Happy happy

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"Happy happy" is what the local people say as they squirt and dump water on you while someone else is smearing watered down talc powder on your face and your arms. We managed to arrive in Bangkok at the start of the Songkran Festival. A festival that celebrates the Lunar New Year, representational of the Thai, Khmer and Lao New Year as well. So here is how it works. You arm yourself with something, squirt gun, bucket, water bottle with holes poked ... then you take to the streets, any streets and you squirt people. It is great fun - most likely the biggest and longest (lasts 3 days) water fight in the world. Best thing is everyone participates, old and young. It is a pretty common sight to see groups of people dumping buckets of water into the windows of passing by buses, people in rivaling motor vehicles "fighting" while moving. Awesome!!!

Turn a corner and prepare for ice cold water to be tossed on your back from huge buckets. Before you have time to think, a local comes by and smears your face with a talc powder and water mixture, then someone with a high-powered squirt gun hits you in the face from afar. Music thumps from all directions, dancing and singing come from everywhere. A huge party in the heat of summer (here its mid-summer) where a refreshing douse is only seconds away.

All that being said we are stuck here for a few more days until we pick up our passports from the Chinese Embassy on Tuesday. Hoping for a double entry visa into China, so keep your fingers crossed.

Alyssa

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Comments

[Audrey]

Wow
Dude, that sounds/looks like so much fun :) Love the beard, Andrew!

[Dad]

Water
Looks like they really know how to stay cool and have a lot of fun in Bangkok. And that is one beard that really needs to be feared. Have fun.

[Judy and Pete]

Catching up
Hi you two - Last minute for us we booked a trip that will begin in Istanbul, we'll be there from June 4th thru 7th staying at the Crowne Plaza Old City Hotel in Istanbul. Would be a miracle if we could meet up, but just had to ask. Love seeing all your pictures and reading your blog. Stay safe....