Here is more proof that 9 times out of 10, there is a logical explaination for everything.

One night about two weeks ago, I came out of the internet cafe in Chaing Mai, and noticed that there were about 7 glowing orange lights floating up in the sky. They were bigger than stars, moving very slowly, glowing steadily, and not in any particular formation. After a few minutes, I looked up again, and there were about 12 of them. Then there were 3, then 5. They weren't planes, they weren't planets....I wracked every corner of my brain and could not come up with a logical explaination for them. Except UFOs, of course. Anytime we can't explain something, aliens always come in handy, right?

I kept an eye on the lights for the next hour or so, and their numbers and positions kept changing. While walking to dinner, I pointed them out to my two friends, Michael and Christine, and they also were totally baffled. Army drills? Helicopters? Weather balloons? Nothing quite made sense. Then it got really bizarre - as is ascended, one of the lights had bright white sparks trailing from it. Missiles? This is where my over active imagination got the best of me - I started envisioning all sorts of crazy shit and preparing for possible disaster. (Don't laugh, I am a product of the American culture of fear, I can't help it.)

But the real explaination is never as exciting as what we conjure up in our heads. Right about the same time, Michael and Christine both figured it out - the lights were floating lanterns! They had seen them before in Taiwan - big paper lanterns with a burning disc attached underneath, sort of like a small hot air balloon. People write their wishes on the paper, and send the balloon up to heaven. And if you want your wish to go up in style, you attach a firecracker to the bottom.

We found the spot nearby where the balloons were being released, and the next night, on Christmas Eve, we released a few of our own. It was really fun to watch everyone's excitement as their balloon went up, and to see the wishes that other people made. I got some wonderful photos, but unfortunately I don't have any of myself yet (they are on other peoples' cameras).

Balloons on the rise

Writing wishes

Getting ready to release

Attaching the firecrackers

Almost ready to let go!

My wishes.....