New Year Fireworks

I blogged recently about how Thais celebrate any and every occasion with fireworks ...

Here's a date for your diary if you're in the north of Thailand this New Years Eve:

Head to 700 Year Stadium in Chiang Mai, where they hold an international contest between 5 countries to see who can produce the most spectacular explosions.

It promises to fill the skies of the north.

And whether you're there or elsewhere for firework celebrations, stand well back. I met a boatman last week who'd lost an arm and one eye from a firework that went off unexpectedly. (No, there's no punchline, just a public service announcement.)

Happy New Year to all my loyal readers ... and the unfaithful ones too.

Of course this is not the real New Year for Thais. December 31 they call Countdown. The real new year happens later in the year, jing jing.