Songkran Water Festival

[william3rd]

The water festival is the Thai New Year and is the biggest holiday of the year. It started this year on April 11 and ends today on the 15th. When I flew up from Bangkok on the 11th, there were already signs of the holiday with people sporting smears of perfumed paste on their cheeks placed by well-wishers. Being a farang (white-skin) in Songkran is cool because there are constant offers of beer and requests to smear the paste on your cheeks from other celebrants.

My GF had rented a longbed pickup for the water festival. In the back we had six water throwers and 150 gallons of ice water- our secret weapon. Each thrower had a small bucket to fling water. Squirt guns don't have the firepower of a well-thrown bucket of water.

As we headed to the park early in the morning, shopkeepers were setting up hoses and water cisterns in front of their shops in preparation. By 10AM most of the stores were closed and water throwers were everywhere. We were drenched before we were even close to the park and running low on ice water as well. We purchased a new load of ice and water from local vendors. The road around the park is about 3 miles and traffic was moving at less than half that speed as tens of thousands of people threw water and celebrated. Most major beer vendors had representatives selling beer. 4 Heineken cans were 100 baht- about 3.00 dollars. We had a couple drunks join us in the truck for about ten minutes of water throwing. Then, they jumped into another truck going the opposite direction. Every truck in Udon Thani seemed to be loaded with 50 gallon drums.

There were water cannons on one small hill spraying the throngs of pedestrians and vehicles parked haphazardly on both sides of the road. This is the biggest water war I had ever seen. Our favorite restaurant had a pump set up in front and the owner was personally spraying every car that came by.

The strategy we used was to pull alongside another vehicle and let them throw first since most of them had only tepid water. Then we flung our ice water to be rewarded with screams of shock and delight at the cold surprise. We took our share of ice water hits as well.

Occasionally someone would fall from one of the trucks or get clipped by a truck or motorcycle. Thai emergency medical would swing into action. I saw concussions, broken collar bones, broken legs etc. Whatever the injury, the injured party would be immediately picked up, placed on a motor scooter and transported quickly-although painfully- to the mass trauma unit at the local hospital. Originally, the hospital unit was set up for massive accidents and disasters but is really only in use during Songkran.

The police were out, their radios and guns encased in plastic, their uniforms covered in perfumed paste and soaked with water. Occasionally they would step in to unsnarl some particularly bad traffic jams or to check some of the scattered bodies of drunks for life. However, it is completely hands off-

Music was playing gaily through out the days and the perfumed water and pastes were being spread with happy abandon. We went through 600 gallons of perfumed ice water during our participation and then it started raining. While we retired from the field of combat, the battle continued until late in the evening.

On the second day, we repeated the first day. On the third day, the war continued but we went to the local Wat for a blessing instead. Even the children of the family were tired of the war. So, that is where we are now-heading for the Wat. . . . .

More later- about food, about life, about lots of stuff

[Bear]

A water war?  What ever brought this into fruition?  Whats the history? 

Sounded like fun until you mentioned all the people getting hurt.  How do they justify the injuries?  Kind of reminds me of Mardi Gras with at least one child dying every year huh?

The Bear Family

[william3rd]

The injuries are mostly due to carelessness. There are few rules here and a lot of personal responsibility. Even in the chaos of the festival, there is no fighting or insults or any of the things that we would expect on a similar event back home.

The Festival is the marking of the start of the rain season and when the Buddhist monks go into the temples for the rainy season. Water is an important part of Thai society and a good rainy season is important for the rice crops. The more somber Loy Krathong ceremony in November is also water based but is a period for the seeking of forgiveness and the washing away of sins.

In the evening hours after the water wars of the daytime, musical celebrations were held in the central part where traditional music, garb, and costumes were on display. The culture here is unique as this is the land of Issarn, a mix of Thai and Laotian culture.

Now it is over and everyone goes back to work to labor daily until the Fall.

We are going out to the Dinosaur digs today. They have found some tremendous discoveries. The Thais have named it- Jurassic Park (how original) although the specimens are not of Jurassic origins.

Had a new delicacy this trip- spicy ant egg salad. The proper designation I think is termite larvae since the "eggs" are bigger than most ants I have ever seen. Very tasty with a nutty taste.

Exchange of currency- the airport is a very good place to exchange currency. The major banks have offices there.  The larger denomination of the bill, the better the exchange rate. There is a half point fee for cashing traveler's checks. $100 bills are exchanged at 34.6 right now and the low for $1 is about 32.6 so that is quite a spread.

Taxi ride between airports in BKK-
regular bus- 80 baht.
Taxi- 240 baht
Limo- 600 baht.

Taxi to hotel in Udon- 30 Baht

if you follow the signs to the regular bus and ignore the hawkers, you will save 15 dollars.

Weather was brutal yesterday at about 98 and humid. Only mad dogs and Englishmen. . .

Wat ever was I thinking? We went to NINE wats for donations yesterday. It took 4 and a half hours. four chinese and 5 thai wats. all of the ceremonies involved incense candles and, of course, water.

The thai national anthem is playing now so it must be 8AM. Time for breakfast and then on to the digs.

[Bear]

Now Dinosaur Digs.  That would be awesome to do.  I have always wanted to do a little archeology, specifically in Mexico. 

I watch one "In Search Of" series once where you could literally see temples covered with jungle all around that no one has examined.  I've seen pictures of a Belize ruin as the archaeologist suggest it looked during its prime - incredibly beautiful.  This city is now covered in jungle and mud. and way beyond my physical ability to get to. You have to hike in because even jeeps can't get more than 10-15 miles from it.  Another would be the Peruvian mountain city called (I believe) Michu Picu.  The stones the city was build with are over two tons each and come from mountains miles away and yet they are all perfectly stacked so as to not allow even the smallest piece of paper between them and all above the clouds so that passer-by-ers would never see this awesome feet.

Speaking of jungle.  How thick is it there or is the surrounding areas pretty much developed?  Although there are lots of area in the R.P. that are seemingly "wild" the cities are really pretty up-to-date and even someplace very modern.

The Bear Family

[william3rd]

We visited a dig yesterday. There are several areas in Thailand where different ages of Earth history are visible. The dig is currently being secured for the rainy season. This was an Eocene dig with an early rhinocerous like skull being removed.

The one museum that is nearby has a pretty large collection of Dinosaur eggs-mostly large plant eaters. One smaller ( about the size of a baseball) egg even has the baby visible inside.

There are quite a few oceanic exhibits with smaller Icthyasaur and Mosasaur remnants, dozens of ammonites, trilobites, and shark teeth.

[william3rd]

As far as development goes, Thailand has been civilized, so to speak, for thousands of years. There are still large forests to the north but there is little to be had in the way of old growth, The teak industry in Thailand is in steep decline due to the harvesting of most of the forests.

From the air you can really see that large areas of the country are cultivated.

To expand on the originations of Songkran- it is the Thai new year. It is also the hottest month of the year. In custom, one would put water on the wrist and hand for cooling- as a mark of affection. The same goes for the talcum powders. Thai culture historically has been of reserve and of the utmost respect between male and female. The applying of powders was a method of flirting and allowing contact otherwise forbidden.

It has now "expanded" to four days of letting off steam. And soaking everyone. Warning on the water- a lot of the water is just pumped out of the "klongs" or river channels. Ours was from the faucet and our refills came out of the lake but some of those klongs looked pretty nasty.

On a side note- inflation has struck thailand pretty hard over the years. When I first went to thailand 20 years ago, paper money was in 500, 100, 50, 20 and 10 baht notes and the coins were 5, 1, 50 stang, 20 stang 10 stang 5 stang and 1 stang. Stang is like our penny. Now, the notes are 1000, 500, 100, 50 (now being phased out) and 20. The coins include a 10 baht coin and the stang are almost nonexistant except in religious ceremonies.

Alot of the expats over there were complaining about the dollar which has lost about 20% of its value over there in the last couple of years. Reference is made to the American peso. I have noticed the hit but it isnt that bad-unless you are retired on a fixed income in which case, it is not good for you.

[Ray]

Hey William,

I still have a bunch of those 10-Baht notes. You mean to say those are no good anymore? 

If I remeber correctly, I think the average rate for a cold Singha beer in a nice club back then was 25 Baht and the exchange rate was about 20 Baht to the dollar. But that was over 30 years ago... 

[william3rd]

Singha is about 80 baht now in a night club- maybe 75-and the internal exchange is 34 so about 2 and a quarter.

Your ten baht notes are still good!!! Just not common anymore. THe 10 baht is a bronze colored center with a steel rim. It looks about like a 5 baht coin with a 50 stang center.

[william3rd]

There are pictures in the gallery that go with the description of the water festival.