3 February 2023
Steve and I were so excited for the 2023 Chiang Mai Flower Festival. This was our 4th.
We woke up early on Saturday morning and Alison and Robbie headed to the hairdresser for a shampoo and blow dry. They wanted to look their best for the festival!
After our hair was done, Robbie and me headed to Siri Wattana Market for some brunch. We had a delicious meal of Thai food, and we were feeling full of energy for the day ahead.
Then it was off to get our nails done in Nimman.
We all arrived at Suan Buak Haad Public Park at 7pm, just in time for the start of the festival. The park was already crowded with people, and the atmosphere was electric.
We wandered through the park, admiring the flower displays. There were flowers of all shapes and sizes, and they were all so beautiful. We even saw some orchids, which are a type of flower that is native to Thailand. The lighting was beautiful and colourful.
In addition to the flower displays, there were also a number of other activities happening at the festival. There was a parade, a food festival, and a music festival. We also saw a number of traditional Thai dances and performances.
4 February 2023
Steve and I woke up early. We were excited to start our day at the Chiang Mai Flower Festival Parade. This was a fourth, but we always seem to miss the parade.
We all arrived at the parade route early, and we were surprised to see how many people were already there. The streets were packed with people, and there was a festive atmosphere in the air.
The parade started at 10am, and it was even more amazing than we had imagined! There were over 30 flower floats, beautifully decorated with thousands of flowers, petals, and plants. The floats were alternated with a wide variety of marching bands, traditional dancers, and performers including schoolchildren.
Many of the floats featured Buddhist and typical Chiang Mai themes. You will for example not be able to miss the most fantastically colorful elephant idols you have ever seen. All the floats compete in their own yearly competition.
We were particularly impressed by the float that depicted the legend of the White Elephant. The float was beautifully crafted, and it was accompanied by a group of dancers who performed a traditional dance that told the story of the White Elephant.
We also enjoyed watching the marching bands. The bands were very talented, and they played a variety of traditional Thai music. We even got to join in on the dancing at one point!
We were exhausted by the end of the parade, but we had a wonderful time. We were so glad that we had the opportunity to experience the Chiang Mai Flower Festival Parade. It was a truly unforgettable experience.
We headed back to our hotel around 1pm, happy and exhausted. We had a wonderful morning.
Mikey and Robbie wanted to take us out for dinner to celebrate a successful trip. We throughly enjoyed our time with our wonderful friends and we so honoured to share our Thailand with them. We all headed out to KOBQ for a lovely night. Great times!
5 February 2023
Steve and I had decided to keep the hire car so we could take Mikey, Robbie, Neil and Connie on a day trip around Chiang Mai. It also would be nice to meet Neil and Connie at the airport. So we borrowed a bucket and rags and washed the car.
We drove down to the markets near the Bangkok Bank. We found a baked custard made with coconut, and some rose apples. We sat on the steps of the bank and ate our breakfast in the morning sun.
After breakfast, we drove back to the hotel to rest. We were going to pick up Neil and Connie from the airport later that day.
We arrived at the airport early, and we waited for Neil and Connie to arrive. They were on time, and we were so happy to see them. We drove back to the hotel and checked in.
That night, we went to a local restaurant for dinner. We had David, Vince, Neil, Connie, Mikey, and Robby with us. The meal was magnificent. We had all sorts of Thai dishes that David ordered for us. We also had bought some Thai beer with us. A great night.
6 February 2023
Steve and I were excited to start our day out with our friends. We had planned a full day of activities, starting with coffee at 71Export and then lunch at River Rock Cafe.
We arrived at 71Export just as it opened, and we were the first customers in line. We ordered our coffees and found a table amongst the amazing nicknacks. We chatted and enjoyed our coffees while chatted about our individual experiences in Thailand.
After our coffees, we drove up into the mountains behind Chiang Mai to the River Rock Cafe. We were lucky to get a table overlooking by the river. We ordered lunch and watched the water run down the rapids. We had a great time catching up with our friends and enjoying the beautiful day.
After lunch, we stopped to take pictures and enjoy the scenery. We then went back to our car and drove home. We had a wonderful day with our friends, and we were all tired but happy when we got home.
It was great to see all our friends getting on well today and enjoying themselves. We had a lot of fun.
