Songkran

We spent Friday night at a nice hostel in Bangkok after a long day of traveling. Saturday morning we woke up early to go to the bus station in hopes of purchasing bus tickets down south to Krabi. We got to use the public bus and although it took almost an hour, it was a great way to see the city in the daylight. We came back to check out of the hostel, but left our bags there because we knew that we'd be getting wet for Songkran. Songkran celebrates the Thai new year and is the biggest festival in Thailand. Traditionally, water is poured over one another to symbolize cleansing and to wish one good luck in the new year, but it has evolved into a huge watertight lasting for at least 3 days. You are also subjected to white powder or paste being rubbed on your face by complete strangers, and that is thought to ward off evil. We took the metro to Silom, one of the two recommended spots to celebrate in Bangkok. We were met by thousands of people of all ages, mostly Thai but with a good number of foreigners too. We walked down the crowded street as people blasted us with water guns and dumped buckets of water on our heads. There were even fire trucks at several locations spraying the crowd with the fire hose. I can even explain how much fun it was. I definitely have a new favorite holiday. Unfortunately we only had an hour to celebrate before we had to return I out hostel and get ready to head to the bus station. But on the way back to the hostel, we were again met by fellow Songkran participants who would say "Happy Songkran!" and give you a hug, and then pour a cup of ice cold water down your back. It was such a fun day and the water kept us nice and cool in the big city.

We took a night bus down to Krabi, and now I'm sitting in our hostel and looking forward to hitting the beach later!