Welcome to Songkran… Chiang Mai Style!

We arrived last night in Chiang Mai to begin a new leg of our journey as the sun was setting, 7pm. I was under the impression that we would have a pickup at the airport, but low and behold, nadda.

Transportation wasn’t too far away in the form of a taxi cab, so we booted to our guesthouse where I was to meet an old travel friend, Dave, from Florida. Dave and I had spent a couple weeks traveling together through Croatia and Bosnia, and had been in touch since, but not seen each other in almost 4 years.

Michele and I got dropped off at the guesthouse not knowing what to expect at all. You see, it kinda sucks to get to a new city under the cover of darkness. It’s tough to get your bearings, and to really understand the lay of the land. Plus, we had no idea what to expect of the guesthouse because it had come recommended to us from Dave.

It was more than we bargained for. Once a full house, it has been converted into a full on backpackers dream. Full kitchen to use at our own will, and courtyard to call our own. There was also a newly added bar just off to a side that we could quite easily order beer or Sangsom from.

We placed our bags in our room, and I called out to the courtyard:

‘David Modini?’

The reply was a welcoming voice, and a phrase I had heard many times while in Croatia:

‘Holy shit!’

So we sat down with the already polluted Americans: Dave, his buddy Scott from school (U of Florida), and 2 American girls, one Katie working with Scott here in Thailand, and her friend from school (Montana State) named Liz.

Since it was already past 8pm, we decided to have a welcome beer, which Dave promised to have ready for me upon arrival. An hour or 2 (and numerous beer) later, it was time to see the city.

The Guesthouse is run by a man named Berm (pronounced ‘Bum’) who Scott knows well. He had lived in this guesthouse for a month back in October, so we immediately had an in…and it would be GOLDEN the next day. Little did I know that the next day, I would have one of the best experiences I have had while traveling in my life…All thanks to Berm.

So, Berm dropped us off in the middle of town. With a simple ‘thanks’ he was gone, and we were left, a group of 6 wondering the Songkran market in search of food, bathrooms, and beer.

A 40 minute walk found us semi fed, and that was about it. No bathroom had been found, and no beer was being poured. The 2 American girls, now on the verge of pass out from their 12 hrs of drinking, took off, leaving Michele and the boys. The barhopping commenced, stopping at a few places before settling on a ‘Mike’s Burger’. It was DELICIOUS!

I should mention that while walking down the streets of Chiang Mai at 1am, we ran into something I can say I would never see in North America. A local was leading a baby elephant down the street as his form of busking. So for a couple baht, you could buy sugar cane, and feed the poor pachyderm.

So that was the end of the night. When the morning came, I was itching to see the city. I had no idea what to expect from Songkran (The Thai New Year, also known as the Water Festival), but what I saw was something surreal. When I say that everyone in the city was throwing water on other people, I mean that EVERY PERSON IN THE CITY WAS THROWING WATER ON OTHER PEOPLE. Even where our guesthouse is, you couldn’t walk 25 feet to the 7-11 without being doused with water. We spent the first hour sitting on the street corner in front of the bar throwing water on all passer bys. On Moterbikes, in the back of trucks, on foot. It didn’t matter, everyone was a target. And my radar was tuned in!

Berm, because of his trust built in Scott, offered to give us a vehicle for the day. But this wasn’t just any vehicle…This was a war-aged Burmese jeep. It was goddamned F’n wicked. We piled all 6 of us into the jeep, and began our voyage throughout the city of Chiang Mai…and around ever corner there was another bucket of water being thrown at us. Some of the water was warm, some was cold, and some was a startling cold temperature that sent your gonads scrambling for cover. It was pretty common to hear Dave yell ‘WHY THE HELL WOULD YOU MAKE IT ICE WATER!?’

The trip continued into the city center where traffic moved at a snails pace. Along the moat in town, Chiang Mians were filling their buckets in at every opportunity, and flailing it onto the gathering crowd of motorbikes and cars. Every truck had a large garbage can of ice water ready to throw back as retaliation. The scene was something out of a movie…There was water flying at you from every direction, and every time the cold stuff hit, Dave let out his yell one more time.

This seriously was 3 hrs of driving around that was truly amazing. I have never seen a city out in full force, all with the idea of soaking one another, to wash away the sins of the previous year. It’s now 5pm here, and I am ready to go out, and start sinning for a brand new Thai year!

I am off to go crack a beer and have more green curry. Then the Celebration is in full effect.

Tomorrow, I have no idea what the docket holds, but I am hoping to keep semi dry. The chances of that happening are the same as the Leafs winning the Cup again any time soon.

Happy New Year,

MB