Utter bliss, soaking wet

Running through the blisteringly streets of Chiang Mai, wielding a massive water gun, drenched from head to toe, I couldn’t help but giggle in delight at the unbelievable situation I had found myself in. As I spun around in a rush of exhilaration, arms reaching to the sky, another spray of water engulfed me. A small Thai boy ran off, turning just long enough for me to see a look of delight on his face at hitting his target. Adrenaline surged through my body. I had never felt so alive – this was Songkran.

In the early morning, my friends and I crowded into a three-wheeled tuk-tuk. As we approached our destination, the sounds of 5-year-old pop songs blasting in the humid air and screams of excitement reached our ears.

It was the biggest street party on earth; music blasting from huge speakers, a foam machine spewing bubbles into the crowd, and whole tables lined with drinks. But the most amazing part of all was the water. Everywhere the eye could see, people were soaking wet. The street was like a river, alive with gushing streams of water. There were women dancing on tables, holding hoses, spraying water into the crowd, little kids scampering around with water guns drenching anyone in sight, and people of every age dumping whole buckets of water on anyone within reach. It was pure, unrestricted, unimaginable fun.

As the sun’s rays bounced off the dark asphalt of the streets, drinks and hugs were given as freely as smiles - a characteristic Thai’s are well known for. Families gathered together, painting their faces and bodies with white chalk, believed to bring good luck and protection from evil spirits.

With a steady influx of water coming from all directions I began to forget what it felt like to be dry. My clothes were drenched and sticking to my body, hair dripping wet, and makeup long gone but I didn’t care. It was the most carefree feeling in the world. In every direction, I could see people having the time of their lives, building on each other’s energy, letting go of any worries, and celebrating the impending year.

As the sun sank beneath the horizon, it glazed the sky with crimson and yellow, and the smiling sliver of a moon arose. The shop keepers packed up their tables, and mothers rounded up their children, all tuckered out from the days festivities. The streets went back to being just streets, and the streams of water poured into the gutters. Songkran came to an end that night, but the new year was only just beginning in Thailand.