Songkran

It's currently Songkran, the Thai New Year. Thais celebrate the festival by standing at the side of the road with hoses and barrels of water, drenching anyone who happens to pass them by, be it on foot or by vehicle. It's good fun if you're "playing songkran", but if you're trying to sightsee, it's a pain. It's not so much the water - for the most part, they're very respectful of cameras - it's the talcum powder & water paste that they smear all over your face.

I'm currently in Kanchanaburi, the city nearest the Bridge Over the River Kwai So far, I've made it to the Burma Railway Museum, and the PoW Cemetary, and that's it. I can't go 20 feet without getting attacked. I've discovered that holding my camera in my hand, instead of keeping it in my bag, actually stops people from soaking me, but it doesn't stop the talcum powder attack.... So I've decided to give up on the sightseeing & am hanging out on the streets, taking pictures of the fun.

Kanchanaburi's a fairly small town, but there's a constant flow of traffic. Those not standing on the side of the road are either on motobikes or standing in the back of pickup trucks (with buckets of water). The streets looks as though a massive storm has just passed by - everything's wet, and there are big puddles everywhere. As soon as I get a chance, I'll post some pictures....