by Pete Barba

Our kids tell us that we’re no fun.  Little do they know…….

16 years ago when were were in Thailand we accidentally stumbled upon the Songkran Festival in Chiang Mai.  We had so much fun we promised ourselves we would return when our kids would enjoy it, and this was the year. 

Songkran is the Thai name for the springtime New Year’s celebration honored throughout Southeast Asia. Like many Asian cultures, Thailand and Cambodia celebrate their New Year at the beginning of the growing season, which in my opinion makes more sense than our western New Year which occurs when the days start getting longer but the cold, harsh winter is still ahead of us.  For Southeast Asia, April is also the hottest and driest month of the year, when water is a welcome relief to the scorching and dusty conditions.

Which brings us to Songkran, a celebration of water like no other.  Water is used to cool the body from the heat and to wash away the physical, emotional, and spiritual crud from the previous year.  Spring cleaning not only for the house, but also the mind and spirit.  What started as a religious festival, cleaning the temples and washing the Buddha statues, has become a nation-wide water fight, and it’s celebrated to its fullest in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

We spent our first 2 days in Chiang Mai exploring Buddhist temples and street markets.  The infamous “Dad Death Marches”, exploring cities on foot, became excruciatingly unpleasant in the 105 degree heat, equatorial sun, and high humidity.  The kids experienced first hand that your body can indeed drench itself in sweat to cool down, something we don’t experience in California where the low humidity evaporates the sweat before it becomes visibly apparent.  To cool off, we spent hours in our hotel pool and did homeschooling in our air conditioned hotel room.  Chiang Mai comes alive at night, once the blazing sun has set and the night markets open up.  Thailand is famous for these lively markets that sell every imaginable handicraft, souvenir, and food.  We were excited to pick up some of our favorite Thai wrap pants…16 years and still going for our originals!

Not to be outdone by the air temperature, the food scorched our western taste buds with massive amounts of chiles.  The heat level is off the charts and though Kate and I can order “medium” at home, in Thailand you say “no spice” and hope you can eat the delicious curries, papaya salad, or stir fry noodles.  No kidding, sometimes we couldn’t.  When the heat of the chili peppers becomes overwhelming, the mouth fire is extinguished with a mango smoothie, fresh coconut, or cheap beer.  Water just doesn’t do it.

For those who are unfamiliar with Thai food, not only is it spicy, but more importantly it is full of flavor that fills the mouth with sensations the are both pleasant and pungent.  Kaffir lime leaves for floral citrus smells and lime juice for acidity.  Fish sauce for saltiness and umami (the taste of richness).  Coconut milk and peanuts for creaminess.  Cilantro, basil, and ginger for their aromatic flavor. Garlic and palm sugar for sweetness.  All balanced into curries, spring rolls, and grilled meats that are unlike anything outside of Asia.  In hopes of enjoying the awesome flavors in our own kitchen we took a cooking class with the Thai Kitchen Cookery Center and had a wonderful time.  The hands on class was a great activity to do together and the recipe book will be put to use.  Our local Thai place has not lost customers though; these dishes are complicated!

On our last few days in Chiang Mai, Songkran was in full swing.  Kate and I proved to the kids that we CAN be fun and went all out for Songkran.  Armed with massive water guns slung over our shoulders, we marched our way into the water battle in the center of Chiang Mai.  Water was coming from everywhere: water guns, hoses, buckets of ice water from the back of a truck, and buckets of canal water from across the street.  The young to the elderly let loose celebrating the New Year.  Laughing old ladies on balconies dumped water on your head, smiling tourists and locals alike were decked out with water guns, mischievous kids doused you from their sidewalk tubs, and loud pickup trucks filled with revelers drove around drenching everything in sight.  We received many water blessings! 

When walking became overwhelming because of the crowds, we rented a tuk-tuk (3 wheeled open air taxi) outfitted with a trash can full of ice water to drive us around the city, making us both a target as well as a well armed participant in this friendly battle.  Who said parents can’t be fun?

After almost two glorious weeks in Thailand, full of smiles, great food, and volunteering with animals, it was time to move on to our 29th country, Japan.  This is not the final goodbye for Thailand, for we will be back to volunteer again at the Elephant Nature Park and experience the warm and friendly Thai people.  Until next time, Khob Khun Khrup Thailand.  Thank you. 🙏

Thanks for reading to the end.  Next up: Disney Tokyo, Japan!  Don’t forget to check out our past stories and subscribe for future articles as well.  Find us on Facebook and Instagram for bonus content!  Please note that any links or business names provided are for information only, we did not receive any compensation for our opinions or recommendations. As always, if you are planning a trip to any location we visit we are happy to provide more details and opinions, so feel free to contact us!