Aside from beingness a massive waterfight, the Songkran vacation is also a traditional fourth dimension of twelvemonth amongst item emphasis on paying abide by to your elders, together with many Thai people volition move for Songkran to take in family. This is a to a greater extent than of import vacation than the "Western" New Year, although the calendar twelvemonth does alter on Jan 1st together with of degree it's some other excuse for a party, but Songkran is something to a greater extent than local together with is a major populace vacation from 13th - 15th Apr - together with this year, since the 13th was a Wednesday, that basically meant a v hateful solar daytime vacation from Midweek to Sunday. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 proficient long suspension to move together with run into family, together with for the offset fourth dimension I managed a Songkran away from Phuket - commonly I am working, since Apr is even together with then variety of high season, but this twelvemonth the boss kindly agreed that after piece of employment on the twelfth I could caput off - my married adult woman together with I drove the 400km from Phuket to Chumphon on the eve of the 12th, arriving a chip after midnight.
This was a rattling prissy chance for me to live involved amongst the household unit of measurement rather than merely drinking beer together with throwing H2O inwards Phuket similar I did terminal year! Now of degree inwards Chumphon at that topographic point is plenty of H2O throwing too, together with nosotros loaded upwards our choice upwards truck amongst a duet of barrels of H2O cook for a effort circular town, but first, at home, nosotros paid our respects to the elderberry members of the family, which agency my wife's Mum together with Dad - her grandparents all passed away to a greater extent than than 10 years ago. Mum together with Dad are non that onetime actually, both nether 60, but they are the "elders" :)
Above - this is the Rod Nam Dam Hua tradition, pouring H2O on the hands of your respected elders - that's me amongst Ma together with Pa. And below my wife's sis doing the same piece her other sis together with my missy hold back on. It was rattling especial to live involved (after 10 years!) amongst the family.
We drove offset to an aunts solid on the border of town non far from the railway station. Family together with friends had laid a large hose piping there, together with a stall selling snacks together with drinks. It was a rattling hot day, lots of liquid refreshment needed if (like me) you lot planned to effort roughly inwards the dorsum of a choice upwards truck for several hours. The hose piping at aunties solid had ii functions. It could live used to refill peoples barrels inwards their trucks (see below - sign says Water For Sale)...
Or if you lot didn't desire to purchase whatever water, you lot could larn a faceful for gratis anyway! Some people were happy to larn soaked, some people for some argue similar to ride roughly on a scooter together with endeavor to avoid getting moisture - impossible together with tin live unsafe too, swerving on moisture roads. Songkran ever has accidents related to water, moisture roads together with (often) drunkard people riding scooters.
Also at aunties house, a pocket-size shrine was laid amongst a Buddha statue. Here household unit of measurement members could pour H2O on the statue. My boy ever takes his Buddha related activity seriously. Well, his mention is Monk after all!
Before nosotros headed off to effort roughly town, larn soaked amongst H2O ice water, larn sunburned together with covered inwards powder, I took a few photos of passing truck loads of political party goers. Smiles all around. I know that the "Land of Smiles" was a tourism slogan, but Songkran is a proficient hateful solar daytime for smiles.
And you've got to get got your gun ready! In our choice upwards truck nosotros had a duet of large H2O pistols equally good equally ii large barrels of H2O together with plastic bowls to scoop upwards the H2O together with throw it. This guy is cook for activity ...
Songkran is 1 of those days when you lot can't assist but experience happy. Everyone is having fun. No glum faces on show, no worries, a hateful solar daytime of full enjoyment doing something that you'd commonly non live able to do... soak full strangers (well in all probability non all full strangers inwards a fairly pocket-size town similar Chumphon). Adults together with kids bring together together inwards acting similar kids! Our kids started on each other .....
Well, 1 of these days, if I get got some spare cash, I require to larn a decent photographic tv camera together with underwater housing. In 2009 I tried using my Canon Powershot inwards a clear plastic purse - worked OK. This twelvemonth I had a inexpensive underwater celluloid photographic tv camera (film? what's that?) inwards a plastic housing together with tried getting some activity photos from the dorsum of our truck. It's striking together with miss, I think amongst a digital, I could get got 200 photos together with larn twenty proficient photos. This inexpensive celluloid camera, good after some photoshopping a few photos looked OK together with it was fun taking them... was also fun beingness almost the exclusively foreigner on display.. I think I counted almost vii or 8 foreigners equally nosotros drove roughly - Chumphon is a prissy plenty fiddling town, but does non get got that much for tourists - I desire to write to a greater extent than almost my bit dwelling later. Mostly Chumphon is useful if you lot desire to larn a boat to Koh Tao. As 1 of the few foreigners I approximate I was a rather obvious target. The 79th bucket of H2O ice H2O was peradventure 1 likewise many! This is me on the choice upwards truck amongst human face upwards smeared amongst powder...
And a duet of the "best" shots taken from the truck...
I sat inwards the dorsum amongst a sister-in-law, a niece, my ii kids together with nosotros cruised the streets. There's no yell for trying to avoid the water! Most of the fourth dimension you lot don't run into it coming... you lot may live "exchanging fire" amongst 1 truck together with some other passes past times together with offloads a bucket of mutual depression temperature water. Small H2O pistols are non powerful plenty weaponry, it's amend to get got a pocket-size bucket to scoop H2O out of your barrel together with deliver a bigger punch :) All inwards proficient spirits! You are non allowed to larn angry if person drenches you lot from behind amongst an icy shower, together with if person wants to smear you lot amongst powder, delight recollect this is a sign of respect. I seem to relish Songkran to a greater extent than each year. But I am rattling happy that inwards Phuket (and Chumphon town) it lasts merely 1 day.
Songkran is the same appointment every twelvemonth - Apr 13th is the large day. If you lot are inwards Phuket on Apr 13th side past times side year, conception to larn wet! Don't acquit roughly valuables or electronic items that powerfulness live damaged past times H2O - or at to the lowest degree acquit things inwards a dry out bag. Don't vesture your rattling best wearing clothing - it's non merely water, but sometimes H2O amongst added dye, or powder. And brand certain you lot are good armed. And get got every H2O ice mutual depression temperature shower amongst a smile. It's Songkran! Sumber http://jamie-monk.blogspot.com
This was a rattling prissy chance for me to live involved amongst the household unit of measurement rather than merely drinking beer together with throwing H2O inwards Phuket similar I did terminal year! Now of degree inwards Chumphon at that topographic point is plenty of H2O throwing too, together with nosotros loaded upwards our choice upwards truck amongst a duet of barrels of H2O cook for a effort circular town, but first, at home, nosotros paid our respects to the elderberry members of the family, which agency my wife's Mum together with Dad - her grandparents all passed away to a greater extent than than 10 years ago. Mum together with Dad are non that onetime actually, both nether 60, but they are the "elders" :)
Above - this is the Rod Nam Dam Hua tradition, pouring H2O on the hands of your respected elders - that's me amongst Ma together with Pa. And below my wife's sis doing the same piece her other sis together with my missy hold back on. It was rattling especial to live involved (after 10 years!) amongst the family.
We drove offset to an aunts solid on the border of town non far from the railway station. Family together with friends had laid a large hose piping there, together with a stall selling snacks together with drinks. It was a rattling hot day, lots of liquid refreshment needed if (like me) you lot planned to effort roughly inwards the dorsum of a choice upwards truck for several hours. The hose piping at aunties solid had ii functions. It could live used to refill peoples barrels inwards their trucks (see below - sign says Water For Sale)...
Or if you lot didn't desire to purchase whatever water, you lot could larn a faceful for gratis anyway! Some people were happy to larn soaked, some people for some argue similar to ride roughly on a scooter together with endeavor to avoid getting moisture - impossible together with tin live unsafe too, swerving on moisture roads. Songkran ever has accidents related to water, moisture roads together with (often) drunkard people riding scooters.
Also at aunties house, a pocket-size shrine was laid amongst a Buddha statue. Here household unit of measurement members could pour H2O on the statue. My boy ever takes his Buddha related activity seriously. Well, his mention is Monk after all!
Before nosotros headed off to effort roughly town, larn soaked amongst H2O ice water, larn sunburned together with covered inwards powder, I took a few photos of passing truck loads of political party goers. Smiles all around. I know that the "Land of Smiles" was a tourism slogan, but Songkran is a proficient hateful solar daytime for smiles.
And you've got to get got your gun ready! In our choice upwards truck nosotros had a duet of large H2O pistols equally good equally ii large barrels of H2O together with plastic bowls to scoop upwards the H2O together with throw it. This guy is cook for activity ...
Songkran is 1 of those days when you lot can't assist but experience happy. Everyone is having fun. No glum faces on show, no worries, a hateful solar daytime of full enjoyment doing something that you'd commonly non live able to do... soak full strangers (well in all probability non all full strangers inwards a fairly pocket-size town similar Chumphon). Adults together with kids bring together together inwards acting similar kids! Our kids started on each other .....
Well, 1 of these days, if I get got some spare cash, I require to larn a decent photographic tv camera together with underwater housing. In 2009 I tried using my Canon Powershot inwards a clear plastic purse - worked OK. This twelvemonth I had a inexpensive underwater celluloid photographic tv camera (film? what's that?) inwards a plastic housing together with tried getting some activity photos from the dorsum of our truck. It's striking together with miss, I think amongst a digital, I could get got 200 photos together with larn twenty proficient photos. This inexpensive celluloid camera, good after some photoshopping a few photos looked OK together with it was fun taking them... was also fun beingness almost the exclusively foreigner on display.. I think I counted almost vii or 8 foreigners equally nosotros drove roughly - Chumphon is a prissy plenty fiddling town, but does non get got that much for tourists - I desire to write to a greater extent than almost my bit dwelling later. Mostly Chumphon is useful if you lot desire to larn a boat to Koh Tao. As 1 of the few foreigners I approximate I was a rather obvious target. The 79th bucket of H2O ice H2O was peradventure 1 likewise many! This is me on the choice upwards truck amongst human face upwards smeared amongst powder...
And a duet of the "best" shots taken from the truck...
I sat inwards the dorsum amongst a sister-in-law, a niece, my ii kids together with nosotros cruised the streets. There's no yell for trying to avoid the water! Most of the fourth dimension you lot don't run into it coming... you lot may live "exchanging fire" amongst 1 truck together with some other passes past times together with offloads a bucket of mutual depression temperature water. Small H2O pistols are non powerful plenty weaponry, it's amend to get got a pocket-size bucket to scoop H2O out of your barrel together with deliver a bigger punch :) All inwards proficient spirits! You are non allowed to larn angry if person drenches you lot from behind amongst an icy shower, together with if person wants to smear you lot amongst powder, delight recollect this is a sign of respect. I seem to relish Songkran to a greater extent than each year. But I am rattling happy that inwards Phuket (and Chumphon town) it lasts merely 1 day.
Songkran is the same appointment every twelvemonth - Apr 13th is the large day. If you lot are inwards Phuket on Apr 13th side past times side year, conception to larn wet! Don't acquit roughly valuables or electronic items that powerfulness live damaged past times H2O - or at to the lowest degree acquit things inwards a dry out bag. Don't vesture your rattling best wearing clothing - it's non merely water, but sometimes H2O amongst added dye, or powder. And brand certain you lot are good armed. And get got every H2O ice mutual depression temperature shower amongst a smile. It's Songkran! Sumber http://jamie-monk.blogspot.com