16th
On the Way
Songkran, the Thai New Year celebration, is my new favorite holiday. I got a ride up to Lampang the day before the official beginning of the holdiay in the back of a pickup. The ride was nice at first. I was feeling all badass. About an hour into the trip all the sexiness wore off. I tried to cover myself from the sun as effectively as possible with my previously discarded shirt and socks, which was hilariously pathetic (socks around my arms and shirt over my legs). We arrived in a small jungle village in the province of Lampang about 9 hours later. I was all pissed off at Thailand and especially at the sun.
Getting into town was refreshing because of how funny Songkran is. As we drove down the street, the motorcyclist in front of us got drenched with two buckets of water thrown right in his face, while he was driving. People close up shop during Songkran and sit in front of their storefronts or houses and throw water at anyone who passes by. And not a single person gets pissed about it. In fact, most people will thank you and wish you a happy new year.
The family I stayed with was amazing. Most Thais come to visit their parents or grandparents during Songkran, so there was a big party with lots of food and music. We ate a huge meal seated on top of a big 10 X 10 table that stood two feet off the ground. We drank whiskey and danced. I went to bed late, got up to go to the bathroom and fainted (I think because of the combination of sun and alcohol). I thought I was going to die, and then it was all good a few minutes later.
In the morning we took the train further north to Chiang Mai, the Songkran vacation destination of most Bangkokians. This fact makes rail tickets hard to get, but as it turns out the friends we were staying with are a family of train drivers. So we got hooked up, and ended up in Chiang Mai.
