I know it's a bit early, but just in case we don't get to blog again before we go back to Bankok on Monday, we want to extend our wishes for a wonderful holiday to everyone back home. We definitley miss you.
We've been slow to blog lately, mainly because it's no fun to type while your dripping wet. We've been struggling to figure out how to describe the scale of what is going on here. Here is an attempt.
SongKran truth number one:
*** The prefered method for distributing blessings is not a squirt gun. A squirt gun may have some range, but it's stream is limited to maybe a litre or two per minute with a concentrated spray. A garden hose is a nice step up, but it's still not going to provide a proper soaking, and you are limited to where you can roam with one.
The prefered method for distributing blessings is a bucket. Simple. Effective. The larger the bucket the better.
Around the moat, add a string to the bucket. Dip in the moat. Distribute blessing. Repeat.
In this way, the people of Chiang Mai distribute tens of thousands of gallons of blessings each minute. I do not exaggerate.
Song Kran truth number two.
*** Water is distributed without descrimination. Thai, foreign, young, old, rich, poor, you will get wet. You will have been drier in your morning shower than in your evening stroll around the city. Water comes from everywhere and goes everywhere. No corner is safe. It is everywhere.
The city is absolutley filled with laughter and joy. At the end of the day our faces hurt from smiling and our bellies were tired from laughing. You hear screaming like at an amusment park. It is all around.
SongKran truth number three:
*** Blessings are best served cold. The air is 101 degrees and the moat water and water that has been sitting in tubs and drums waiting for distribution is not much cooler. To really evoke screams and laughter, you must purchase large blocks of ice to store in your water source.
The ice industry has descended on the city. Ice vendors are in every street with igloo sized blocks available for pennies. Drop a block in the tub of water in your pickup truck and you are sure to get a bigger reaction to your blessing.
Our 2' x 2' ice block lasted about 20 minutes in the 50 gallon drum in the bed of our Kid's Ark piloted pickup truck, but the water around was properly freezing while we passed it out.
SongKran truth number 4:
If it rolls, splash it.
Imagine someone riding a motorcycle down the street in your hometown. As the bike slows for a stoplight a 5 gallon bucket of ice cold water is thrown in the face of the driver. The driver smiles broadly laughs and wishes the thrower a happy new year and many blessings.
There are thousands of motorcycles throughout the city and the drivers are as fair game as the pickups, tuk tuks, cars, buses, etc... It's a miracle that we have not witnessed a single car accident. This might be the most unbelievable part of SongKran. We have not seen a SongKran related accident. (although we know they exist, it was reported in the paper)
SongKran truth number 5:
There is somehow respect and boundries in the insanity. We can't really describe this, but somehow people are very polite as the sneak up behind a total stranger and dump buckets of cold water on them. Again, it's hard to imagine, but Thai's are very subtle. Somehow it is possible to non-verbally communicate permission to dump or not dump, just in your posture and expression.
Everyone gets wet, but only because everyone gives everyone else secret non-verbal permission prior to every splash.
Very hard to explain.
Ok, enough for now, we need to get back out there...