First, my apologies that I don't have any action shots. Impossible to take pictures in the midst of having buckets of water dumped on you. But hopefully these shots from the breaks in the action will give you a feel for things :)
I headed out in the back of a pickup truck with the directors from the program where I teach English, along with their family and some of the kids that we work with. They rented a second truck to pick up a bunch more kids. At times we had 2 adults, 7 kids and two large tubs of water in the back of the not-extended-cab truck. Needless to say I'm a bit sore and bruised today!
I had a great time though! We drove around with buckets, sponges, and water guns to help us get the water from the big tubs onto the people we passed by. There were frequent spots where people on the side of the road had water guns, hoses, and buckets of their own and that was when the greatest fun ensued. Many people (including us) put ice in their water because hose water is just so warm here- yesterday had temps in the high 90's with a heat index soaring above 100.
The other crazy part is that there is this powder that they mix with the water and smear all over people. It seemed to me that the drunker the people, the more into the powder they were. Their favorite thing to do with it is rub it directly on you, especially your face and their favorite targets were the farangs (foreigners) of which we had several. Some areas downtown have massive Songkran fights where it is wall to wall people with water guns and balloons and heaps of the sticky powder (and cheap beer of course)- and close access to rub it on you- I think I'll stay away from there thanks.
All in all it was a great way to spend a searing hot day and probably the longest I've been out in the Thai sun since I got here. Even my SPF waterproof sunscreen couldn't keep my nose from getting pink. Today my goal is to stay mostly dry. A few water squirts are okay, but hopefully no large buckets of ice water over the head... gotta stay alert and in taxis!
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| Our team ready to head out! Moments after this picture I was soaked :) |
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| We stopped to refill the water tubs at a friend's house. |
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| The one lying in wait for me with the gun has a 75% chance of landing in my math class next year... revenge will be mine! |
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| We stopped for snacks and ice with the other truck we rented. |
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| Math student and English student- love these girls! |
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