Wet to the Bone

Sorry about yesterday. Here is an overview of the madness that is Songkran.

• Friday (Day One)
• The morning was the time to go out for supplies, since most of the population was still at work/school. By supplies I mean Oreos. 


• Headed out into the mayhem around noon. The Winos wandered around the moat for a while. Found a concert taking place underneath some misting machines. Our goal was to make it all the way around the moat in one day. We gave up after 1/4. There were many interesting characters along the way. A group in a truck stopped and got out to do the Harlem shake. One guy was simply fabulous. Some other people were handing out free samples of pills and when they found out we were from America, gave us two packs instead of one. They are anti flatulence pills. 
• On the way back to the guest house we were attacked by some guys with a hose and a water gun. So we decided to eat at their restaurant. 
• Later on we were wandering around a different area of the moat when these two foreigners started shooting water at us. Songkran no-no: the water throwing ends at sunset. A very angry Indian man decided to yell at them for this. The conversation went like this
• "This is night time!! You no throw water!! That is for daytime!!"
• *Foreigners shoot more water at him*
• *I shoot around his shoes*
• It was entertaining
• If you go outside it is almost impossible not to be completely drenched by the time you get back to where you are staying. Even if you just step outside for a minute, they will get you. 
• Saturday (Day Two) 
• Tried to be more low key today. Didn't work. 
• We didn't start out till one and then we went the opposite direction towards all the action. Mistake #1. 
• On the way there this band of drunk guys picked us up and walked with us for a while. The guy who grabbed me gave me his hat and grabbed my hand. It would have been really funny if I wasn't freaking out the whole time. Deanna's guy tried to walk off with her new water gun but she traded some powder for it back. Mistake #2. 
• People were handing out free powder today. Old women are supposed to rub it on your face before they dunk of bucket of water on you. This tradition is now open to the public. Sometimes, instead of mixing it with water to turn it into a paste, I would just dunk some powder on people as they walked by. 
• Some people just wiped it on my face randomly. At one point I was stuck and I had six people come up from behind and wipe my cheeks with it. 
• We wandered around for a while longer to the main festivities area where we all got separated in a bubble pit. Mistake #3. Skipping over some stuff, Donna and I are on bad terms again due to the way we both handled a situation. Walked back pretty much by myself and fell asleep outside on my laptop. 
• It rained today. Apparently Buddha/God had a bucket he wanted to throw on everyone too. 
• Ate dinner with Alessa and Drexler. He's going to teach me an important life skill: poker!! 

Lizard Count: They are invading our room one at a time. We have two permanent jing-jocks in the bathroom, one outside the door, and a tok-geh in the window.