The view from the Rama IX Bridge over the River Ping in Chiang Mai was simply stunning. The cool disk of the full moon illuminated the night sky.
Fireworks burst in magical shapes and colors.
The river was a band of gold, lit by thousands of candles set into minature floats, which snaked their way southwards with the flow of the river. People lit incense sticks and a candle, which were set into the base of the float. Some added a fingernail clipping or strand of hair and a coin. Then they raised the float to their foreheads in silent prayer, and placed it into the river to be carried away by the current. Such scenes take place every November on waterways throughout Thailand in the country's loveliest festival, called Loy Krathong, or Yi Peng in the north.