After an exhausting trek through the jungles, back in Chiang Rai City, it's possible to rent a VCR and an English language movie to watch while getting a massage at a luxury hotel. It's also possible to be quite comfortable for minimal expense. The countryside is readily accessible: there's a nearby experimental farm and an agricultural school. Easy to find are spectacular moths, butterflies, geckos and flowers, also amazingly audacious black crabs. Frozen fruit smoothies are only 10 to 20 baht; one can have a nice meal for under a dollar. There's cable TV, BBC news on the short wave, a wide variety of fruit growing, language instruction, and development projects. Doi Din Daeng has world-class pottery just north of town (about 11 km). There are art exhibitions, food fairs and cheerleading competitions. Town life is modern, but not far into the countryside it can be quite simple, natural and quiet indeed!

Many country homes here, though, are but vacation homes, far fancier than local country-folk can aspire to attain.

In addition to tourist oriented hotels, guesthouses, restaurants and shops, there are long-tail boat rides, elephant rides, Chiang Rai Beach, trekking tours and hill-tribe villages to visit. The Night Bazaar is a favorite with tourists and locals, to see classical dancing, hear traditional music and bargain with hill-tribe people selling their wares.

The Night Bazaar offers traditional stage shows, katoey (lady boy) shows, a wide variety of interesting things for sale, inexpensive food and a luxurious two floor restaurant, plus small bars with friendly atmosphere. It's located by the bus station and opens, naturally, after dusk.

Restaurants are almost everywhere around town, often with singers accompanied by a one-man synthesizer band. Vegetarian food ("ahaan jae") is widely available. Some restaurants like the popular Bai Bon, are modern, others are incredibly cheap.

The most popular clubs in Chiang Rai City are along Soi RatBumroong Road. They include several discos including the large 'Par Club' disco at the Inn Come Hotel (locals pronounce it "Pah Klub"), 'The Womb' and 'Sperm Club' (where a live band specializes in Loso songs). 'Moom Khon Muang' country music pub is further south along Pahonyothin Road, has a live band which specializes in 'Hotel California'. Just south of the Clock Tower on Banpaprakan Road, along Jet Yot Road are several bars, oriented to and sometimes owned by extra-nationals (Farang).

Tour and trekking agencies are found at many guesthouses, at the Night Bazaar and on Pahonyothin to the south of its main intersection at Pratu Siri, on Tanalai in the center of town and just south of the airport on the super-highway.

Snooker clubs and bars with pool tables are easily found, also shops with electronic games. English language videos, with Thai sub-titles can be rented at many video (VDO) stores; Chinese videos too. The format is that of the UK and Australia, incompatible with American. VCDs, now, are more popular than videocassettes.

At festivals one finds firstly food, of course, or a parade, or an activity like floating Loi Krationg boats. There may be promotional booths and singers, dancers, bands, parades, cultural performances, beauty contests, handicraft displays, folk entertainment, competitionsc Sometimes there's a Ferris wheel and the big fun of bump-cars (20B rents a two-seater for about 5 minutes). Draft beer is likely to be sold, and Thai whiskey, maybe even Ya Dong medicinal varieties with barks, herbs, roots or even snake blood (starting at B5 a shot). During Songkran, people take time out from the big water fight to pour water of Mengrai's statue and carry sand from the river to the temples.

The number of New Years can be confusing. The old Thai calendar started in December. Then there's January 1. A Chinese, lunar New Year (usually in late January or early February) and a Moslem one around the beginning of March (depending on the moon). Lastly, there's Maha Songkran, "changing upward" into another traditional Thai New Year, the Hindu and Buddhist one, mid-April. Songkran, the world's largest water-fight, dominates the general region for a week to 10 days. One thing to do other than get wet is to enjoy the 4-nation boat races on the Mekong, which can be quite exciting! Local people spend part of the holiday taking sand from river-banks to their temples to replace anything they dragged out on their feet, when leaving from worship, over the course of the year.

Thais love festivals and holidays, but one of their favorite and best, Loi Kratong, has never been a legal holiday. Beautiful and internationally famous, it's the most colorful festival of the year, and almost every person, of whatever persuasion, participates. Loi Kratong takes place over the three days of the twelfth lunar month full moon - usually starting the first full moon night in November (with this occurring on a Wednesday in 2005, and there being no holiday day off, things stretched out over the preceeding weekend). For the three nights of the festival, people release small floats into a river or other body of water, honoring Goddess Mae Khong Kha for supplying use of her water, and thereby limiting your bad luck. The ceremony is to ask for forgiveness, for having dirtied water, from the spirit of the local river. It's supposed to let one's sins float away.

The day prior to Loi Kratong's full moon, houses are decorated with palm fronds, colored paper, lanterns and birthday candles in small clay dishes. At dusk, the lanterns and candles are placed along walls and gates, and fireworks let off. On the day of the full moon, offerings are made at temples; in the evening candle-balloons are released. The beautiful, mysterious candle-balloons, spectacular fireworks and crowded parades make each festival memorably grand. Early on festival evenings, people go to places with water to launch their kratongs ? popular places become quite crowded. Coconut husks used to be used, but a kratong is now usually made of styrofoam surrounded by banana leaves. Flowers, candles, incense, money and other gifts are placed in the middle. Kratongs form a very pretty sight, drifting away, but youths may take money from the kratongs when the candles have died.

A Thai proverb says, "When a boy and a girl are launching a kratong together they will become lovers, this life or next." Another belief holds that people should keep their eyes on their kratong until it drifts out of sight, noting how long the candle burns, as the longer it does, the better the next year will be.

Loi Kratong takes place everywhere in Thailand, but is most famous in historic, touristy places like Sukhotai and Ayudhaya. Recently fireworks, including carelessly thrown firecrackers, play an increasing part. Many places have a Miss Loi Kratong contest for women dressed in traditional costume, when the festival comes to an end on the third night. Miss Loi Kratong is also Miss Noppamat, representing the daughter of a Brahmin priest at the court of ancient Sukhotai who impressed her King with release of lotus flowers into the river in his honor.

Festivals and holidays include:

Thot Kra Tin - merit making ceremonies at temples.

New Year's, Chinese New Years, Muslim New Years.

Maha Puja - Buddhist commemorative day Feb 28

Chakri Day - Royal commemorative day Apr. 6

The Maha Songkran Water Festival, April 13 - 15 (world's biggest water-fight, 9 or 10 days)

Labor Day - May 1

Coronation Day - May 5

Visakha Puja - full moon in May

Ahsa Puja (Asaraha Bucha) - full moon late July

Khao Pansa - start of Buddhist lent, right after Ahsa Puja

Queen's Birthday - Aug 12

Heh Tian - the candle festival, mid August.

Awk Pansa - end of Rain's Retreat, full moon before Loi Kartong's (candle-balloons, fireworks)

Chulalongkorn Day - Oct 23

Loi Kratong, on a full moon, end October to mid-November

King's Birthday - Dec 5 (with wonderful wpeaches by the king televised on TV)

Constitution Day - Dec 10

Major Buddhist holy days are national holidays. Following Muslim New Year is Rammadan, after which is the biggest Thai Muslim holiday, Ta Kai Jai.

In various Chinese communities, the Wai Jao Kanom Pra Jaan festival takes place for the mid-September full moon. In the early evening, just before 7pm, pastries and fruit are set out on tables in front of the houses. When the moon has come up bright, everyone eats. If it rains, they do it in their doorways, and eat about 9. Weekends in October bring candle-balloons, rockets and fireworks for Awk Pansa and Bin Tha Bat (Tod Kathin at rainy season's end, in part for families to honor their dead). Awk Pansa, when the Buddha is welcomed back from heaven (at the end of Lent), is celebrated with Kinaree and Lion dances. Visaka Bucha (full moon in May), Makha Bucha (Feb.) and Dhevo-Rohana (11th lunar month, Oct.) are also important Buddhist devotional and offering days.

Purely religious observations tend to take place early mornings. Significant funerals have parade-like processions, food and drinks. Marriages tend to be a bit more private.

LannaThai Heritage Fair is at the Cultural Hall, around April 2.

The Lanna Culture Festival, on SangKongNoi, and MunNiThi Chiang Rai (Chinese Community) Fair on Banpaprakan take place November's 1st weekend.

Chiang Rai Food Fair is on Banpaprakan Road, about Dec 16-17, and soon after is the new Orchard Festival.