My Crazy Journey

I had forgotten the Thai New Year celebration, Songkran, when I booked my flight into Thailand. However, I received an instant reminder when I got off the subway and stepped foot in Bangkok, and was hit with a giant bucket of water to the face. Dripping with surprise, my attention turned to the surrounding streets—which had all turned into a war zone, with children and adults alike running around with water guns, spraying anyone and everyone, leaving not a soul safe. Damp and confused, I was reminded at my hostel that it was, in fact, Thai New Year—and I was going to get wet. It was suggested I acquire my own weapon to fight back with. 30 minutes later, I was armed with a super-soaker, and the whole hostel prepared us for what lay ahead. The owner of the hostel told us he had a plan, and after a riveting speech, our army of 40 foreigners ventured out into the Thai sea.

First plan of action was to hail a few tuk-tuks (3 wheeled motor vehicles) and taxis, and use the element of surprise to unload on everyone we passed by, and unleashed ruthless hellfire upon men, women, and children alike. Reaching our destination, we were instructed to exit the vehicle, only to rest eyes on a street saturated with festive Thai people. Our leader then announced with a giant grin on his face, “Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the gayest street in Bangkok". As you could imagine, there were many a Thai man on that street who was happy to us, and we were made the primary targets. We fought valiantly, but sadly we had to retreat and went back to the hostel, wet to the bone.

Fully rested, I faced the next day head on—for Songkran lasts 24/7. My gun broke the night before, so I had to face the crowd unarmed. I spent the rest of the day falling victim to freezing ice water and high-pressure hoses and got back to the hostel with no need to shower. But the night was coming, and that meant so was my time for revenge. I acquired a gun from a street vendor, and our general—with the promise of not returning to the same place—led us to our vehicles for night 2. We arrived at “Route 66”, and entered the brawl. The group quickly turned against each other, and the Battle of Route 66 became a free for all. After a 4-hour long water war, we left Route 66, and yet again I slipped into my bed, which squished from the moisture as I moved. The next day, with Songkran over, I furiously tried to dry all of my clothes by any means necessary, before heading out to my next destination: Phuket.