I am writing to you from the distant year 2554. How are you doing there in your 2011? Do you still have cars? Is Medvedev still president? Okay, just kidding, we're not from the future, it's just that this year we celebrated the New Year in Thailand. We started with the one who is older, fortunately, he was the first in time. In order to meet the New Year in Thailand in the most Thai way, we decided, so to speak, to merge with the crowd, and for this we went to the fireworks festival at the 700 Year Stadium.
But we were not alone so smart, a huge number of cars on the street an hour before the new year also decided to go somewhere, so we got stuck in a huge traffic jam, and from some point we even began to mentally prepare to celebrate the New Year in Thailand destined for us in the minibus. But the driver, sensing something was wrong, quickly took us to the stadium along the roundabout routes, so five minutes before the New Year we rushed among the Thais and Farangs looking at the sky with hope and Khom loi lanterns flying up everywhere. And as soon as we had time to install the equipment, the countdown began, and right at the beginning of the New Year, beautiful music burst out, people applauded happily, and the sky was lit up with beautiful fireworks! And I felt the long-awaited magic, which for some reason I had not felt before while walking preparation for the New Year's holiday.
Working moments
New Year in Thailand, fireworks festival
Fireworks Festival in New Year Thailand
Fireworks Festival in New Year Thailand
Fireworks in New Year's Thailand
Fireworks in the New Year's sky in Thailand
New Year fireworks in Thailand
New Year in Thailand, fireworks festival
New Year in Thailand, fireworks festival
New Year in Thailand, fireworks festival
Last volleys of fireworks
Final salute salute
When the first wave of euphoria subsided, my long-awaited wish finally came true - Oleg and I launched Khom loi (a flying flashlight) into the sky! It turns out that this has become a tradition in Thailand during the New Year holidays. I cannot explain in words why this is so great and this action makes me so delighted, but it is so extraordinarily wonderful! The smiling salesperson who helped us do this explained on «thai» English, that with a flashlight you need to release something into the sky, and ask for something. We made a wish and our Khom loi soared into the sky! And around and everywhere, the same big and small glowing flyers took off, from which the holiday seemed very colorful and it was very joyful!
New Year's Khom loi launch
Making a wish before launching Khom loi
Flying into the sky Khom loi (lanterns)
After admiring the fireworks, absorbing the whole atmosphere of the New Year's mood and almost filling both flash drives on cameras, to celebrate, we finally got through to our friend, and decided to move home in order to get ready for the second New Year. We caught a minibus-taxi at a very reasonable price and drove home alone in the cabin. Although I drove almost all the way on the back of the car, just like a real Thai.
Well, at home we prepared a modest festive table (we decided to do without Olivier), downloaded the president's speech to recreate the atmosphere, talked on Skype with our parents, and at the official time we celebrated the Moscow New Year in Thailand under the chimes, as befits.
Second New Year, preparation of the New Year's table
And at the end of the program, we went out into the street to master new entertainment for us - freezelight («drawing» flashlights in the dark). But the dawn was catching up with us, as it was already earlier in the morning. The city was waking up, the Thais in a nearby cafe could not understand why three foreign farangs huddled in a dark nook and shone from all the mud there with flashlights. They even came up and asked what we were doing, we explained, showed the resulting photos, and they calmed down and walked away. I wonder what they thought we were doing?..
This time we managed a little, but most importantly, we now know what it is, we will try again, there is a whole new 2011 (or 2554) year ahead!
Happy New Year to everyone! Even if this year, and in general in life, everything is going in the best way!
Freezelight (drawing with a flashlight). All with the come!
And 3 minutes of video how we celebrated the New Year in Thailand - fireworks, Khom loi launches, Russian New Year.
