Chaing Mai, Thailand –
It was quite the crowd, all gathered in front of the stage.
And the costumed performers were waiting in the wings, ready to go on stage.
But they never did…
How odd.
It seems all the action is elsewhere.
Bangkok maybe?
You’d think that being in Thailand during the week of the King’s Birthday would be an interesting time to go.
Well, it did have its interesting aspects.
But more than anything, it had its boring aspects.
It seems the normally bad weekday traffic in Bangkok was even worse.
Especially near the royal palace and places where public celebrations would be taking place.
But then we came to Chaing Mai.
And decided to see the public celebration.
It appeared that the celebration was being simulcast from various locations around the country, with the main broadcast coming from where the royal family was.
Bangkok.
It makes sense that the majority of the broadcast would come from the show that had the birthday boy in tow.
As for the crowd here, they did have large projection screens set up to the sides of the stage.
And there was a little bit of activity on the local stage, as the various local VIPs were welcomed before the main action started.
Each group putting a large vase with a birthday offering in a prescribed spot on the stage before retreating back off.
Then all of the attention seemed to go to the screens, and the audience participation.
After all, the crowd did have to sing a couple of songs.
I’m sure one of them was some sort of song to honor the king.
Maybe a national anthem.
They were all in Thai, so not only did I not recognize the tunes, I didn’t understand the words either.
I just know that everyone was singing along.
Well, not everyone.
I wasn’t singing…
Our group had arrived shortly before the action was scheduled to start.
The crowd was already in place, and the offerings were being put in place.
So, a few of us spotted a Starbucks across the street with balconies on the second and third floors that looked like a good vantage point from which to view the happenings.
And it was a good vantage point.
It’s just that the management didn’t appreciate a bunch of photographers invading and using their balconies without also being paying customers.
So, eventually, we had to leave.
Not that there was anything to see from up there.
Like I said, there wasn’t anything to see happening on the stage.
It was all on the screens, being broadcast from Bangkok.
So, we made our way over to the side of the stage.
And that’s where we found the costumed performers, waiting for their cue to go onstage.
They seemed to know when the cue was supposed to come, as they started preparing themselves.
Lighting the candles they would be carrying.
Lining up in the order that they were to appear.
But they never did.
They stayed there, on the side, out of the limelight.
Or at least the stage lights.
I assume that there was someone in charge, making decisions on whether to send the performers on stage or not.
Maybe the whole thing was being coordinated from the main broadcast in Bangkok, and they forgot to include Chaing Mai.
Or they just didn’t allow time slots for local entertainment.
Soon enough, the fireworks were going off, and the attention was away from the empty stage.
These would soon enough be followed with people lighting and releasing floating lanterns into the sky.
From what we could tell, that seemed to be the end of the celebrations.
So, we wandered behind the stage, to the gate in the old city wall.
And right into the night market.
If I thought it was crowded at the birthday celebration, I hadn’t seen anything yet.
It was even more so in the market.
It seems the night market in Chaing Mai is the thing to do while in town.
It’s primarily down one long street, with vendors lining the sides.
And performers in the middle of the street.
Spaced far enough apart so that you can hear what each one is playing.
And then there were occasional open areas to the side, functioning as food courts.
Various kiosks were set up, each selling whatever food items they had to sell.
And a small, crowded seating area where you might be lucky enough to find someplace to sit.
But most of the food items available could easily be eaten while walking.
After all, if you’re not walking, you’re not visiting any of the stands lining the street.
Each selling their own different, yet similar, collection of souvenirs.
After a while, they all look pretty much the same.
And you just want to get away from the crowd.
So, back to the meeting point, and wait for our group to reconvene.
And then wait some more.
For our van.
After all, traffic is still horrible…
Maybe now that the celebration is over…
Nah, probably not.
For more photos from Chaing Mai, click here.
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