Songkran soaking

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Next day after trekking, and on the final day of Songkran, Xan, Mr Wolf and I joined the guest house staff, their families and friends celebrations. They had Thai music blasting from speakers facing out onto the road, two big barrels of water being fed by hosepipes, talc and lots of small bowls with which we could hurl water at passers by and each other.

As soon as they saw us coming we were smeared in talc paste - all over our faces, arms and pretty much anywhere they could - and drenched from top to toe! Pick-up vehicles with the back full of people, water barrels and pistols pulled up and water fights ensued! Buses slowed down to join in (with driver sealed in and dry at the front!) mopeds would slow down ready for the inevitable and everyone generally got in on the water drenching action!

It was great fun. On 'our team' was a young Thai girl, 6 years old, who had a pump action water pistol fed by a back pack, she seemed to particularly enjoy shooting Xan and Mr Wolf with it and had an incredibly accurate aim.

Xan had everyone cheering when he tipped one of the huge barrels of water over a cheeky young chap who was teasing one of the daughters of the staff. One of the waitresses hurled a bucket of water at a passing bus only to see it hit an elderly monk slap in the face. She was horrified when she realised what she'd done, but she soon collapsed with laughter. A full bus of young aspiring monks also stopped for a soaking but they were more interested in high fiving xan and I than anything else!

This went on for all of the afternoon, and all the time were being handed (for free), glasses of Leo beer - a +7% lager that went down far too well with the ice hiding it's potency! So much so that when a torrential downpour started I ended up dancing in the rain with some of the female workers!

The rest of the evening is a bit hazy though Xan kindly reminded me the next day that I was enquiring after my pizza at the top of my voice across the guest house restaurant, roughly twenty seconds after ordering it.

Oh and apologies, I know of you will want to hear differently, but managed early start easily next day and had no hangover at all!

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Photos

Nice hat
7% beer has the habit of making you put things on your head

Dancing in the street
Paula teaching a variant of a scottish barn dance.