Songkran in Thailand--World Class Water Fights--April 8-15, 2023

After that, I returned to Bangkok for a few days before heading to Pattaya to experience Songkran for the first time.  Pattaya is considered one of the best places to experience Songkran which takes place in mid-April to celebrate the Thai New Year and the beginning of the rainy season and is a time of cleansing the home with water as well as at the Buddhist temples usually using scented water on the many Buddha statutes.

My Vogue Hotel had set up a small Buddha along with a small cup of water so guests could clean the Buddha to gain merit during Songkran.

Locals and tourists have expanded that to include massive water fights using water guns, buckets and bowls of water tossed on anyone in the streets, and even water trucks.

 

When you go outside you need to wear clothes that will get wet and waterproof camera your camera and iPhone.  Seal up your cellphones and wallets when you venture outside during Songkran.

There were lots of vendors selling various sizes of water guns from 100 to 1,000 Baht--$3 to $30.  Songkran ran from April 13 to the 15th. Every day it seemed like there were more people armed with these guns.  Some people refilled their guns with iced water—they were the ones to avoid.

The celebrations were focused on the tourist areas of Soi 6—short-time service bars, beer bars along Beach Road, Walking Street—where go-go bars and discos are concentrated, and the LK Metro area.

While in these areas of Pattaya, there is no way to stay dry as I quickly found out.

People also apply a white paste to the faces and necks of others as a blessing and a way to ward off evil spirits for the upcoming year.

Here are some other videos of this celebration.

On April 15th I hopped a moto-taxi to the Pattaya Bus Station where I took a bus direct to the Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK). My Asiana flight departed about 30 minutes later than scheduled at 1:40AM on April 16th to Incheon, S. Korea (ICN).

My 8-hour layover at the Incheon Airport was made easier with a tasty bulgogi dinner, a helpful robot, and a comfortable sleeping lounge area.

I arrived at SEA Airport at about noon and inquired to see if my Global Pass renewal application that I had filed in October was done.  It was still pending.  It was so cold back here in Seattle at 40 degrees compared to the mid-90s I was used to in Thailand.

Once home, I filled out the paperwork to renew my US Passport and mailed it in.  I also filed a $434 claim with Travelguard for my lost mini iPad 4 and got a new mini iPad 6 replacement which now costs $736.

It is so cold here

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