I have always wanted to see the mysterious " spirit lights" that come up out of the Mekong river and head skyward on the night of the full moon in October. does anyone know the best place to go on the Laos side of the River to see them ?
1
nijkerk
So , these" mysterious spirit lights " come out of the Mekong on full moon nights Hmmmm. Please tell us more I havent heard a travellers tale quite as loopy as this since the old India tales of hovering holymen ,needing only hashish and water to survive, living naked in icy caves . PS and these lights occur only in October..wait a minute, its a joke ,isnt it?
2
georgd
Keith,
It's not a joke, but a myth. The phenomenon "Bung Fai Phya Nak" (in Lao and Issan dialects), or Naga's rockets / fireballs happens every year only on the full moon night of the eleventh lunar month. And actually the day is the last day of the three-month Buddhist Lent. It's also the day people all over Indochina celebrate with various festivals. Provinces by rivers will celebrate with boat events such as boat race, illuminated boats, etc.
The naga rockets are a number of fireballs erupted from what seems to be nowhere in the Mekong in the area of Phon Phisai, a district in Nong Khai province of Thailand, where the river is being the natural border between Thailand and Laos. People seem to accept the explanation that this is the king of the Nagas celebrating the end of Buddhist lent. The Nagas are the mythical creatures of the Mekong. The Naga is an underwater creature from Asian mythology. Superior to humans, it inhabits sub-aquatic paradises, living at the bottom of rivers, lakes and seas.
According to the records, the fireballs were always there. Tourists have never been disappointed. There are theories about how this happens. Pure miracle, gas, or human. The third reason is the most convincing because it must be almost impossible for a natural phenomenon to always occur on exactly the same night of the
year. The interesting part is they could never find who and how.
3
nijkerk
OK .... Thanks, so no"mystery " then, just a festival with illuminated boats and fireworks I hope the OP isnt too disillusioned !
4
travelon2
Last year I read up on this. It seems that most scientists agree that it is a build up of methane gas from decaying vegitation. I guess it takes 365 days for it to build to a point that it is released from the river mud.
5
lisom
I don't think there is anything wrong with wanting to see this phenomenon, I have read about it for years and always wanted to see what it looks like. I am an adult and able to make my own mind as far as it being " real" or not. I plan on trying to video it. According to the Lao people I will have to get to the Mekong riverside at Pak Ngum about three hours before dark to get a viewing point, they also said that the roads will be packed and that there will be no place to park, according to the Lao, the Tai people cross over into Laos for better places to view it from, crowding all of the local roads and riverbanks. Will let you know what it's like.
7
Hacky
Stay on Thai side of the border. It is more festive compare to Lao. Definitely check it out if you can....majority of Thais believe it is Naga's.
There is a Thai movie (one of my favorite) that is semi-documentary & comedy about this phenomenon. It is Mekhong Full Moon Party. NO, it is not full moon party in southern Thailand that is full of drunken farangs.
Mekhong Full Moon Party
8
bmta
last year though nothing appeared. there are persistent rumours in Thaild that its a thing set up (in cooperation with the willing TAT) by the lao (army or whatever), so IF you are able to see anything at the lao side, a true secret is also to be discovered. though indeed some natural things may happen in a yearly base, it will seem very strange that it may vary with up to 12 month- this is how the moons revolve. But its Lao/Isan so a festive thing needs to be celebrated anyway.
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