Chinese New Year 2010

We've now entered the Year of the Tiger in the Chinese Lunar Calendar. Thai's with Chinese ancestry (roughly 6 million people) still pay a lot of respect to their heritage and use this day to offer paper money, gold and clothes to their ancestors.
E and I managed to make it down to Chinatown in Bangkok (Yaowarat) in the early afternoon to catch the street sellers opening up for the day. Unfortunately we couldn't stay for the processions or fireworks but here are some photo's from that bright, hot day.


Chinese New Year isn't only celebrated in Chinatown. Here you can see people making offerings at Wat Sri Bun Ruang which is the pier we use to get on the boat taxi on the Saen Saeb canal.

We arrived at Yaowarat and already there was a throng of people starting their celebrations.

You can buy these birds to free...

Thousands of these red lanterns lined the streets.

Some ladies in traditional Chinese dress.

Dragon on a stick, please.

Tuk-tuk drivers don't only deliver passengers...

The scent of incense burning was at times overpowering.

Some fried dough...

Which E got rid of pretty quickly...

Amongst oranges, banana's. coconuts and more, you can also buy fresh strawberries.

Our next post is about our short trip to Krabi and Railay Beach which will be up shortly. 

In April we are off to South Africa to get married! Not strictly Asia but we'll do a write up anyway. in May we will be going to Kanchanaburi (of Bridge Over River Kwai fame) and then to the eastern Thailand island paradise, Koh Chang. In July we will be visiting Malaysia and Laos, and in December we will be travelling through Vietnam and into Cambodia. There will be a destination in October too, watch this space for that and thanks for reading!