Chiang Mai and The Biggest Water Fight in the World

After missing the Chinese New Year in China, the Vietnamese New Year in Vietnam, and the Balinese day of Silence in Bali, we were determined to be in the right place at the right time for the Thai New Year. The Thai New Year, or Songkran, is an interesting mix of pious Buddhist ceremonies and frantic, yet friendly, water wars in the streets. Chiang Mai, the second largest city in Thailand is home to the largest, longest, and most spirited Songkran celebration in the country. We planned our entire Thailand journey around coming to Chiang Mai to celebrate the New Year. We learned that some residents of the city flee for the week of celebration to avoid the madness. We embraced it.

First the religious side. We made it to Chiang Mai a couple days before the celebration started in earnest, which was good so that we could get situated and appreciate the more calm and traditional aspect of the festival. There are many Buddhist temples throughout the city. Most of them have a sand building ceremony, in which stupas are fashioned out of sand and adorned with colorful prayer flags.

The monks in Thailand are very well educated; many monks enjoy practicing their English and are willing to speak with tourists about Buddhism, basketball, and everything in between.

Jet Rin Temple, seen here, always builds the largest, most decorative sand stupa in the city. Later that day we watched the ceremonial golden umbrella being hoisted to the top. Dancing, chanting, and eating were also large parts of the ceremony. Afterwards we participated in the cleaning of the Buddha ceremony. Jasmine scented water is distributed en masse and sprinkled respectfully over a Buddha image. Each temple has its own Buddha-cleansing ceremony. We suspect this is how the water festival started. More on that later.
Meanwhile, as Songkran was gearing up, so were the Red Shirts, a political party who support ousted prime minister Thaksin Sinawatra. The Red Shirts are not to be confused with the Yellow Shirts, who were responsible for pressuring the military into the bloodless coup pushed Thaksin out of office in 2006. You might recall hearing about the Red Shirt riots in Bangkok this April. This was the Chiang Mai chapter-- a lot more subdued and much fewer in number. About 25-50 people showed up for this demonstration and shut down a major street inside of the moat.

The Media.

They camped out in the main square of the city and watched simulcast from the much larger Bangkok protests, including a video telephone call from Thaksin himself. Though the protests in Bangkok shut down the city and consequently halted Songkran celebration, Chiang Mai was not affected in the least. (Bangkok later extended Songkran so that everyone could enjoy the festivities once the riots were quelled.) We'd love to go into greater detail about the politics of this situation but in the end its just the same old shit: corruption, ignorance, and military-backed "democracy."

Ok! Back to Songkran. Over the next couple of days, the water splashing became more and more intense until we couldn't go 10 feet out of our door without being soaked by eager group of children or adults.

Did we mention that the old city is surrounded by a massive moat? One of the secrets to Chiang Mai's undisputed claim to being the Songkran capital of Thailand is its unlimited supply of easily accessible water. The main water throwing happens around the perimeter of the moat.

Bucket vendors ply their wares in the battle zone. Everyone is a fare target. It doesn't matter what you're wearing or what vehicle you are riding in. You will get drenched.

This little girl had it out for Max.

Moat water. Gross. Kara predicted that there must be a surge of infections during Songkran as the majority of the water thrown comes from here. The water is thrown into the street, washes into the gutters, and back into the moat. Naturally, after 5 days of celebrating, Kara had an ear infection.

Max, with an intention to retrieve our artillery, the small pink bucket, fell into the moat. And then continued to splash from the moat. In the moat, you also get bucketed. Notice the scheming Thai child in the blue shirt behind Max.

Chaos.

Inside the walls of the moat, the atmosphere is much more subdued, though you are by no means safe from water... unless you enter a temple. We walked into one temple which had an impressive display of "tunes," seen hanging above. These tunes are hung from the ceiling and are left to blow in the wind, sometimes encouraged by a fan. The swinging motion is said to help lift the souls of the dead up to heaven.

Inside another temple, Phra Singh, a very life like wax figure of their revered deceased monk sat amongst many offerings. Chiang Mai was the first place we have seen this type of monk worship/honor giving.

The next morning we woke up early to watch the removal, cleansing, and parading of this famous Buddha. First step, remove the Buddha from the temple.

Second step: Elevate the Buddha to sit on top of a mobile boat-swan-dragon altar.

Third step: Parade the Buddha around the city while devotees gently splash water on him, soaking the attendants for hours.


The Buddha is paraded around the city for many hours, and meets up with other fellow Buddhas who have been removed from their temples. They are all paraded down the main street and there is much splashing. It is clear that what began as a Buddha-cleansing ceremony has now grown into a full on water fight between the mortals. In this clip, you can see the seeds for the madness of the secular celebrations that grew out of this religious observance.

We're not sure about this kid on the horse, but we gather he's holy.

After some time our small pink bucket was not enough to satisfy our water throwing desires. We got serious and bought a water gun. Later we would upgrade again to two half gallon water buckets.

Kara is ready for action.

Traffic slowed to a crawl on the third day of the water throwing. The road around the moat is three lanes wide. Pick up trucks are the most popular type of car in Thailand and are well suited for Songkran. Whole families pile into the back along with water troughs of various design from 30 gallon metal drums to restaurant sized ice coolers. Pick ups battle with each other along with the pedestrians lining the moat. The pick ups are like pirate ships, roaming the city, drenching everyone in their path.

Ice blocks. Another advantage to being in a pick up is having a tank of water large enough to accommodate a giant ice block. The ice is sold in massive blocks on the side of the moat. We offered to buy this truck we had been playing with some ice. Then they invited us on to ride with them around the moat for the rest of the day.
But not before they drenched us with heart-stoppingly cold water. ITS SO COLD. Another great thing about the ice buckets are that they serve as coolers for soft drinks and beers.

Here's an elephant.

In the evening there are many things to do and see around town. Water play is prohibited after sundown, making twilight an uneasy time where everyone is exhausted but technically still fair game for some last minute splashing. We found ourselves eyeing everyone suspiciously and taking unknown backroutes to our guesthouse to avoid any water splashing around this time. Above is one of the free open air Thai dance performances we saw at Phra Singh Temple.

Surprisingly the night events that we found engrossing were not as popular with the locals. Max is front row center.

Street markets extend their hours and are much more lively during the festival. On this street there were rabbits, dogs, turtles and other animals for sale.

The Miss Songkran Pageant. There is no talent section or bikini parade. We walked in to the middle of this contest and the results still hadn't been decided an hour later. The minimum stilleto height was 5 inches or something BIZARRE. These women could barely walk out to the stage...perhaps this is why there was no talent section. Audience members handed flowers and balloons to the contestants they favored. Kara wanted to stay until the end but was with Max and an Irish guy who were not as impressed.

These were our favorite performers in Chiang Mai. They are the bluegrass/country duo that performs nightly at a restaurant we frequented called "The Zest." They were really good. They should make their way to Nashville, seriously.

Street side foot massages were a dime a dozen during the festival. Locals, tourists, and local tourists all enjoyed giving their feet a break.

Songkran is taking on characteristics of Halloween. Max tried on what he thought might be a Lenin mask (seen to the far far right.) Also available was Saddam Hussein, Obama, and Osama Bin Laden.

The final day of splashing.

Our hands, pruned, from being wet all day long.

Max's face is seen smeared with a flour water mixture that is somehow related to the festival.

The water fighting was hectic fun and the religious ceremonies were beautiful and informative, however there is a third aspect of Songkran that luckily we avoided. It is, unfortunately, the deadliest seven days of the Thai calendar. Surprisingly this has nothing to do with the reckless water throwing, but rather the drinking and driving that comes with any nation's main vacation and holiday time. This year we learned that over 220 people died and over 2,658 people were injured from drunk driving accidents in just the first four days. Apparently this is a significant improvement from past years, however we hope that the police themselves stop drinking and start enforcing the check points with more rigor. Chiang Mai had a "no drinking, no smoking" Songkran campaign, but it will take more than banners to stop the problem.

Chiang Mai lived up to our expectations and we are glad we were here for Songkran. We also really enjoyed the city in its own right. With its ancient history, easy going atmosphere, and distinct Lanna culture (an ancient Northern Thai kingdom who made Chiang Mai its capital), Chiang Mai is worth a visit regardless of the time of year.

Thailand only gave us a 2 week on arrival visa since we crossed by land from Malaysia. After Songkran our time was up. See you next time at the Burmese/Thai border for our first of four entries into Burma.

K and M

p.s. Today's post falls on Max's birthday! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MAXIMILIAN MAGGIORE BROWNSTEIN! This entry is posted on his birthday in homage to past childhood birthdays that were filled with much water splashing.

Southern Thailand: Land of Perpetual Spring Break.

Thailand. There are two very distinct worlds that exist side by side in this Southeast Asian country--the tourist world and the local. Thailand has a long history of tourism and is well equipped to accommodate its foreign guests. Our visit to Southern Thailand brought us primarily in contact with the tourist world. With all the British/Aussie beer guzzling gap year students to the bachelor party contingencies, we felt a little out of our element. (Gap year students pictured above.) We didn't care though....we came to dive. Our guide book was written just months after the Tsunami (Dec 2004) and described Ko Phi Phi island (our destination) as a devastated community trying to rebuild itself. Apparently they have succeeded. We arrived to find Ko Phi Phi alive with nightclubs, packed with guesthouse bungalows and supporting over 14 dive centers. Although we were happy to see that the island had recuperated from the disaster, the development free-for-all has left a huge scar across the face of this island's stunning natural beauty. In the rush to capitalize on the tourist trade, developers are destroying, and arguably have already destroyed any remnants of indigenous culture. Also, the booming sound systems and beach front bars completely prevent you from enjoying the natural surroundings of the area. Every accessible piece of coastline has been staked out by a bar or a resort. It was disgusting to see such a unique and gorgeous area being devoted to activities that could just as easily take place inside a warehouse in Patterson, New Jersey. However, you can't have a euro trash bar on the bottom of the ocean, so we were super stoked to go diving. On the boat and under water, it was a completely different experience that we loved. Enter Thailand....

Well, of course we had to get there first. We left Malaysia in the middle of the night and crossed over to the border town of Hat Yai. There we grabbed this mini van who is seen here picking up another "passenger," the outer body of a Honda Accord. This is the Southeast Asia we knew and loved.

We arrived in Krabi, a main launching point for the dramatic islands of the Andaman coast. Max was here back in '05 and highly recommends it as a rock climbing destination. Anxious to dive, we only stayed here for the night.

Here we are on super speed boat to Ko Phi Phi. Pronounced "pee-pee." We were surrounded by a massive group of gap-year students on this boat, sun tanning, smoking, and drinking beer at 9am. We guess that's what the British call "pre-gaming." Damn, England. You have a serious drinking problem. Kara was stoked to be in a tank top without a cover up after being in predominately Islamic Malaysia and Indonesia for the last couple of months. We were listening to Daft Punk's live album and Girl Talk for the duration of the ride. For some reason techno music and tropical sea-scapes work well together. At least on the speed boat.

Arriving on Ko Phi Phi.

More arriving on Ko Phi Phi. As soon as we stepped off the pier, we were accosted by the beer/chachkie/Thai pancake bazaar that IS the island. We had immediate thoughts about getting right back on the boat to Krabi, but decided to give the island the benefit of the doubt.

Another street scene. Drunk dudes considering tattoo designs. We were pleased that at least one of these dudes had the foresight to proclaim himself too drunk to get permanent body art. We salute you, drunk dude. Meanwhile, we had dropped off our bags and signed up for our dives. Our plan was to get in and get out. Realizing that there's nothing wrong with having a good time, we got off our high horses and attempted to do so that night.

An Iranian-Swedish sibling couple invited us to meet them at this bar, "Carpe Diem" for a fire show and a couple drinks on the beach. Naturally. Why not, we should have fun! The fire show was sloppy, but spirited, as were the drinks.

Yep, that's Max, drinking a BUCKET of alcohol. Kara's bucket photos have been censored from this blog. Never again, buckets. Never again... well at least not two in one night. Alcohol is pretty much exclusively sold in buckets on the island, much like the ones you would use to build a sandcastle as a child.

We realized half way in that drinking before diving the next day might be a bad idea, especially after being completely sober for months. However, the music was good, and yeah, we had a good time.

Until the morning. We don't think this picture needs further explanation. For some reason Kara was fine the next day. Max however, puked in his regulator. Maximilian: "If you find yourself in this stupid situation, which you should take all lengths to avoid, do not panic, vomit as per usual and give a strong exhalation. Everything will be fine."

They were beautiful dives. Fish everywhere.

This was our first official deep dive with a maximum depth of 30 meters. We had gone to this depth before in Indonesia, but this time we have the paperwork to prove it. It was also our first wreck dive, which was interesting but we are more into reefs. This is a ferry that used to transport cargo and vehicles from Phuket to Ko Phi Phi and is rumored to have been purposefully sunk by its captain for the insurance money. In the end, the government charged the boat captain for the relocation of the wreck which was crushing the coral reef. The whole thing sounds like a Thai morality tale.

Beautiful soft coral.

Again, Max not doing so well on the boat. Max describes his current mental and physical state after the first dive. There are some Europeans in the back.

Going in to the water for another dive. Emerald limestone karsts emerge suddenly from the clear water. These unique limestone formations are the signature physical feature of the Andaman coast of Thailand. Remember Dr. No's lair? That was in one of these guys.

Fishes.

Nemos.

Moray eel.

Max feels better and jumps off the boat.

Lion fish.

Many fish.

Puffer Fish. The puffer fish blows himself up as a defensive mechanism and can only do it a couple of times in its life before the stress of this action takes a toll on its heart. So it is important not to wantonly scare the puffer fish for your own personal satisfaction. He looks puffy as it is.

As you can see, the novelty of taking photos underwater has not worn off yet. Kara loves taking pictures of Max so much and it translates even underwater. Max is happy amongst the fishes.

Everyone ok. That's what the ballerina gesture signifies to the boat after ascending to the surface. Pick us up, boat!

Back on the island, oof. Bamboo tattoos parlors are everywhere.

Sandwich Burger Pancake.

The next day we decided to chill out and decompress. Literally. Nothing like a little Ayn Rand to loosen the nerves.

We rented some snorkeling gear and walked out as far away from the bar front madness as possible.

The omnipresent King of Thailand. More on him later.

As we continued to walk to our snorkeling spot, we realized that the rainy season was upon us. AGAIN. We are following it throughout Southeast Asia.

Rain did not stop us from snorkeling.

Juvenile Harlequin clown fish. This fish grows up to look completely different, changing color and body shape dramatically.

Big ass clam.

Cold Kara Fox.

The next day it didn't rain. That was nice. Here is The Beach. That's right, capitalised. As in Leonardo Dicaprio, bohemian backpacker paradise, released in the year 2000 The Beach. The island (Ko Phi Phi Lay) is an hour boat ride away from Ko Phi Phi Don. You can camp here for the night but the island is a nature reserve and permanent dwellings are prohibited. The movie itself is shown every night in at least one bar on Ko Phi Phi. It is ironic to see people glued to a projection screen depicting Leonardo's escape from the very tourist infested party culture in which they are immersed.

Diving near Ko Phi Phi Lay. This is a cuddle fish and he changes colors. He's really big. Like the size of Kara or Max's torso depending on the fish. Both Kara and Max have sizeable torsos.

Sea Cucumber. Nudibranch is the official name. Max did a report on these animals in fourth grade and needs you to know that.

Angel fish.

Leopard shark. He was about 5 feet.

Lots of little fishies.

Kara swimming through an underwater cave.

The underbelly of this beautiful soft coral moves with the current.

Even though we talked a lot of shit about Ko Phi Phi, we are glad that we came. It was beautiful. Plus, we got to jump through a 10 foot flaming jump-rope for tequila shots.

To the North we go,

Kara and Maximilian

Coming Soon...

Hello Blog readers,

Thank you for your continued interest in the adventures of Kara and Max. We here at the World's Crustal Plates strive to keep our blog entertaining, informative, and timely as well. However, we are constantly on the move and sometimes it is difficult to devote the 3-5 hours necessary for editing, loading, and sorting the photos as well as providing captions and commentary. We will be unable to post a new entry until early July. Please be patient and come back at that time. We have not forgotten the blog, and will come back from our hiatus with fresh witticism and dazzling images that will quite frankly blow your mind. From now on you will see the world in terms of Before Hiatus and After Hiatus. Nothing you have ever seen on the World Wide Web will compare to the revelations that will be streaming almost daily from this new beacon of a weblog. Max is feeling a little drunk with power being the only one at the wheel of this great ship, plowing the oceans of cyber-ia unchecked, without his co-pilot, showing no restraint, letting his emotions pour free across the infinite plane of the ether that joins man woman and child from one side to the other of the spinning ball of rock and water we call planet earth. Kara is not present and takes no responsibility for the dramatic tone of this entry.

See you soon.

Max