Water we doing now?

From Singapore, we flew to back to Thailand to the city of Chiang Mai and landed right in the middle of this.

Thailand's Songkram festival. For those of you not familiar with this (as described on http://www.topics-mag.com/internatl/holidays/thailand/songkron-festival.htm) :

Songkram is a traditional Thai New Year that starts on April 13 annually. It is also called the "Water Festival" because people believe that water will wash away bad luck and make people fresh. On this day, we sprinkle small drops of water to bless monks and elders. Their hands are sprinkled with perfumed water. In addition, this festival is for rain because it is the hottest season.
Nowadays, during the Songkram Festival, people always throw water on everybody who walks past their houses or walks down the street with cups or buckets of water, squirt guns, hoses and anything else. Everyone gets wet, but it is all in a spirit of friendliness, blessing and fun. People who get wet actually do not get angry because they know that it is traditional.
People will go to the temples to bathe Buddha images and give special food to the monks. People will do good things such as freeing fish or birds and other animals from their cages.
On this day, everywhere in Thailand, people celebrate and enjoy the festival. Especially in Chieng Mai which is in the Northern part of Thailand. We can see many foreigners enjoy this festival with Thais. Everybody also enjoys public events such as beauty contests, parades, and marching bands.
The Water Festival gives us freshness, happiness and fun because the weather is very hot. I hope everyone will try to visit and enjoy this festival.

Essentially, the entire country hits the streets for 5 days (yes that's right. 5 days!!) for a massive water fight. Everyone from teenagers, to old grannies, to little kids.

The shops are full of water fighting paraphanilia,

and no one emerges unscathed. If I look a little cold it is because I am. Despite temperatures in the high thirties, the shock of having several buckets of ice water (some with ice chunks) poured over your head is well...cold. Not that I am complaining. (sorry Mihra and all others in cold climates).

Here are a few other pictures to give you an idea of what it is like. Most of these were taken from our hotel balcony as you will get wet, with or without an expensive camera in your hands. Inagine 10 times this ammount of activity on the busier streets.

A final message to all you Zubots reading this. We have reserved rooms for all of you for next years annual camping trip. A 3 hour water fight is nothing compared to this. Though note that as was mentioned in the above article, "Everyone gets wet, but it is all in a spirit of friendliness, blessing and fun. People who get wet actually do not get angry because they know that it is traditional." You may have to leave the car seat/stealing trailer cap/forgetting grandmother antics behind. :)