as a container or pipe (and only colloquially as a pipe for smoking marijuana.) Related to the Chinese Fire Arrow, Bang Fai are made from bamboo bongs. Most contemporary ones, however, are enclosed in PVC piping, making them less dangerous by standardizing their sizes and black-powder charges (which contest rules require be compounded by the rocketeers, themselves). Baking or boiling a bong kills insect eggs that otherwise hatch in dead bamboo and eat it, inside out. Skipping this step may cause the bong to disintegrate and melt the PVC piping. Vines tie long bamboo tails to launching racks. The time it takes for the exhaust to burn through the vines (usually) allows a motor to build up to full thrust; then the tails impart in-flight stability. Ignition comes from a burning fuse or electric match. Bang Fai come in various sizes, competing in several categories. Small ones are called Bang Fai Noi (). Larger categories are designated by the counting words for 10,000, 100,000 and 1,000,000: Meun () "Saen" () and the largest Bang Fai, the Lan (). These counting words see use in many contexts to indicate increasing size or value. Lan in this context may be taken to mean extremely large as well as extremely expensive and extremely dangerous: Bang Fai Lan are nine metres long and charged with 120 kg of black powder. These may reach altitudes reckoned in kilometres, and travel dozens of kilometres down range (loosely speaking, as they can go in any direction, including right through the crowd). Competing rockets are scored for apparent height, distance, and beauty of the vapour trail (). A few include skyrocket pyrotechnics. A few also include parachutes for tail assemblies, but most fall where they may. Folk tales Nang Ai, Phadaeng, and Phangkhi Nang Ai (), in full, Nang Ai Kham () is queen of the pageant and Phadaeng () is her champion. She is famed as the most beautiful girl. He, an outsider, comes to see for himself, lavishes her with gifts and wins her heart; but must win a rocket festival tournament to win her hand. Unwittingly, he becomes part of a love triangle. Phangkhi () and Nang Ai have been fated by their karma ( ) to have been reborn throughout many past existences as soul mates ( , Lao-Isan .) Stories about the couple, however, say they have not exactly been lovers: in many