Flower Power

Chang Mai, Thailands second biggest city. And on first impressions it also appears to be the New Age destination of choice amongst our American friends.

A pretty city, surrounded by a moat, old wooden buildings and narrow streets but unfortunately also filled with the sights of way too many baggy hemp trousers and sounds of earnest but whiny american accents asking for soy latte decaf cappucinos or 'erb tea. The cafes are filled with organic, no egg, no oil, no dairy, brown rice, no taste, no fun muffins and frankly it's not unlike being at a branch of the equally annoying and earnest Macro Wholefoods in Bondi Junction back home in Oz. But the payoff for all this hippy interest is that there are some cracking vegetarian restaurants here which suits moi right down to the ground. As long as I can stomach it whilst perusing all the signs on the wall for Bio Engegetics, yoga, 'men understanding men' meetings, Dhamma light energy healing and group meditations that is.


But on the bright side the city is not all herbal wannabes. Today is the day of the Chang Mai flower festival and all kinds of silliness can be seen on the streets. Thousands of flowers tacked onto massive floats for a parade, towers of colourful petunias that would make my Dad weep with jealously, displays of roses, sculptural looking orchids and of course being a Thai festival mountains of food and some good shopping. I like it.


It seems the Modus operandi is to admire the float and then get right in front of it or even better onto it for photos....


Getting in on the act......they even put down cushions for when you are posing!

Lindsey would love these petunias...



Weird Thai-lish t-shirts on sale at the festival - funny, I never knew that a Koala was considered a "Family Bear" or in fact a "Big Daddy", I learn something new everyday.

Sign at our hotel, tellin' it how it is "in-the-house"..................