The Flying Martinis are now the Songkran rejects
Songkran (Thai New Year) Madness on the Khao San RoadThe Thais know how to celebrate New year, they really do. Unfortunately their method of celebration is one that we probably couldn’t adopt on the 1st January in Scotland as it involves throwing vast amount of cold water at people. Don’t fancy that much in Aberdeen. But in steaming hot Bangkok it works just fine. And it gives great vent to the very playful nature of the Thais.
Songkran- High-grade pneumatic waterpistol essential
The Thai New Year or “Songkran”, is celebrated mid April. We asked what year it was and got about 10 different replies, probably because we weren’t making ourselves understood, not because Thai people weren’t sure. I’m still not sure- if someone can tell me for sure I’ll be grateful. No use not knowing what year it is….
Thailand actually celebrates 3 different New Years each year which pretty much cements my emerging view that the Thais are the most fun people in the world. Why haven’t the Scots thought of that?
The Thais celebrate New Year on the 31st of December, then there is the Chinese Lunar New Year that takes normally place in February and there is the Thai New Year which is in April each year. We should MOVE New year to July and call it Scottish New Year as it will be much better, and you wouldn’t have to freeze your ass off every year going from party to party with your carry out. Take this as an official “Let’s move New Year” campaign launch.
I digress. This is how the Thais do new Year (Songkran). They get buckets of water, high powered pump action water pistols, anything that will be able to soak passers by. Then they let rip. We don’t have a great deal of photos of the utter full on madness of the Friday night as John was worried about his camera. But here they are anyway. They don’t even half represent the utter madness of people unleashing water-fight hell on the Khao San Road.
Moving vehicle an optional extra
On the Friday night, not knowing much about the reality of Songkran, we headed out to the Khaosan Road to buy presents. What a couple for chumps. Khao San Road, normally shopping mecca was packed full of Bangkok’s teenagers and young people, armed with gallons of iced water, flour paste and hosepipes. It was great at first but the kids were frightened. Eve was on John’s shoulders and the Thais made a beeline for her, pelting her with water and covering her cheeks on flour paste. She started to cry, and this only attracted more Thai teenagers to her, thinking that another dousing and pasting would help her out. She started wailing, “This is a nasty place! I don’t like it”.
Mum having a laugh; Eve having a cry…
Louis didn’t like it either. Normally he would be right into a water fight but he was completely overwhelmed and crucially, unarmed. Had we known, we would have bought him a water pistol, but by the time we made it through to the centre of the madness, the kids had had enough and we had to take them home. Louis lashed out at a guy who put just a little too much flour paste on his face, with a little too much force, ignoring Louis sense of humour failure.
Songkran looked great too. But an early Flying Martini exit was essential. So we head back through the masses and get spat out the other side of Khao San Road, a lot whiter and wetter than when we got there.
Time to find a tuc tuc that’s brave enough to take us through the hail of flour and water fire back to the Davis (where they probably won’t let us back in….)
This is us back at the hotel after finding a tuc tuc and being a moving target for flour and water.
Tomorrow: we come prepared….
The Flying Martinis are now the Songkran rejects
Songkran (Thai New Year) Madness on the Khao San RoadThe Thais know how to celebrate New year, they really do. Unfortunately their method of celebration is one that we probably couldn’t adopt on the 1st January in Scotland as it involves throwing vast amount of cold water at people. Don’t fancy that much in Aberdeen. But in steaming hot Bangkok it works just fine. And it gives great vent to the very playful nature of the Thais.
Songkran- High-grade pneumatic waterpistol essential
The Thai New Year or “Songkran”, is celebrated mid April. We asked what year it was and got about 10 different replies, probably because we weren’t making ourselves understood, not because Thai people weren’t sure. I’m still not sure- if someone can tell me for sure I’ll be grateful. No use not knowing what year it is….
Thailand actually celebrates 3 different New Years each year which pretty much cements my emerging view that the Thais are the most fun people in the world. Why haven’t the Scots thought of that?
The Thais celebrate New Year on the 31st of December, then there is the Chinese Lunar New Year that takes normally place in February and there is the Thai New Year which is in April each year. We should MOVE New year to July and call it Scottish New Year as it will be much better, and you wouldn’t have to freeze your ass off every year going from party to party with your carry out. Take this as an official “Let’s move New Year” campaign launch.
I digress. This is how the Thais do new Year (Songkran). They get buckets of water, high powered pump action water pistols, anything that will be able to soak passers by. Then they let rip. We don’t have a great deal of photos of the utter full on madness of the Friday night as John was worried about his camera. But here they are anyway. They don’t even half represent the utter madness of people unleashing water-fight hell on the Khao San Road.
Moving vehicle an optional extra
On the Friday night, not knowing much about the reality of Songkran, we headed out to the Khaosan Road to buy presents. What a couple for chumps. Khao San Road, normally shopping mecca was packed full of Bangkok’s teenagers and young people, armed with gallons of iced water, flour paste and hosepipes. It was great at first but the kids were frightened. Eve was on John’s shoulders and the Thais made a beeline for her, pelting her with water and covering her cheeks on flour paste. She started to cry, and this only attracted more Thai teenagers to her, thinking that another dousing and pasting would help her out. She started wailing, “This is a nasty place! I don’t like it”.
Mum having a laugh; Eve having a cry…
Louis didn’t like it either. Normally he would be right into a water fight but he was completely overwhelmed and crucially, unarmed. Had we known, we would have bought him a water pistol, but by the time we made it through to the centre of the madness, the kids had had enough and we had to take them home. Louis lashed out at a guy who put just a little too much flour paste on his face, with a little too much force, ignoring Louis sense of humour failure.
Songkran looked great too. But an early Flying Martini exit was essential. So we head back through the masses and get spat out the other side of Khao San Road, a lot whiter and wetter than when we got there.
Time to find a tuc tuc that’s brave enough to take us through the hail of flour and water fire back to the Davis (where they probably won’t let us back in….)
This is us back at the hotel after finding a tuc tuc and being a moving target for flour and water.
Tomorrow: we come prepared….
