ask, what should I try when I am on holiday? Is there anywhere that i must go? Now although all of these things can help you to enjoy your holiday, what should you avoid doing on these holidays? (more…)

All Thailand Experiences. Tour Thailand for Free

Please take notice that any text that is underlined is
clickable to photos and more information.

Wellness and Pampering Tour

We have selected the best Spas in Chiang Mai, Phuket and Phi Phi Island for this wellness holiday vacation. You will enjoy the beautiful mountains and beaches along with learning to live a healthy lifestyle, Thai culture, massage, yoga and how to cook Thai food. All this with a little soft adventure including elephant riding, hiking in the real rain forest, island hopping and snorkeling. More information including photos and video, click here.

Family with Children Tour

This is an all exclusive package for those who are traveling with children. Everyone will be fully entertained including the adults. It includes watching Giant Pandas, the largest Aquarium in Asia, boat rides, Elephant riding, Night Safari, Cultural Experiences, swimming, snorkeling and meals that cater to children as well as adults. More information including photos and video, click here.

Jungle Survival Tour

Real Thailand Jungle Adventure spending 1 full night in a hut made in front of you by your experienced jungle guides, 1 night in a remote hill tribe village and 1 more deep in the rain forest in a bamboo bungalow. learn how to make eating utensils from the forest and cook in bamboo. More information including photos, click here.

Exotic Bird Watching Tour The colorful migrartory birds are here until late March. Join us on a 1, 2 or 3 day BIRD WATCHING TRIP with our local experienced birding guide. More info, photos and video

Learn to survive in the real jungle

Trekking through the jungle can be a wonderful experience or it can be a nightmare. If your guide has little or no experience it could be a disaster. The environmental impact of taking people in the jungle must also be taken into consideration.

Our guides have lived with the jungle for decades and know of its importance for us, the wildlife, and other hill tribes. They need the jungle for harvesting herbs, spices, medicines, fruits, berries, mushrooms, and vegetables. They know of its rewards as well as it’s dangers.

4 Day/3 Night All Inclusive Jungle Adventure

Getting fresh food at the market.

DAY ONE
You will depart Chiang Mai at 9 am by private vehicle and travel high in the mountains 90 Kilometers north of Chiang Mai to an altitude about 1400 meters. Along the way we will stop at a local market to purchase food needed for the trip. We will arrive at a beautiful quiet Lahu village where we have our lunch before we start hiking for about 4 hours in old growth forest trail with tall trees and beautiful vistas to another village and overnight.

Lahu village

dinner in the village

our beds in the village.

DAY TWO

This morning after an all you can eat breakfast of toast, jam, eggs, fruit, coffee, and tea we start our journey. Your guide will purchase a live chicken to take along for dinner tonight. We will hike up into the mountains passing colorful hill tribe people working their Tea fields on almost vertical slopes. We will then follow a stream passing many waterfalls as we enter the jungle.

We will stop many times to harvest wild fruits and berries along with mushrooms, bamboo shoots, herbs and spices. Your guide will explain the many medical uses for some of the plants growing wild in the jungle.

hiking in the jungle

Harvesting wild berries

We will stop at a waterfall to enjoy a hearty lunch the guides brought along for us. One of the guides will travel ahead of us to spot colorful birds, orchids, wild flowers, butterflies, and interesting wildlife to show to us.

Around three or four in the afternoon we will reach our camp site where we will spend the evening. Our guides will place banana leaves on a bamboo frame that will be our hut for sleeping. All cups, rice bowls, chopsticks, spoons, and cooking utensils will be made out of bamboo.

The rice will be wrapped in banana leaves and placed in bamboo. Vegetables and spices harvested from the jungle and food brought along with us will be placed in bamboo tubes for cooking. Chicken is placed on bamboo sticks and cooked over the fire. While the guides are preparing your delicious dinner, you can freshen up at a nearby waterfall. Dinner is served by candle light.

making a hut

dinner is served.

DAY THREE

After a hearty breakfast we continue through the jungle for a 4 hour hike to our primitive bamboo bungalow in the forest.We will arrive in time for lunch then walk 10 minutes to a waterfall where you can relax for a while or take a swim. Then back to the bungalow where you can make your own cups and bowls from bamboo, your guide will instruct you. You will then learn to prepare and cook Thai food for dinner. Dinner and overnight here at the bungalow. Cold beer and soft drinks are available for purchase to drink around the camp fire.

Day Four

This morning after a nice breakfast we walk along a stream for 3 hours to a nice village
where you will visit the school and have lunch. Our vehicle will meet us here for the
ride back to Chiang Mai and your hotel or guest house.

End Tour

Before we can quote you a price we will first need to know the options
you would like, how many persons in your party, if you need air or train
tickets Bangkok – Chiang Mai – Bangkok and type of accommodations in Chiang
Mai if needed.</P

Helping Orphaned and needy children in Thailand through the sale of donuts.

Objective:
To create a sustainable way to raise funds for already well established orphan children’s homes in Thailand.

Why:
With the state of the economic situation today many Orphaned children’s homes here in Thailand are struggling trying to meet the children’s and the home’s daily needs through donations. Constant monthly or yearly donations are becoming a burden, which many previous or potentially new donors just can’t commit to during these hard times.

Here are a few of the more than 50 orphaned hill tribe children in 3 children’s homes that receive help from some of the profits from those who tour with us at our company All Thailand Experiences Basic needs such as clothes, school supplies, blankets, pillows, shoes, socks and school uniforms are always in constant demand.

Solution:
With a small one time donation as little as $5 by several people can make all the difference. This donation will help purchase push carts and cooking supplies to make donuts to sell on the city streets here in Thailand. The total cost to completely purchase everything needed for 1 donut stand is just under $600 US dollars.

How It Works:
The Thai donut or “Bah-tong-go” is very popular. People on their way to work or school love to buy these for breakfast along with coffee, Milo or Soy milk. They usually buy a good amount to share with friends and office workers. The donuts are very cheap at only 3 Thai baht each. Most of these Thai donut stands are at morning markets but few are actually on the street.

My wife Ning (white bow in her hair) gives food to the house mother at one of the childrens homes.

The house mother gives milk we donated to the children at one of the homes.

We have agreements with several merchants on busy streets and intersections to let us keep the push carts at their establishment when not in use. At 6 AM the carts will be placed on the sidewalk in front of the establishment and will begin cooking and selling donuts and beverages. Traffic is heavy in these areas however cars and motorbikes can pull into the establishment’s parking lot right next to the donut cart. At 9:30 AM the stand closes and the cart pushed back to its parking space at the rear of the merchant’s establishment and locked.

Many people like to eat at the donut stand so we have stools and a couple of small tables for those who would rather eat there. Many people do come to these stands to talk and meet with friends. People jogging or riding bikes for their morning exercise like to stop at the stands for a couple of donuts and coffee as a break.

The dough needs to be made the evening before and we already have a large mixer and will be made in our home.

CHRISTMAS 2008

This is the Orphaned Children’s first Christmas. My wife Ning gets the gifts ready.

This small Hill Tribe Children’s Home in Mae Chem takes care of 10 children.

We delivered warm coats, stuffed animals and lots of toys.

We thank you for helping us take care of these great children.

Financial benefit:
The average profit from 1 donut stand is around 2000 Thai baht per day. Doesn’t sound like much but in Thailand that is a very good wage. We then pay 2 persons managing the stand 500 Thai baht each. For 3 hours work or so is very good money. We know how many donuts can be made per kilo of dough so the person managing the stand will not be able to cheat or take money. The rest of the profits go to the well established Orphan children’s homes.

Future plans:
We would love to have at least 10 of these donuts stands in Chiang Mai Thailand for starters. There is no limit on how many stands we can have all over Thailand. All the carts will have Donut’s for Orphans written in Thai on them so people know if they make a purchase it is helping the children.

Click on the thumbnail (left) or the text to see a video of a Thai donut stand as I ride my bicycle around my neighborhood. You will also see a guy who ran his car into a canal, monks collecting alms and more.

Click on the thumbnail (left) or the text to see 2 of the 3 hill tribe orphan Children Homes we support through our tour operation here in Thailand, All Thailand Experiences. Clothes, shoes, socks, school supplies, school uniforms are in constant demand.

Project Manager:
All Thailand Experiences has been helping Orphaned and needy children in Thailand since 1995. To read how they use money from their tours and adventures in Thailand visit here. To read about the founder and his passion for helping the children and sustainable tourism go here.

To make a Donation Through PayPal contact: allthai@all-thailand-exp.com
You will be sent an official PayPal invoice so you can make the donation and have a record of your payment.

This is an excellent 2 or 3 day trip away from the normal tourist crowds in North Thailand. You will be experiencing Thai and Hill Tribe culture in one of the most beautiful areas in Thailand. You will also enjoy elephant riding in the rain forest and white water raft in the Grand Canyon of Thailand at Ob Luang Gorge National Park.

Day 1
This morning we will greet you at your hotel in Chiang Mai and take you to Mae Wang for a 1 hour elephant ride. We then go to Doi Inthanon National Park for lunch at the birding center. We than take a trail for 3 hours to a beautiful waterfalls and visit a Karen hill tribe village and coffee shop. We then travel to Mae Chem and visit the local market and then to your bungalow. Across the road from the bungalows is an hill tribe childrens orphanage home, which you can visit with us if you like. Overnight in your bungalow with fan or air conditioning. The facilities at the bungalows include a very large swimming pool, childrens pool and restaurant serving local Northern Thai and western dishes (L)

Day 2
This morning we travel to Ob Luang National Park and walk the 1.2 kilometer trail to see 3000 year old rock paintings. We then board rubber rafts for the 1 hour white water raft trip through the mountain canyons. We will then have lunch and return to Chiang Mai(B,L,)

OPTIONAL Extra Evening and Day
After lunch at Ob Luang we travel to Doi Tao Lake. Here we will board our very comfortable raft with toilet. The raft will be pulled by a small long tail boat around the lake. Overnight will be on the raft with an excellent vew of the stars at night. Fishing equipment will be available for those wishing to fish. Dinner and breakfast will be prepared on the raft and we can cook the fish you caught. We will supply comfortable tents, matress, pillows, sheets and blankets on the raft. A generator and electricity is available or just candles, up to you.

Day 3
Return to Chiang Mai with lunch along the way. (B,L).

created by
All Thailand Experiences. and "Welcome to Chiang Mai & Chiang Rai" Magazine.

If you don’t have much time and want to go elephant riding, do a little rafting and spend the night in a traditional hill tribe village… this is the program for you. You can find the details about this trip and many others in Thailand by visiting the All Thailand Experiences web site.

When friends come and visit us in Chiang Mai, it is usually in late November, when it is nice and cool and the rains have ended. Since we are all now getting up in years, a rough trek to the hill tribe villages and long walks through the jungle is not our idea of fun. However, we all still want to enjoy the hill tribe people and the fantastic scenery on North Thailand. Believe it or not, this can be done while still avoiding most of the tourist crowds.
To enjoy a wonderful experience in North Thailand, you will need to speak a little Thai, but if you don’t speak the language, the best way to go is to hire a guide. Since my wife is a Thai national and I speak Thai, this is not a problem for us.

We packed up our vehicle and left Chiang Mai around 9am by vehicle and visited the Hill Tribe Museum. This is a good starting point so you can learn about the hill tribe peoples, customs, and traditions. To get there, we drove on Highway 107 toward Mae Rim and looked for a sign indicating a left turn into Ratchamangkala Park. After turning and a few minutes’ drive, we came to the museum, a pavilion near a large lake.

The daily lives of the various hill tribe peoples are illustrated through exhibits of photographs, agricultural implements, household utensils, artifacts associated with the various traditional religions, musical instruments, and ethnic costumes. Some exhibits include models dressed in complete traditional costumes depicting daily activities, such as a Hmong family having a meal or a Lisu man serenading his sweetheart. The museum is open on weekdays from 9am to 4pm, and a slide and video show is available from 10am to 2pm daily except Sunday.

From here we went back to Highway 107 and continued north past Mae Rim, past the turn off to Mae Hong Son

in Mae Malai (Highway 1095), and through Mae Taeng. Once you past Mae Taeng, go up the hill and a few kilometers more to a big sign on your left that says Mae Taaman. You will turn left here and travel about 7km to a quiet elephant camp. You can’t miss it, as it is before the village and you will see elephants on your left. Turn onto the parking lot.

Now, for what we did here, you will need to make reservations in advance. Again, you can do this through your guide or tour operator.

When we arrived, everyone went straight to the baby elephant pen. We all bought bananas and sugar cane to feed the two babies. The manager of the elephant camp came up to us and asked if we were ready for our little adventure. This included a 1-hour elephant ride through streams and over mountains and then a transfer to an ox cart for a 20-minute ride to our bamboo raft and a 50-minute raft ride. We then transferred to a four-wheel vehicle for the short ride to a Lisu hill tribe village. Here we will spend the evening with our host Lisu hill tribe family and guide and enjoyed their way of life. Toilet and showers are available here, but there is no electricity.

When the elephants arrived, we walked up the steps to a boarding platform, where we got into the seat that holds two persons on the back of the elephant. We took off and right away headed for the stream. When we came to the bank, the elephant had to go down and the front bar kept us from sliding off. It was a little scary at first, but after you do this a few times, you learn where to hold on and it was kind of fun. Once we settled down from the excitement of being so high off the ground and started into the jungle, we heard shouting from our friends on the elephant in font of us, “Our elephant stopped and is shaking. What’s going on!!” When we could get around the bend, we could see that their elephant was urinating. We are talking gallons here. When an elephant urinates, its whole body shakes something like being in the massage chairs at the airport. Not only that, but an elephant eats constantly while walking in the jungle. This means it passes gas a lot and everyone got a real kick out of this. We continued on swaying gently on the elephants back with the sound of birds and of the elephants constantly passing gas.

We traveled through stands of bamboo, and it seemed that the elephants never stopped eating, pulling the top tender bamboo branches with their trunks and eating them. There are not many trees here, and the ones we did see were newly planted within the past 10 years or so. We came back and crossed the river again to a Thai village. Here we got off the elephants at another platform, walked down the steps, and purchased more bananas and fed them to the elephants as a tip. We then tipped our elephant handlers and were led to an ox cart harnessed to two white cows.

I usually don’t like to ride bamboo rafts, as they have to cut the bamboo from the forest. However, this place uses the rafts over and over for at least 1 year. We asked the manager if we needed to take anything with us and she said, “Just your camera, money, and passport, as everything else will be taken to the Lisu village for you”. We gave her our packs with the stuff we needed for our overnight stay in the village and locked everything else in the car.

This is not your normal ox cart, as it had two comfortable, padded bench seats and was covered to keep us out of the sun. The ride was kind of boring, as we stayed on the paved road back to the elephant camp. Next time, I will give this a miss. As I had never done an ox-cart ride before, I needed to do it so I could check it off my list of thing to do when in Thailand.

We were then led down to the river to get on our bamboo raft. The four of us were told to sit down on the two benches and face forward, which we did. There were two men on the raft with long bamboo poles, one at the front and one at the back. They pushed off and away we went.

I have been rafting many times in Thailand but in rubber rafts through real jungle, so this was also boring for me. My friends loved it, slowly traveling down the river with the raft men pushing us away from the rocks along the banks. We saw a few colorful kingfishers gliding through the air and children playing in the river and shouting, “Hello.” Elephants that had finished their days’ work riding tourists on their backs were eating the bamboo on the hillside. The rafting was relaxing, but I wouldn’t want to do this in the heat in the afternoon. Make sure you wear a hat and put on sunblock.

When we got back to the shore, we were greeted by a Thai man who would drive us to the Lisu village in his pick-up truck. First, we were to return to the elephant camp, where we had a wonderful Thai lunch along the river at their restaurant. After eating, we jumped in the back of the pick-up and away we went. The drive was only about 15 minutes or so on a dirt road through a small mountain canyon and across a stream and there we were.

The village was very clean, with only about 10 homes or so. What surprised us was their beautiful, well-kept garden and also that the village was surrounded by trees. Most hill tribes do clear cut, slash, and burn farming. Later, I found out from the village headman that the elephant camp owns the land and helps them with funds and money for building projects. He stated that the villagers moved here from high in the mountains because it was close to schools for their children and a much better way of life.

The village headman, Asapa, and his son, who spoke English, greeted us, and we were taken to his home to meet their family. We took our shoes off and entered his home. We were given a cup of green tea, which we sipped, and started asking questions. One question I had was why the houses were built like those of the Karen or Lahu hill tribes up on stilts instead of with dirt floor on the ground like most Lisu homes. He told me that although they stick to Lisu customs and culture, the homes more reflected a combination of hill tribe and Thai houses, which were more comfortable and sturdy. I had to agree that the house was very cool and one of the cleanest hill tribe homes I have ever been in.

We went back outside and enjoyed playing with the children, spinning large tops and shooting crossbows at targets. We spent the rest of the day walking around the village, watching women sewing and making beaded bracelets and necklaces. No one ever asked us to buy anything, but when we saw something we liked and asked how much it was, they were glad to make a sale. We were allowed to take pictures, but we had to ask, as some do not want their picture taken.

This village was great, and we learned about their farming methods, how the children got to school, who lived in which house, and how many there were in the families. I am sure they got tired of answering all our questions.

We were all starting to get a little hungry when Alipa, the headman’s son, brought two plates of sliced ripe mangos. My wife asked what was for dinner and she was taken into the house and shown fresh meat and vegetables that our driver had brought along when he dropped us off here. My lovely Thai wife and Alipa’s wife, Weepha, started making the dinner.

While the dinner was being prepared, 20 or so Lisu men and women, boys, and girls formed two circles in front of us. The boys and men formed an inside circle and the women and girls were on the outside circle. They had all showered and changed from their colorful work clothes into there even more colorful evening costumes. The men usually wear T-shirts and Lisu baggy pants, and the girls wear traditional dresses, which are easy to work in during the day. The children had changed from their school uniforms into their traditional costumes.

Asapa came out of his home in his black Lisu clothes and hat carrying a long musical instrument made of five bamboo pipes fastened to a gourd at the bottom end. Five holes were drilled in the gourd, where he put his fingers. He got into the center of the circle and began playing. It kind of sounded like a flute but also had a bass note that added a beat. As he was playing and marching in the center, the girls and boys joined hands and began dancing around the outside in their respective circles. It didn’t take long before we all joined in. Just when some of us were getting the hang of it, “Dinner’s ready,” my wife announced.

We went back into the house and sat on the floor. Dinner was mountain rice; a lemongrass soup; a Lisu pork dish mixed with vegetables, which was not spicy; a very spicy chicken red curry; and fresh stir-fried vegetables. It was more than we could eat.

We went back outside and sat under the tree, and the children came around to talk with us. I asked where the pigs were kept, as I knew that Lisu people like to eat black pig, which is much sweeter than the store-bought commercial white pigs. In true Lisu tradition, they are being kept in pens far away from the house and streams.

It was getting dark and a little chilly, so we put on our jackets and sat around a campfire that was made for us. In the house, the beds were being made up for us on the living room floor. Everyone took turns going to the bathroom and taking showers. Weepha even heated water for us to bathe with.

The mattresses were comfortable, sleeping two persons on each mattress. We were given clean blankets and pillows and got ready to go to sleep. I reminded everyone to put on their ear plugs, or at least keep them handy, as at 3am, the roosters would start crowing. Soon, we all fell asleep while listening to the village sounds, people talking softly, children laughing, pigs snorting at times, and chickens flapping their wings as they go into the trees to roost.

My wife was the first one to wake up saying, “It’s cold. I’m going outside to stand by the fire.” It was just getting light outside as I lay there listening to the sound of women talking softly and the wonderful sound of a dull ka-chunk, ka-chunk, which was the rice pounder taking the husks off the grains of rice. This is a morning ritual in a hill tribe village. The rice pounder (as I call it) is a long beam with a fulcrum near one end. On the other end is a round piece of wood attached to the beam pointing down into a wooden hollowed-out log set into the ground vertically. Two women put their feet on the beam at end opposite of hollowed log and press down. They then release their feet from the beam and the opposite end crashes into the hollowed log filled with un-husked rice.

When I got up and put my clothes on, everyone was already awake and drinking coffee or tea. The girls were now taking the rice and placing it in large, round bamboo plates and tossing it into the air. The gently breeze blew the husks away to leave nice white rice kernels in the bottom. The sun was just coming up but yet to peek over the mountains, and a foggy mist was lingering from the ground up at about 2 feet or so. Smoke was coming from the homes of people cooking rice and their breakfast, which my wife and Weepha were doing.

Since it was a weekday, the children of school age were dressed in their school uniforms carrying their little backpacks. We waited with them for the school bus to arrive, which was a large truck with benches and steel cage with a door in the back. We waved them a goodbye while they were all screaming, “Bye Bye.” The village seamed deserted, as most were already leaving for work in town or to work in the gardens. The women who worked in the gardens put on their traditional colorful work clothes, and the men were back in their baggy bright blue or green Lisu pants and T-shirts. The only ones left in the village were children too young to start school and the grandparents that took care of them, all in traditional dress.

We ate our breakfast, which was rice porridge with minced pork, green onions, roasted garlic ginger, and parsley. We then got our things together as the truck from the elephant camp came to pick us up. We said good bye to Asapha, Alipa, Weepha, and Asapha’s wife, who we never found out what her name was. We got into the truck and went back to the elephant camp, loaded everything into our vehicle, and headed back to Chiang Mai.

We got to my house, where everyone took a shower. We then headed to the handicraft factories in Sangkhampaeng and had a great lunch then on to Doi Inthanon National Park. That is a whole different story that I will share with you in another journal.

Created by
All Thailand Experiences

Helping orphaned and abandoned children in Thailand.

Our company, All Thailand Experiences, provides eco-culture friendly tours and soft adventures in Thailand away from the normal tourist crowds. At the same time profits from the tours help needy children in Thailand.

Here are a few of the more than 50 orphaned hill tribe children in 3 childrens homes near Chiang Mai Thailand that receive help from some of the profits from those who tour with us. Basic needs such as clothes, school supplies, blankets, pillows, shoes, socks and school uniforms are always in constant demand.

My wife Ning (white bow in her hair) gives food to the house mother at one of the childrens homes.

The house mother gives milk we donated to the children at one of the homes.

You can click here to see a video of 2 of the 3 childrens homes you support by taking a tour with us support.

CHRISTMAS 2008

This is the Orphaned Children’s first Christmas. My wife Ning (left) gets the gifts ready. This small Hill Tribe Children’s Home in Mae Chem takes care of 10 children.,br>

We delivered warm coats, stuffed animals and lots of toys. We thank you for helping us take care of others by touring with us.

Many people ask us by E-mail what makes us different
than other tour operators in Thailand. Here we will try to
show you the difference and if you still have questions
please feel free to ask us using our
Request Form.

We follow the three basic rules for real eco-tourism in Thailand:
• 1. The willingness and ability to maintain or improve the environment.
• 2. The ability and the willingness for proper control when visiting ethnic
  peoples and villages in such a way that they can continue to maintain their
  natural being, customs, traditions and lifestyle.
• 3. The ability and willingness of the tour operator to donate some profits
  to the people in the villages they visit and in helping protect and improve
  nature and the environment.

To read more detail information about our guidelines and policy
please go to our Eco-tourism page.

Click on the thumbnail (left) or the text to see the video of the 2 of the 3 hill tribe Orphan Children,s Homes we support through our tour operation here in Thailand, All Thailand Experiences. Clothes, shoes, socks, school supplies, school uniforms are in constant demand.

Thailand Songkran Festival, The Largest Water Fight on the Planet

Songkran, or the Thai New Year, is still the most important of all the Thai festivals and holidays. I usually have loads of friends from other countries to our home and we love to have them participate in all the traditional activities with us. Although we are not Buddhists we love to go to the temples to watch the activities, eat, drink, throw water and just have fun. Each year, the four-day celebration of Songkran consists of many activities, and these are briefly explained below.

April 12 is Wan Sungkharn Lohng. This is a day for house cleaning and general preparation for the New Year. In the evening it is traditional for Thais to dress up as a signal of the coming new year.

In Chiang Mai, the Songkran procession is held on this day. This is a parade through Chiang Mai comprised of Buddha images and attendants on floats, which are accompanied by minstrels and the town’s people. Here is the streaming video of the Songkran Parade and waterfights. Today we load up the pickup truck with 50-gallon drums filled with water. After the parade we go to the ice house for a large block of ice to put in the water barrel. We then travel around the city joining others in the largest water fight on the planet.

Click on the thumbnail (left) or the text to see the video of the Songkran Parade and water fights in Chiang Mai Thailand.

April 13 is Wan Nao. On this day people prepare cooked meals and preserved food for the Buddhist merit-making that takes place on the following day. Activities at Wat Prasingh temple continue on this day and in the evening local residents go to the banks of the Mae Ping River and gather sand to be deposited in piles topped by flowers in the temples. This practice is the ancient "raising the temple grounds" ritual, which was necessary in the old days because then Thai New Year was held at the end of the rainy season in the first month of the old Thai Lunar Calendar.

Click on the thumbnail (left) or the text to see the largest water fight on the planet. I took this video in Chiang Mai Thailand on the pedestrian bridge. From here you can see a mile of packed pick up trucks and people throwing water. This festival is every year April 13- 15. You have to see this.

April 14 is Wan Payawan. On this day a grand new year begins with early morning merit-making at the temples. Preserved and cooked foods, fresh fruit, monks’ robes and other offerings are made at the temples. In the home, people do the final cleaning of Buddha images using scented water. Traditionally this is the day that the pouring of water begins. It was once the practice to pour gently, but the fun-loving Thais have transposed this into a relative water free-for-all.

>	Click on the thumbnail (left) or the text and watch the video of us at Chiang Mai Gate in Chiang Mai Thailand during the Songkran festival or Thai new year. Live music, water fights, bar-b-que and beer, loads of fun. Also see the lady boys during the parade, very funny.

April 15 is Wan Parg-bpee. On this day homage is paid to ancestors, elders and other persons deserving respect because of age of position. This is called ‘Rohd Nam Songkran’, meaning ‘The Pouring of Songkran Water’, and the water is sprinkled on the elder persons while uttering wishes of good luck and a happy future.

In Chiang Mai, this is the final day of the celebration and the day on which people have built up to a crescendo of water throwing. It is the day when all family and religious obligations have been completed and the people are totally dedicated to having fun.

The Songkran Festival is by far the largest water fight on the planet. This video below was taken in Chiang Mai Thailand and happens every year April 13-15. You have to see this to believe it…Click on the link below.

Songkran or Thai new year 2008 in Chiang Mai Thailand
Created by
All Thailand Experiences

Chiang Mai Flower Festival Parade

Every year during the first weekend in February is the Chiang Mai Flower Festival. The city is awash with vibrant colors ranging from the electric orange and lilac colors of the bougainvillea to the velvety blossoms of petunias in all shades of pink, white and purple. The strident red of the poinsettias, bought by many at Christmas and New Years, is echoed by beds of scarlet salvias. Homes and shop owners alike line the city streets with colorful flower boxes. The sheer profusion of color that the flower festival and carnival brings to Chiang Mai aptly gives the city its name “Rose of the North”.

On all three days of the festival, prize blooms are on display at Suan Buak Haad near the city center. Every type of flower, miniature tree and orchid is put on display for the judges to choose the best of the species. Landscape specialists put on an elaborate display, which includes patios and waterfalls with exotic decorative plants and flowers.

The best part of the flower festival is on Saturday. This is when we load our lawn chairs and ice chest in the pick-up and head to D.K. Bookstore along the moat in the city center. We go there because there is plenty of parking and excellent coffee and pastry shops.

Click the thumbnail (left) or the text to see the short video I took with friends of the Chiang Mai Flower Festival Parade.

On the way we passed the flower covers floats, Hill Tribes and Thais in their traditional dress and uniformed marching bands all getting in line to start the parade. We had to leave the house before 8 AM as the parade start around 9 AM. Although it would not be until 10 AM until the parade reached us we had lots of fun eating Thai food from local vendors, relaxing in our lawn chairs at curbside and watching the world go by.

The parade lines up from the train station to Narawatt bridge so the police close most of Jarenmuang Road around 8 AM. The VIP viewing stand is right next to the bridge in front of the Chiang Mai Governor’s home. The Parade route goes down Thapae Road to the Gate and turns left and follows the moat to Suan Buak Haad City Park.

The parade moves at a slow pace and stops several times so there is plenty of time to take pictures of the colorful floats, pretty girls and hill tribe people in costume. The people in the parade hand out roses to spectators lining the road.

When the parade finishes everyone heads to Suan Buak Haad where all the floats, award winning flower growers and landscapers projects are all on display. There are plenty of food stalls located in the park and in late afternoon the Miss Chiangmai Flower festival starts. The party goes well into the evening until the new Flower Festival Queen is chosen.

Click the thumbnail (left) or the text to see the short video of the Chiang Mai Thailand Flower festival video where we look at the different flowers on display and close up look at the floats.

This is a great time to visit Chiangmai, as the air is cool and the evenings fresh and clear. If you want to see the festival make sure you book your hotels and flights well in advance.

Created by
All Thailand Experiences. and "Welcome to Chiang Mai & Chiang Rai" Magazine.