There Will be Water

Today marks the official start of the Songkran Festival (which I found out has an official website). Buckets, hoses, bottles of water sold by the gross line the curbs along with bright orange and green arms dealers. Walking the few blocks to catch my bus I was within the battleground fighting to keep dry. Being totally dry elicited a few water gun squirts (along with smiles) in passing. Idleness also gets you wet as I learned when I briefly stopped to delete some pics on my camera (a cup of refreshingly frigid water was poured down my back). But mainly, if you have a water gun in your hand, all’s fair. The streets are also enlivened with traditional Thai dancers, many of them squirted themselves. Passengers on buses, taxis and tuk-tuk participate in drive-bys while pedestrians stand on curbs dumping buckets and squirting hoses at open car windows.

Learning another Songkran tradition the messy way, other pranksters walk with small buckets of wet white clay and smear passerbys’ faces. It dries quickly and makes a minor mess of your clothing, skin and hair… but it is a wonderful time to be in Bangkok! Everyone is soaked and happy and covered in clay.