p a s s i o n + r e a s o n

Songkran, known as "Water Splashing Festival" to us foreigners is the festival for the Thai new year. During April, the hottest month of the year, people let off steam by dumping water on each other. And not just literally dumping water, as waterguns, pails of all sizes, hoses, and other water holding containers are employed to empty an incredible amount of water on people.

If you thought the waterfights you used to have as a kid amounted to anything, you haven't seen anything yet. In Chiang Mai - the center of Songkran celebrations, where my family and I went to spend Songkran - the festival/waterfight officially lasts three days. We saw locals, Thai tourists, expats, foreign tourists cavorting in the streets, getting water from coin-op water taps (installed along the streets), drive-by-splashings in the country-side, Thai's reverently throwing "sacred" water on the procession of Buddha's down Tae Pae Road, among many other things.

My family (except for Ruth who didn't go to Asia that time) spent about a day and a half with our tour guide from MaePing Riverside Tours visiting some of the temples and then for a full-day tour out into hilltribe country. We did see and visit a "cultural village" of long-neck Karen people, with the realization that we were visiting (and contributing to) a human zoo disguised as a business venture disguised as a cultural experience. Our tour guide surprised me in several ways: he spoke English quite exceptionally, he didn't push touristy things on us, and really engaged us as guests not glossing over some of the problems and issues in the area. I felt that we were able to get good insights about Lanna (northern Thai) culture and about life in this area. Here are some little tidbits and facts he offhandedly told us throughout our trip: the only proceeds the ethnic minorities get at the "human zoo" are from the crafts they sell, there's more shagging behaviour during Songkran time, the government doesn't allow women to wear white shirts during Songkran, traffic fatalities spike during the holdays, Buddhist temples open up to the east, among other things.

Songkran is a good reason to visit Thailand. During a time of heat and brown, splashes of icy water and colourfull festiveness make it an experience to enjoy and remember.

As usual, to view the description, just place your cursor over the thumbnail. Some of the photos are from Bangkok, too.