Songkran! One of my best cultural experiences so far

Hello everyone!

As I said in my last update about Hong Kong, I was flying to Bangkok. It was my fourth visit in the last 11 months, and I can say with confidence that it was once again an amazing time in Thailand!

I spent about 11 days there and the purpose of the trip was to go for Songkran, aka Thai New Year. They celebrate Western New Year during the same time as the rest of the world, but their traditional New Year is April 13-15. During Songkran, they celebrate with traditional rituals. Often people will return to their hometown to be with family. They will go to the temples in the morning and offer food to monks. As is typical in most Asian cultures, paying reverence to ancestors is also important. People will also pour water on Buddha statues, as well as the young and elderly. Water represents purification. It's an opportunity to wash away the sins from the last year and start the next year on a clean slate. 

I arrived in Bangkok but headed up north to Chiang Mai via sleeper train to celebrate the holiday. Along the way, I stopped in Ayutthaya, Thailand's ancient capital (when Thailand was called the Kingdom of Siam). I explored the temples and learned about their history.

Ayutthaya

I also made a stop in Pai, about 3 hours north of Chiang Mai. I have been hearing about Pai from countless travelers and about how it's so amazing, so I decided to go see it for myself (fun fact: the road between Pai and Chiang Mai has 762 turns. Don't take a minivan if you're prone to car sickness!). 

One of the main roads in Pai

I was actually very surprised. Pai is quite small, and it seems to be in the middle of nowhere but it's the type of place that has jumped onto the tourist map in the last 10 years. It is quite developed, and to my surprise, everything there is in English, and as you walk down the road every other restaurant sells American food. As I said, it's small but there are tourists everywhere in Pai. 

Overlooking Pai

Anyway, back to Songkran...

The holiday officially started the day I arrived in Chiang Mai. Water is a very important part of this holiday. Most major streets are closed to traffic and instead become arenas for a large water fight. In big cities, most people will be in the streets with either a bucket or a water gun. It doesn't matter who you are or where you're going- you are going to get wet if you go out! My advice: get a water gun and have fun! This is one of the best experiences I have had. I saw lots of tourists taking part and hanging out with the locals. Lots of people will drive around in pickup trucks with about 5 or 6 people sitting in the back. They have a huge bucket of water (sometimes icy) and will drive around and splash people! Those on the streets will answer with buckets or water guns of their own. It is simply a huge water fight in the streets for 3 straight days and it is awesome! Nothing else like it. 

Prepared for Songkran!

When I learned about this and I did my research I thought the idea of a country doing a water fight for 3 days was a bit juvenile and immature. But now I think it's unique! 

Songkran was wet! Very enjoyable. I hope to go back next year or the year after to celebrate it again. 

In other news, today (April 19th) I have officially been in Asia for 11 months!

Until next time,
Zach