After our big Honda Forza purchase, we were looking for any excuse to hit the open road. We had recently seen a flyer for the Naga Fireball Festival in Nong Khai and figured this was our opportunity for a road trip. We loaded up our belongings into 1 backpack (we are learning to pack lightly) and fit it neatly into the storage beneath our seat. We hit the road with not much of a plan, nor a place to sleep for the weekend…
The Search for a Hotel in Nong Khai
Nong Khai is located along the Thai-Laos border right on the Mekong River, about 175 kilos north of Khon Kaen. We left early on Friday morning, figuring this would allow us time to find a guest house or hotel and then join in the festivities. Well, after arriving in Nong Khai and talking to some of the locals, we found out the festival actually takes place in Phon Phisai, about 45 kilos east of Nong Khai. We hit the road again and headed to Phon Phisai. We stopped at no less than twenty guest houses and continued to get the same response, “all of Phon Phisai is full”. Since the main event wasn’t taking place until Saturday, we figured we would go back to Nong Khai and try to find a room there.
We were starting to worry we might not find a room in Nong Khai either, but luck was on our side. I ran into a swanky looking hotel right on the Mekong and the English-speaking woman told me someone just cancelled 10 minutes ago and they had 1 room left for 800 THB. WE’LL TAKE IT! By this time it was almost 5 pm and we were exhausted! We decided to shower up and grab our iPads to research more about the festival. While sitting on the patio of the hotel looking out over the Mekong, we got to talking to the family that owned the hotel. Apparently the person that just cancelled their room right before we arrived happened to be the Governor of Loei’s wife. Add it to the list of random things to happen to us in Thailand…
Saturday came and we were becoming more and more convinced to skip out on Phon Phisai and just hang out in Nong Khai. We were told the same thing over and over “you’ll never even make it to Phon Phisai because of the traffic”, “it will take you 4 hours there and 5 hours back”, and “I’ve been going for 9 years and I’ve still never seen a fireball”. It was sounding more like a headache than anything but just when it was almost too late, Charlie and his determination to prove everyone wrong prevailed and we set off for Phon Phisai.
Its times like these that having a motorbike really has its advantages. We whipped in and out of traffic (traffic that had turned a 1-lane highway into 3 lanes, leaving no lane for on-coming traffic) and we reached our destination within an hour. We went straight to one of the nice hotels we stopped at the previous day and paid 100 THB to leave our bike there, safe from drunken chaos in the streets. We decided it was best to find a spot along the river to watch the fireballs before it got dark and even more crowded. Not even 10 minutes into our walk, my extroverted boyfriend made friends with a Thai guy and before we knew it, they were filling our hands with bottled waters and desserts they made (and were selling) for free and offered up their prime seats on the river along with their house if we needed to use a bathroom. And let me just say…it is not easy being a girl and having to pee in public in Thailand. I actually avoid liquids when I am out. Needless to say…we hit the jackpot!
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Naga Fireball Festival
There were lighted floats and fireworks were going off left and right and even from across the Mekong in Laos. Of course, my favorite part was the lanterns. It’s the one thing I’ve been most excited to see in Thailand. They started releasing them as the sun was going down, and by the time it was dark, the night sky was full of tiny lights. You better believe me and the Trading Traveler released one, too! I have to say, the Thais don’t take the same precautions as we in America are required to do. They were shooting fireworks into the crowds. Lanterns were crashing into trees. We were making bets on the amount of fires we would see before the night was over. It was quite entertaining to watch as we sat waiting to see the fireballs…
About the fireballs…as legend has it, the Naga (a mythical serpent) wanted to become a monk but Buddha would not let it as only humans can become monks. Instead, he gave the name “naga” to all candidates for monkhood in honor of the serpent. To this day, the Naga lives in the Mekong and shoots up fireballs to welcome Lord Buddha back to Earth at the end of Buddhist lent. These fireballs are red balls of light that shoot out of the water, soundlessly, and disappear into the sky. There are many skeptics who believe these fireballs are the result of phosphine gas. Others believe it is a sneaky trick by Laotian soldiers shooting tracer rounds into the sky. It is not a good idea to suggest these alternative theories to the Thais though as they take this very seriously.
The Mysterious Mekong River Fireballs – Are They Real?
Lucky for us, not even 1 hour after the sunset, we hear an uproar from the crowds of Thais with lots of cheering and pointing. At first we didn’t see anything, but 15 minutes later it started again and we witnessed this phenomenon with our owns eyes! And then…we saw it again! And again! We found ourselves jumping up, cheering and pointing right along with the Thais. It was actually very exciting, whether they really are what they say they are. Throughout the 3 hours we were at the festival, we saw a total of 10 fireballs. Just as everyone claimed, there was no sound emitted and, although it was dark, no sign of any boats nearby. So we have to ask ourselves…it it the Naga? Is it all a hoax? Or will it forever a remain a mystery?
Watch our video and let us know what you think! 😉
