In April of this year, I had the absolute pleasure of
visiting the beautiful country of Thailand.
By pure and rather lucky coincidence, my trip would coincide with one of
the biggest, wildest and most colourful national holidays in the Thai calendar
– Songkran! For those unfamiliar with
Southeast Asian culture (as I was), Songkran festivities mark the start of the
Buddhist year.
Songkran is celebrated in mid-April, which is typically the
hottest month of the year in Thailand. Extreme
humidity and stifling temperatures nudging 40°C can zap your energy, so Thai
people have come up with an ingenious way of dealing with this – huge public
water fights!! Over three days of
national holiday, thousands upon thousands of locals and tourists alike take to
the streets dressed in the most colourful clothes and armed with water pistols
and clay body paints.
The feel-good atmosphere in the streets of Bangkok is something
I’ll never forget. Thai culture seems to
put a lot of emphasis on enjoyment, happiness and togetherness – all of which
shine through during Songkran celebrations.
Folk here certainly know how to have fun! People of all ages and all walks of life join
in the water fights and the party lasts well into the night! I found Bangkok to be the friendliest, most
welcoming city I’ve visited; local people encourage foreign visitors to join in
the celebrations – nobody goes home dry during Songkran!!
Given the popularity of Songkran, hostel beds and hotel
rooms can sell out quickly, so it’s a good idea to book accommodation well in
advance. Don’t worry about packing a
water pistol – every street stall in Bangkok sells them for pennies. Whilst there are water fights all over
Bangkok, the biggest and most famous is always in the vicinity of Khao San
Road.
The fun and energy of this holiday are so invigorating – I had the biggest smile from cheek to cheek
throughout my time in this awesome city.
This was my first time in Thailand and my first time in Southeast Asia
and it was better than I could have ever hoped for. Without doubt, the Songkran water fights in
Bangkok are my absolute favourite travel memory to date.
Bangkok is AWESOME - I'll post a more detailed guide to the city in a future post! Have you experienced this colourful holiday or are you planning to visit the Thai capital? Let me know in the comments section!
Thanks for reading!
Elis
Griffiths. x
