Songkran Chiang mai
Trip Start
Oct 10, 2005
1
14
19
Trip End
Ongoing
Chiang Mai,
Thailand
Thursday, April 13, 2006
So there I am sitting having a quiet beer in one of the many bars in Chiang Mai, just relaxing after a hard day at the pool side when one of the lovely ladies throw a bucket of ice cold water over my head. What the #@%*, I thought, then she told me 'Happy New Year'. After catching my breath and returning the favour, I remembered it was the start of the Songkram festival, the Thai New Year. The biggest New Years festival in Thailand, as they also celebrate 1st Jan and the Chinese new year, the Thai's love a good holiday.
So the next morning I wake-up only to find that three workmen with jack-hammers have set-up camp in my head while I was asleep. I jump on the bike and head off to 7-11 to buy some pain killers. I get two meters from the front gate of the apartment block when i get hit with another bucket of cold water, followed by another and another. I continue down the road when I see that there are hundreds of people lining the streets with hoses, buckets and water-guns trying to wet as many people as possible. The families with pick-up trucks have put a 44 gallon drum in the back and are driving the streets with the family in the back throwing water at all that come into range. Those with motorbikes have usually got a partner in crime sitting on the back with a water-pistol in one hand and a beer in the other. It is absolutely crazy but for some reason I feel I have to join in.
So instead of going to 7-11 i go to a friends place where I put my mobile phone in a condom and my money in a plastic bag, I buy a bucket and we head off to the canal side where there is plenty of ammunition. For the rest of the day I am participating in a city wide wet t-shirt competition, beers are flowing, music is blaring and in the middle of the dry season and 40c heat in Thailand I can not see a dry spot anywhere.
So my plan for the next few days, drink beer and have a water fight with the rest of Thailand, life is tough over here but someone has to do it.
Later
