Bangkok pt. 1 - Day 3

In Thailand the traditional New Year is called Songkran and it's being celebrated in April. I learned that back in the days they took the water that was used to cleanse the buddhas and poured it over old and sick people's shoulders. With time the tradition became a huge public water festival and is now a widely known attraction. And in addition to all the water, they have powder, lot's of powder. They smear it in your face to make it a happy mess.

This morning I had no idea where I was. Scary shit that is, every time it happens. I woke up at six, got up, took a shower, and went back to bed. Next time I woke up was around eleven. I knew that in the afternoon Khaosan Road would be busy with water spraying people, so I wanted to move as early as possible. Since it was sort of my first real day here, I wanted to make the most of it, you know, first stroll around a bit, maybe start with a breakfast in a small cafe, get lost in the streets and find back to the hotel.

I wanted to start with the neighborhood around Th Khaosan, then draw a circle around Banglamphu, this part of town, which is a more traditional district of Bangkok. And also I wanted to get most of the region covered before all the crazy mass began. So I packed my backpack thoroughly, got my notebook and some pens, my laptop, my camera of course, some books and, because I didn't want to leave it all in the hotel room, my documents, including my return ticket and my passport. 

I picked up a fresh t-shirt, a new pair of pants and a clean casual shirt. When I left the hotel it was around noon, and as soon as I set foot on the street I had water being shot at me from several directions. It's alright, I thought protecting my backpack, I just have to get past this first street. So I held tight to my bag and walked on, thinking about the freshly brewn coffee I would soon have. And most people were nice enough to shoot me in the chest or directly in the face. 

After a few meters my clothes were soaking wet, because it wasn't only water guns, it was also buckets and hands, bottles and hoses, I even saw a watering pot that you would normally use in the garden. My poor shoes were done, what was I thinking going out wearing slip-ons. I needed flipflops as soon as possible. And a gun, better yet a rifle. I saw a pretty cool Doraemon weapon with a tank to carry around on the back, but it looked expensive. At some point I thought about just going back, getting rid of all the baggage and picking up some gear myself. 

By the time I changed my mind, I had walked through so many narrow alleys, avoiding the main streets, that I almost lost my way. I mean, I couldn't have come very far, but still, all I had was a vague idea. I started following other people who were increasing with every next street. On the way I found a clean and empty rice sack. Its material is thick and made out of plasticky fibres, so my backpack would be perfectly safe in it, protected from any water. And I also picked up a pair of cheap flipflops.

When I got back to Khaosan Road there were people everywhere, the last hundred meters were the hardest. I went straight up to my room, got my stuff out of the bag, quickly reorganized the desk and changed into my new waterproof footwear. On my way to the elevator I even found an abandoned water gun, someone must have thrown it away. It was green with a red tank and a blue trigger, it looked alright to me, so I took it. 

Outside there was an emergency situation going on, people were shooting around like crazy. Kids, dogs, elderlies, it didn't matter. And now I was ready to take part, ready to shoot back some New Year's Greetings. For the following three hours at least three of my senses were überoccupied. I saw guys dancing like girls, girls who were probably guys, I saw an old dude kissing foreigners and foreigners shooting each other; I heard Gloria Gaynor, the Black Eyed Peas, Axel Foley, and the Wondergirls, all at the same time; and I smelled powder, smoke, food, garbage and lots of water. It was lunatic.

It was definitely fun, but since I'm not much of a water person, three hours was undoubtedly enough. Also, my tank had a leak and the water, all the water, it was just too much for me. I can't believe that there's people who are doing this for seventy-two hours straight. Well, for me three was the limit. Nevertheless, I think it's a great tradition. Although I'm frankly not sure about the environmental side of things, I mean, it's like the whole city is leaving on the tab for more or less three days. And with all the powder, that can't be good for the sewage system.

Anyway, that was my first Songkran experience. After washing up I dropped into bed and until then I didn't realize how exhausted I was. I started watching a movie, but fell asleep soon after the opening credits. I slept till I woke up, because I was hungry. I noticed I was also having a headache, and I was craving coffee real bad. I had only a hundred Baht left and all the banks were closed, of course. But I still got a latte in a 24-hour coffee shop down the street. I took my time drinking, enjoying every sip, and started to make plans for tomorrow.