Songkran Revelry

An April 2001 trip to Chiang Mai by writeonthespot

Quote: What is Chiang Mai like during a Songkran Festival? An experience of mine will let you have a glimpse of this exciting celebration.

Songkran Revelry

Overview

Quote:

Would you believe that during this celebration, Bangkok’s streets are deserted but up north, every nook and cranny of Chiang Mai is jampacked. Armed with various paraphernalia, people are ready to douse you with water. During Songkran, traffic is bad in Chiang Mai. Have a water gun at hand to splash on other people as well. Remember, though, not to take offense when people throw water at you. It is some act of blessing and a religious ritual. Just be careful not to overdo it when you are the one doing the dousing. The town square is the best place to be and where most people gather during the day, especially during high noon, when the sun is in its hottest. Aside from the revelry brought about by the ...Read More

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Songkran

Attraction | "Thai New Year, or Songkran Festival"

Quote:

We couldn’t have been any wetter! It was the Songkran Festival and everyone was just throwing water on anybody. From Vientiane, Laos, to Chiang Mai, Thailand, water sprinkled and splashed everywhere. Kids, friends, families –people from various ages went around town on pick-ups with barrels of water and water guns at hand. It was a sight to marvel! This Buddhist celebration has some similarities with a Catholic feast, but Songkran is just on a larger scale and in a more enjoyable and fun experience. Though my friends and I were there only for the day, it was one of the most memorable travel experiences I’ve had. To get to Chiang Mai, there are buses or train scheduled from Bangk...Read More

Member Rating 3 out of 5 on October 12, 2005

Songkran
Citywide
Chiang Mai, Thailand
+66 53 248 604 (Tour

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Luck During the Songkran

Best Of IgoUgo

Story/Tip

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Without any concrete plans, we entered a Thai travel agency and bought train tickets from Bangkok to Nong Khai and from Chiang Mai to Bangkok. How to get from Nong Khai to Chiang Mai was something we had to pray for a miracle. With our backpacks in tow, we headed for Nong Khai to cross the border to Laos, where we stayed for three days. On the day we were set to leave Vientiane, a Thai friend arrived, informing us that rides going to the northern part of Thailand are full. There we were, with heads bowed down, contemplating how we could get to Chiang Mai. Worse, we had to try other routes going there. But if worse came to worst, we just had to go back to Bangkok; even we already had train tickets f...Read More

There are no seats available in the train to Chiang Mai. If we had to take the bus, we needed to go to Udon Thani where most of the bus terminals are found. Good thing we were able to catch the bus leaving for Udon Thani at a nick of time. When we got there, we had to transfer terminal where the buses bound to Chiang Mai are found. As we got to the terminal, there were people waiting outside trying to get bus tickets. There was only a single bus in sight, “So, how could all these people be accommodated?” we asked ourselves. While still catching our breath and with our hearts beating furiously, we went directly to the ticket booth to see if we could ride the bus. Sure enough, there were four seats more for the three of us. Seated at the far end of the bus, we couldn’t think how fortunate we were to be able to make it to Chiang Mai. We slept in the bus, and when the sun slowly rose, Chiang Mai was already a short distance away.

Lady Luck must have been smiling down at us for allowing us to celebrate Songkran in the second-largest city of Thailand. Or it must be Buddha, but we are Christians, so it must be Jesus. Anyway, whoever may have caused this beautiful thing, we are grateful. Braving all the water-throwing, we walked around Chiang Mai all wet and grinning for that day--we were truly blessed.

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