Fun For Young And Old
Tuesday, April 15th, 2008Young and old revelers hanging off of pickups and sangtaews fling plastic pans of water from a garbage can at the traffic going in the opposite direction. Small children aim at cars and pedestrians alike from the sidewalks. Anyone brave enough to venture into the streets end up drenched many times over…no matter who you are.
But it’s a good thing! Sanuk! Fun! Often motorcyclists and pickups actually pull over and stop to get their blessed cleaning…and a dousing of white talcum powder for good luck from the splashers. The most fun, however, is surprising an unsuspecting target looking the other way.
On April 13th to15 Thailand took a bath…celebrating the lunar New Year…washing away all the events and sins of the past year. Called Sangkran, this is the one time of the year when the normally reserved Thais can release all their frustrations in one big splash. Buddha images are “bathed” and monks and elders receive the respect of younger Thais through the sprinkling of water over their hands…traditionally speaking anyway.
Doug’s wife Luk was not about to miss the fun this year…talking Doug into driving her and her friends in the back of his newly acquired pick-up through the streets of Lamai and Chaweng. But first stop was the 7-ll to get ice for the garbage can full of normally tepid water. Doug and I could hear peels of laughter in the back as Luk and her friends watched the unsuspecting react to the shock of cold water.
But after a few hours of this Doug got tired of dodging traffic so we pulled over and joined a couple young Finns and members of an original Samui family on the side of the road who were watching the scene pass by over drinks and snacks laid out on a metal table. It was great fun pulling a double whammy on the passers-by in coordination with the splashers on the opposite side of the road.
Two years ago I experienced my first Sangkran in both Vientiane Laos and Bangkok Thailand while traveling with an Australian friend. I must admit, however, that you can get pretty tired of it by the end of it all. And it’s difficult filming all this while keeping your camera safe at the same time. If being “bathed” means what it means here we are starting out the new year as innocent as new born babes.
Zoe