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Published: April 15th 2009
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Songkran is the Thai new year and is celebrated from the 13th to the 15th April every year across Thailand, right when the country is at its hottest. Locals get the days off work and everybody comes out into the streets to have a massive party and join in with the water fights. The throwing of water comes from the origins of the festival when people would bathe and wash buddha images and then use the water to bless family and friends by gently sprinkling it over them. This evolved over the years into full out water fights that take over whole towns and cities.
Between the cooking course and the beginning of Songkran we had spent a couple of days just chilling out and exploring the huge night market that takes over most of central Chiang Mai. We had also had a rather heavy night at a local rock pub and were feeling the effects on the 13th so stayed in the hotel pool to avoid all the Songkran madness in town. Then, on the 14th we bought a couple of water pistols, and a bucket, and headed into town.
We had only got a few metres from
our hotel before a group of kids standing in the back of a pickup truck sped by and drenched us with ice cold water so we filled our guns and bucket from one of the many barrels that lined the streets and joined in the fun. As we walked along the road along the moat we soaked, and were soaked by laughing locals and farang alike as everybody cooled off in the heat. It was all very good natured and great fun and by the time we had reached Tha Phae Gate, where the centre of the party seemed to be, we were utterly sodden. At the gate was a small stage and a DJ playing house music and dozens of cars and trucks with people hanging from them getting soaked and throwing just as much water back at the people on the road and pavement. We stayed around the gate for an hour or so just joining in the party and throwing water everywhere while dancing and having fun. We tried to take some good pictures but as water was flying everywhere I only dared take it out the plastic bag I had brought a few times, usually at
the quieter spots so unfortunately the photos don't quite do it justice. I did manage to get quite a cool video though:
Tuk tuks, motorbikes, cars and pick-up trucks, all laden with people, did laps around the festival route and threw water at pedestrians as they went by while people tried to get them back as much as possible. On the way back up the circuit to our hotel we stopped at a cafe that had put a large tank of water outside and dropped massive chunks of ice into it to cool it down. Getting hit with a bucket full of ice cold water when you're not expecting it doesn't sounds like a lot of fun but when its 35 degrees outside it is lovely and refreshing so we took up positions and joined in soaking all of the passing traffic while trying to dodge their replies.
After a few hours we got tired of being wet through and settled into a bar at the side of the road, just out of water pistol reach, and started to dry off with a couple of beers. As the fun started to die down we walked back
up to our hotel for a shower and some dinner.
That was yesterday and today, as you might have noticed, we have spend most of the day catching up on the blogging. I wanted to get as up to date as possible because we will be going offline for a while. Tomorrow we are going on a two day mahout course to learn how to look after, drive, bathe and feed elephants and will be staying over at the sanctuary. I will try and write an entry telling you about our adventures when we get back to the hotel on Friday night but it might be quite late so may have to wait until after the following adventure. Speaking of which...
On the morning after our elephant course, we will be joining a buddhist monastery. Wat Rampoeng on the outskirts of Chiang Mai offers 10 day courses on Vipassana Meditation for experienced and novice meditatiors and we will be joining a course which will involve shunning all luxuries and western comforts for basic accomodation, simple clothing and 10 days of meditative silence. Yes, silence. Amy and I will attempt to go without speaking for 10 days while we
try and purge all thoughts from our minds. We have already bought the all white clothing needed and are nervously awaiting the beginning of the course. Check out the below link for details of our daily routine.
http://www.palikanon.com/vipassana/tapotaram/tapotaram.htm
Right, best be off, got to go find somewhere to eat before we turn in for an early night in preparation of a long day training elephants! You'll either hear from us on Friday or not at all for about 2 weeks. Wish us luck!
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Mark
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Photos
Cant see any of the water fight photos :( !!! Dodgy Thai computers? perhaps its just this end. Mark