New Year's Eve

An afternoon rest set us up nicely for the evening festivities. I went to paint the Tamarind courtyard as the sun was setting and the celebration oil lamps were lit at the base of the tree and the atmosphere began to buzz (along with the mozzies).
We descended at the appointed hour for Cosmapolitan cocktails and cashews in banana leaves. Many of the other people were in a group from Denmark. The hotel sales manager came to speak with us for a while. He is hoping to travel one day.
The banquet began towards 8pm round the pool and we were seated next to a couple from Japan, who come to Chiang Mai each new year. Their English was very good and they explained they had been to Scotland in the summer via Manchester. There were dancers to entertain us till the band started.
The menu was extensive with soups, prawns in various guises with Krabi lobster and Aussie lamb cutlets among the mains choices. Then French cheeses and too many desert options to count.
The band were a bit patchy and Jan made a concerted effort to get the Danes to dance. By 11 we decided we’d head to the main city celebration by the three kings. It was busy but not heaving and a Thai singer took us up to midnight ( and the countdown to a little after). Then there were a few fireworks and continued lanterns in the sky.
Back to the hotel and the band had got to YMCA! The staff joined in. They had put such a lot of effort into making the evening a special place to bring in 2019.Read more