Happy New Year, Part 3!

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There are some things you don't plan in your travels. Participating in 3 seperate new year celebrations (western, Chinese, and SE Asia) was never something I anticipated. But my 3rd, surprise new years party is probably one of the most fun times I have ever had. Not just on this trip, but in my life.



So, a quick primer for those at home who have no idea what SE Asian New year is (I was one of your masses until recently. I'm going with the Thai New Year (Songkran) explanation, as that where this blog takes place: Per Wikipedia:

The Songkran festival (Thai: สงกรานต์, Khmer: សង្រ្កាន្ត; from the Sanskrit word saṃkrānti, or literally "astrological passage") is celebrated in Thailand as the traditional New Year's Day from 13 to 15 April. It coincides with the New Year of many calendars of South andSoutheast Asia. Songkran falls in the hottest time of the year in Thailand, at the end of the dry season. The most obvious celebration of Songkran is the throwing of water. Thais roam the streets with containers of water or water guns (sometimes mixed with mentholated talc), or post themselves at the side of roads with a garden hose and drench each other and passersby. The throwing of water originated as a way to pay respect to people, by capturing the water after it had been poured over the Buddhas for cleansing and then using this "blessed" water to give good fortune to elders and family by gently pouring it on the shoulder. Among young people the holiday evolved to include dousing strangers with water to relieve the heat, since April is the hottest month in Thailand (temperatures can rise to over 100°F or 40°C on some days). This has further evolved into water fights and splashing water over people riding in vehicles.

Now, also per Wikipedia I have learned that many foreigners come to Thailand specifically to experience the festival, and that Chiang Mai is the epicentre of festivities and most famour for their water fights. I knew none of this - gotta love dumb luck. It has definitely served me well in life.

I was actually in Laos for the first 2 days of new year celebrations, spending my days on the boat we were taking up the Mekong, and the evenings unsuccessfully dodging water being thrown at us while we had our big backpacks on. It seemed fun, but as we didn't have much time on-land, it didn't seem epic. However, we knew we would be reaching Chiang Mai mid-day on the 15th, and were determined to experience the water fights.

And experience them we did.

Everywhere we went in town, water was flying. People on the street, people with massive tubs of water in the back of trucks, people on rooftops. Within 5 minutes of stepping outside I was soaked, as were my friends. Early on I realized I needed to arm myself, and I found a place selling overpriced buckets (20 baht - almost a whole dollar), and armed up. It is so much more fun having water thrown at you when you can throw back.

I really have never experienced anything like this. It's as if the entire city (probably the entire nation) has decided to embrace their inner child and is taking part in a neighbourhood water fight. Except it is city-wide, and all ages. I embraced this feeling fully, and launched myself into the waterfights with glee. I have never had so much fun.

As the day turned into night, the waterfights continued. We had positioned ourself at a bar, where a very specific battle with the otherside of the street was taking place. We fought hard, but I really don't know if anyone won (or was supposed to win). Alas, in typical me form, I became a fallen soldier.

Anyone who knows me knows I am a bit of a clutz. And when I say "a bit" a mean total. So, it should come as no surprise that the combination of water everywhere, flip flops, excitement, and perhaps a wee bit of alcohol, resulted in a fall that ended my evening early. I don't know how it happened (my friends who were there don't know either), but I ended up splayed on my back over a curb, bleeding from my left elbow, and with a bloodred bruise spanning from mid calf to above my knee on the left side of my left leg (not purple, so bad you could see the blood under the skin clearly). How I manage to damage the total opposite sides of my body but nothing inbetween in one fluid fall, I do not know. But it is so typically me, I'm really not surprised and just find it amusing. Nothing was broken, and it wasn't my face which is really all I can ask for given my track record.

So the fall ended my night early, but also showed me how nice people can be. As my friends and I leveraged my bloody elbow to part the crowds (seriously, it was a highly effective tactic shouting blood in a pained voice and waving my elbow in front of us - people parted like the red sea), a older woman at a street stall saw us, jumped up, and dragged me over to her seat. Without saying a word, she plopped me down, took out some antiseptic, and treated my cut like only a mother could. It was one of the sweetest things anyone has ever done, and she asked for nothing in return.

So all in all, I'm pretty sure that celebrating Songkran in Chiang Mai will go down as one of my favourite days - definitely on this trip, and I'm pretty sure it will be in the highlight real of memories for the rest of my life.

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Photos

Sneak Attack
My friend Vicky and I were trying to take the obligatory self potrait with a bucket. A man came up and smacked the bottom of it, just as we were taking the shot catching us totally off guard. Fortunately the result is one of my favourite shots from the day.

Water Fight by the River
Chiang Mai has rivers throughout, and it has made the Songkran water fights epic, if not hygenically concerning. My friends and I assumed are digestive tracks were a sacrifice we would be having to make given the amount of water that got in our mouths, but fortunately we were (somehow) wrong.

The Smile Attack
You learn quickly that a friendly smile does not mean a water attack is not imminent. Even with my camera (although waterproof), one of my first attackers still got me.

Prayer Flags
The true heart of Songkran and New Year across SE Asia... despite the water fights being what people focus on

Wet and Happy
Now it should be noted, my friends and I did not plan to wear the same thing. In fact, we weren't wearing matching outfits when we left for the day. (red print shorts, maroon shorts, neon pink shorts). Our pants were just so soaked with water and dirt (as discovered later when I tried to wash my shirt), that by the end of the night they just appeared to all be the same.