31st January: Nakhon Sawan, Thailand
We spent most of the day researching the rest of the trip, whilst attempting to get the hotel staff to fix the hot water to our room. After the third guy had been on the roof, we had just enough for Kaja to wash her hair. All was not lost though, as we made some progress with booking Cambodia and got our visas printed at reception. After half an hour of trying, I even got one of the three staff in the restaurant to make us coffee. It’s that sort of place!
Approaching 6pm, we headed out into the heat over the main road and towards the centre of town. We knew that we were heading in the right direction as more and more decorations and street food stalls began to appear on the streets. Red lanterns and red and yellow banners hung across every street at 5 metre intervals through a vast area. We’d been told by a few people that the main Chiew Sa, or Chinese New Year night parade, would begin sometime after 6pm today but nobody seemed to really be able to tell us where or when!
Eventually, we came to an area dubbed ‘Wonderland’. This seemed to be one of the hubs of the action. There were street food stalls and sponsored stands in every direction and heavy crowds, the majority dressed in red. So many speakers competed to be heard that not a single one could be. Behind this was a concrete wall which we assumed to be the riverbank and perhaps some respite from the chaos! Climbing the steps, it became apparent that it was anything but. As well as a makeshift theme park, a huge stage was set with thousands of seats being filled. Behind this, sat the iconic confluence of the Chao Phraya and Ping rivers.
With nothing yet happening, we ventured back into the smoky cacophony in search of treats. A mad sweet and salty orange slushy and fried tofu in hand, we found ourselves some seats as the action began. The entire thing was being filmed by multiple TV-grade cameras and the two hosts had the smiley smarmy air of Saturday night TV presenters. We watched a few displays of traditional dancing and singing, including kids drumming whilst climbing on top of other stacked drums. Eventually, the ad breaks became a bit much and we headed back to the main street.
Still, there was no sign of the parade, but the crowds had thickened in anticipation of something. A pair of ambulances rushed through the melee, with motorbike outriders clearing a gap. On the far side an even more chaotic market, complete with dance stages, surrounded a Wat. One lap of the chaos later at around 9pm, we saw lights in the distance on the main street. The parade was coming!
After everyone had been pushed to the edges of the street, the floats began in typical Thai fashion with a drag queen and a display of royal paraphernalia. Otherwise, it was much like a carnival at home as marionettes and walking bands interspersed bright floats pulled by tractors. It was very slow moving, so we decided to gradually walk against the flow. Every time we thought it was ending, we’d round another corner with floats stretching into the distance. The most exciting aspects for us were the dragon dances. And that it was warm rather than a cold autumn evening for a carnival in the UK! It felt like a very long walk back through town.
