Doi Suthep

Location: Chiang Mai, Thailand
Local Time: Friday, April 14, 2006 - 11:42am

Well, Val and I walked out of the city up to Doi Suthep, a mountain top with a wat, which is nearby. That took most of the day. On the way there, and on the way back people kept throwing water on us. Song Kran, the water festival, a celebration of the Thai New Year.

You know, I've had a lot of New Years this year. Jan 1. I actually missed the Nepali New Year, it happened after I left I think. However, I got the Chinese and Indian New Year while I was in Malaysia, and now the Thai New Year.

Yesterday Seth, Nell, Val, Liz and I met at Starbucks. From there, we rented a tuk-tuk with a water barrel and joined the very slow moving procession of cars going around the moat area. The celebration of Song Kran is to throw water on anyone nearby.

We quickly realized that our ammunition lacked punch, so we stopped on the side of the road to purchase a large block of ice from the vender so we could chill our water barrel a bit.

Well, it took us 3 hours to get 3/4 of the way around the moat, which is a square about 1 km on each edge.

1 day of Song Kran is enough for me. I was constantly wet for hours, and people throwing buckets of freezing water on you quickly looses it's appeal, even in 35 degree weather.

Grabbed some noodles, sticky rice with mango and some fried chicken on the way home. I love the way the Thais sell you little portions in the food areas so that you can get a nice variety of stuff to taste.

Later, I hit the night market again. I got a nice backpack and ogled the knife display.

I was under the impression that butterfly knives were illegal in Canada, but the vendor assured me that has changed. Not sure I trust the source though.