I had an Interval certificate which was set to expire soon so I thought I would make use of it here in Bangkok as it would not cost me anything to use it but a taxi fare to the vacation resort. I will actually save a couple of thousand Baht as I can turn off all the electricity using appliances in my apartment.
As usual, it is a Marriott resort that we are booked into for a week in Bangkok. It is actually in a part of the city I do not know very well so it will be fun exploring plus it is also close to the river so we will take a river boat cruise for an hour on the river and through the canals of Bangkok. Bangkok used to be called the Venice of Asia because of its extensive canal system which is now mostly unused. What price progress?
This is the vacation club we will be staying at as of this Friday:
http://www.marriottvacationclub.com/vacation-resorts/marriott-empire-place-resort/overview.shtml
Yesterday was a big celebration for Thais, best described by Wikipedia.
Loi Krathong takes place on the evening of the full moon of the 12th month in the traditional Thai lunar calendar. In the Western calendar this usually falls in November.
According to the Royal Institute Dictionary 1999, loi (ลอย) means "to float", whilekrathong (กระทง) has various meanings, one of which is "a basket to be floated on water in the Loi Krathong festival".[2] Several translations of krathong are found, such as "floating crown", "floating boat", "floating decoration". The traditional krathong are made from a slice of the trunk of a banana tree or a spider lily plant. Modern krathongs are more often made of bread or Styrofoam. A bread krathong will disintegrate after a few days and can be eaten by fish. Banana stalk krathong are also biodegradable, but Styrofoam krathongs are sometimes banned, as they pollute the rivers and may take years to decompose. A krathong is decorated with elaborately-folded banana leaves, incense sticks, and a candle. A small coin is sometimes included as an offering to the river spirits.
On the night of the full moon, Thais launch their krathong on a river, canal or a pond, making a wish as they do so. The festival may originate from an ancient ritual paying respect to the water spirits.
Here are some pics of our 'float a boat' from last night at the lake in Queen's Park. It was very busy!
TTYL
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