Songkran Festival... aka BIGGEST WATER FIGHT EVER!

I am sure you have all seen the news and know that the United States has put a travel warning on Thailand. You may also have seen the red shirt demonstrations in Bangkok or heard about the closing of the ASEAN conference on TV. But do not worry because I am in Chiang Mai and it’s a party here! Songkran Festival officially started yesterday; it is the celebration of the New Year here in Thailand. A few things that are important to know about this festival:

-Thailand is celebrating the new year of 2552, not 2009 like the rest of the world.

-The festival officially starts on 4/13/09 and ends on 4/15/09

-IT IS A HUGE WATER FIGHT!

I am not joking about this. It seems that everyone and their mother come to Chiang Mai for Songkran, so the streets are packed with cars and people. The city of Chiang Mai is set up as the “old city” and the “new city.” The old city is a huge square that is surrounded by a moat and then the new city is all around that. The festival takes place primarily around the moat and inside the old city. People line the moat with buckets and Super Soaker water guns in hand, spraying and throwing water at everyone that passes by. It is impossible to walk a block without getting completely soaked. At first when I heard about this huge event, I could not even fathom what exactly was going to happen. On Sunday, Johnny and I rode around in the back of a pick up truck—containing a huge cooler full of water and four large ice chunks—we rode through a bunch of towns outside of Chiang Mai throwing water at people. There are no limits to whom can get drenched with water: bicyclists, motorcyclists, pedestrians, children, grandparents, cars, etc. People that you do not even know will pour ice-cold water down your back and all you can do is squeal and laugh and spray them back. Just imagine 28^th Street (in Grand Rapids, MI) or the Coralville Strip (in Coralville, IA) packed with people and cars and water flying through the air and everyone is smiling and laughing. Some of the roads here are flooded because of the amount of water being used; seriously, every store and restaurants has a huge trashcan bucket with a hose constantly flowing into it. It’s pretty crazy and everyone has a lot of fun, especially the farang (foreigner) tourists.

I am currently on spring break to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ and Songkran Festival; however, the two have very little connection here in Thailand. The most heavily practiced and recognized religion in Thailand is Buddhism, even though the government does not recognize itself as a Buddhist nation, everything is still intertwined with Buddhism. Yesterday, Anna Perks and I hung out at a restaurant all day long with her host family. The day was very Sabai Sabai (phrase used when you are completely relaxed and enjoying yourself). We had a table right next to the road, so we could “bye lynn nam” (go play in water) or “gin cow” (eat food) whenever we felt like it. Around 2:30 pm the parade passed by, it was full of floats and Buddhist sculptures and a lot of music and dancing. The parade ended around 5:45pm, a little ridiculous, but people were really enjoying themselves. The two days of “bye lynn nam” were a lot of fun, but also really exhausting. Even though the festival does not end for a few more days, I think I am pooped of water events, so I am going to Sukhothai (5 hours away from Chiang Mai) with some friends and biking around. We are leaving in the next hours J

I have another blog that I will update soon explaining the last expedition on Thailand’s rivers. I pray that you are all doing well. Thank you for your continued support and prayers.

ally j