Tuesday 15 April 2008

Sawatdee Pi Maï - "Happy New Year"

It's Songkran again!! (The Thai New Year and Water Festival that lasts three days....THREE!!). It's great fun on day one, for about five minutes, by day two it has lost all it's charm - you can't take three steps from your door with out being covered in a white paste and being completely soaked to the skin!! The upside is that it cools you down....the down side is that money and mobile phones need to be put in plastic bags before you leave the house and you can't wear anything that needs to be dry cleaned or that has the slightest chance of the colour running!! Oh, and you've got to be careful what fabric your wearing or you end up really cold once you get into the air con!!

We have hibernated in the house for two days (It officially started on Sunday but that didn't stop it actually starting on Saturday!!). Yesterday we ventured out......We thought that since it was the last day it would be quieter because everyone would be suffering from hangovers after all the partying. We were wrong!!! I thought I would share our experience with you using photos - they will be able to say more than my words ever will

This is the group of partying Thai's at the top of our Soi (There really was no escaping!!).








We went to Central World in a bid to hide from the madness and we spotted this - so not only do you squirt people with water pistols but you can get rained on whilst you do it (Much giggling was done!!)










We decided to call in at one of our local bars on Soi 8 (Funnily enough the bar is called Soi 8). We got completely drenched getting there - this is what the Soi looked like.



We sat outside and I have to say it was great fun watching other people get absolutely soaked whilst we sat and had a beer!!









There was a lot of partying going on and this is a photo of one of the girls stopping a Tuk Tuk so the driver and passenger could get soaked by her group of friends.









This is our friend Chris, armed and dangerous, after he decided we looked waaaay to dry sitting there with our beers!!!

We did have really good fun but I'm glad it's coming to an end!!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
And I got a lovely award from Lane :-D.

I would like to pass it to Mel at Thai Village Life, JJ at Tea Stains, Sue G at Me and Others, Jen at Spiral Skies, Caroline at In Search of Adam and DJ at DJ Kirby's blog.

22 comments:

Caroline said...

Your world is a lot wet and totally insane! Oh and your friend Chris looks far too happy with his big gun :)

Mwaaaaaah thanking you for my award. You are most lovely.
x

Carol said...

Caroline - Living here is actually quite easy once you get used to the the fact that the entire country is completely bonkers!!

The reason he's looking so happy is because he's just drenched us!! Revenge will be mine!!

You are most welcome my dear :-)

C x

Anonymous said...

'Les Girls' in your new (and lovely) Award look as if they've been songkran'd with the flour paste as well - so appropriate!
Your friend Chris has the right idea - a splatch gun. Water pistols just aren't big enough for the job.

love Mum xx

Carol said...

LOL Mum....I'd not even noticed that!!

Yeah, I think next year Chris and I will need to get mega water pistols!!

C x

Sue Guiney said...

Thanks so so much for the award! I've never gotten one before! I know how crazy it gets over there during New Year, but what fun too! And it's hot. I'm still so cold over here.

Thanks again, and especially for all your encouragement from halfway round the world!! xoxo

Deborah Carr (Debs) said...

Looks exhausting but great fun all round. We used to have a water pistol (if you could call it that) like that green one in the pic and it was brilliant, the children loved it.

DJ Kirkby said...

Aaaahhh thanks! I am very pleased with my award and even more pleased I do not have to experience the wetting that goes on during that festival!

Lane Mathias said...

Wow they sure know how to have fun. Three days?!!
Love the look of Soi 8 and the photos really capture the atmosphere.
Your mate Chris looks in his element. Looks like he's even in combat gear:-)

Carol said...

SueG - Your very welcome!!

At the moment I just can't imagine cold!! We're planning to visit the UK in September and I know it's going to be a massive shock to the system (Cor, I struggled in June last year!!!)

Debs - Welcome :-). It was good fun but three days of it was a bit much!! My Chris had gun envy when he saw that water pistol - guess what I'm going to have to get him next year!!!

DJ - You've earned it!! The wetting is kinda nice when it's really hot but boy does it go on and on and on.....

Lane - I can't take credit for the photo's (they were all Chris's) but they really do capture the feel of the festival don't they!!

Hahahaha.....I'd not noticed the combat gear but your absolutely right!! *am giggling*

C x

Mel said...

Aww, thanks honey! It's my first award too :-D

I also hibernated for 3 days except in the early mornings and after dark food expeditions! Suk looks completely insane, but so much fun!! See you soon hopefully ;-p

Mel said...

Sorry, forgot to mention that photos are fabulous, great to see what I missed out on staying dry inside (but listening to the screaming coming from outside!)xx

Anonymous said...

Hey guys, thanks for popping over to my blog, the Billy Connolly clips really made me laugh. I am going to put you on my blogroll, so I can come and visit more often.

My boys would love the water festival. What am I saying, I would love that lol. Where does it originate from? Sounds amazing.

Carol said...

Mel - Your welcome sweetie!! (I get ridiculously excited when I get an award!!)

We watched a lot of DVD's and I can recommend a new odd one for you!! It's called Death at a Funeral and it made me laugh out loud - give it a go....I think you'll like it!!

Chris took some great pics didn't he!!

Hullaballoo - Glad you liked the clips (I love that song and after putting it on your blog I've been singing it all day!!).

The history of the water festival....well, at Thai New Year the Thai's use water to symbolise the washing away of last year's sins. It used to be a way of showing elders in the community and in the family respect - you would pour a little water over their hands. As the years have passed it's got more and more boisterous and now the entire country turns into one big water fight!!

C x

Jenny Beattie said...

Oooh, thanks for the award honey. But, you know, I think it's you that does the cheering up!
Jjx

Carol said...

JJ - Nope, definately not!! Your blog is the only one I can visit that has postings about G-strings landing in Gin!!! (And that really made me laugh!!)

C x

Anonymous said...

I am so glad I can only come in January, otherwise I'd probably be deported for murder.
How on earth does Chris stay calm, he's normally the one with the waterpistol
Ah the sweet irony
Tomato

Carol said...

Tomato - Yeah, I can't imagine you being too chuffed at regularly being drenched in water!! It is fun for a day - after that it's two days of drinking wine, watching DVD's and food by phone!!

Oh, and I hate to break this to you but, if you want to come to the Fashion Show again, you'll have to come in May!!! (The decision was made to move it at the last committee meeting).


C x

Jen said...

I love the photo where even the air looks saturated with water from those guns. Looks like something from an apocalyptic film, apart from the smiley faces.

Thanks muchly for the award... :0)

Anonymous said...

Ah the injustice of it all!!!

Tomato (Very sun-dried if I came in May)

Carol said...

Spiral Jen - I love that photo too!! Chris will be chuffed with your apocalyptic film comment - he loves movies like that!!

Tomato - LOL at Sun dried!!!
I have to say I don't think you'd cope with the heat very well. Chris and I have just stayed in most of the weekend cause it was too hot to go outside!!! Never thought I would say this but.....I can't wait for the rainy season!!

C x

Georgina said...

Hi, I called in via Lane. It looks like great fun in all of that rain and drenching each other with water pistols. You can only get so wet.

Carol said...

The Lehners - Thanks for popping over :-). Your absolutely right....there is only so wet you can get and I don't think I could have got any wetter if I had stood in the shower with all my clothes on!!

I'm going to pop over to your blog for a nosey....

C x