Celebrate Songkran in Thailand

“In Koh Tao the day started early as people loaded into trucks and salengs and roamed around looking for dry victims. Others lined the streets and balconies waiting the douse those driving by. No one was safe! By midday, my friends and I (and from what I could tell, much of the island) had set up camp at DJL bar and pool. There was a lively DJ, cheap drinks and a pool perfect for refilling super-soakers and for pushing people into.”

“We bought squirt guns from a local shop for 50 baht each ($1.40) and joined in the fun. There were several shops and restaurants that had large basins or rain barrels filled with water where everyone could fill up their water guns. [...] The attitude of Songkran is so relaxed and fun – much less intense than the Holi festival in India that we attended only a few weeks ago. I don’t know if this was because we were on one of the islands rather than in Bangkok or Chiang Mai – it might be a bit crazier in the larger population centres. I loved how much fun it was to take part in a lighthearted playful water fight with a bunch of strangers.”

“Songkran lasted for a full three days. It was an absolute blast on the first day but after a while it starts to get a bit old. You start to want to be able to just go out for a walk without getting absolutely soaked. [...] On a ride back from White Sand Beach to Kai Bae Beach on the third evening my sympathetic taxi driver let me sit up front with him so I wouldn’t get wet. From the older generation, he was shaking his head at the people who were still throwing water at 8pm. “This no good.” He said, “6pm, 7pm, Songkran finish.”