There was actually a bit of a festive air down by Chiang Mai's Ping this morning  -- not that the poor folks with homes and businesses along the riverside or in the worse hit suburbs downstream would have been in party moods -- but locals and tourists turned out en masse with cameras and videos to capture the more spectacular sights and stand around chatting in the sunshine.

Even the monks had cameras.

Maybe a lot of people were just relieved that the damage was considerably less than it could have been? Water levels in some places had already gone down by this morning from an overnight high, though in other areas appeared to be rising. Sandbagging and pumps seem to have been effective in the Worarot district and Chiang Mii and Tha Pae Roads were free of water, though east of the river levels were definitely increasing. (see Chiang Mai street map here.)

Water still pouring into Charoeung Muang Road.

The night bazaar had around 20-30 cms of water as did Charoen Prathet Road and Loi Kroh, from around Soi 2 eastwards, some 3040 cms. Many of the sois (side streets) off Loi Kroh were also inundated, though passable.

Night bazaar. Only day. And flooded.

Loi Kroh at junction with Kamphaeng Din Road.

Conditions worsened however moving south and Sridonchai Road was up to waste depth in parts with reports of 1.5m  levels down Chang Klan Road. East of the Ping Charoen Rat Road was under 50 cm to a metre of water but the worst-hit areas seemed to be the southern suburbs close to the river, such as Nong Hoi, and we could see army and council trucks plus boats evacuating citizens from that direction.

Rescuing flooded out families from further downstream.

The Ping was still very high -- in fact it was only being held back by sandbags in some places -- and though blue skies and sun may temporarily help dry out downtown somewhat, what happens will depend upon the weather further upstream.

Ping (right) water level at Worarot -- 1m higher than street level!

The current in the river itself is very strong so do not approach the river and be careful walking around -- there are certainly holes and varied obstructions hidden under the brown flood water. Sewers have backed up so flood water is potentially pretty filthy so rinse off with heavy duty soap afterwards  -- oh and keep away from any cables or anything electric too!

Tra la la.....

Scooters with flooded engines can be seen stalled on every street corner.

Anything for a photo...

Riverside spectators at Worarot.

Nawarat Bridge at 11:00.

Kamphaeng Din Road.

Massage in air-con room; slightly damp!

Tuk-tuk driver and partner had even put their Songkran gear on.

Anyway... train services were still halted today though flights were as per normal and we've not heard of any major road disruptions. That's all for now -- and take care out there. (Note: info and photos as of around midday local time, September 29).

Tags: Chiang Mai flooding, Loi Kroh, Narawat Bridge, Nong Hoi, Ping River, Worarot

Songkran is the Thai name for the Theravada Buddhist New Year which falls on the 13th April. (The Mahayana Buddhist New Year, in Vietnam or China for example, is based on the lunar calender - in Thailand it's always a fixed date.) It's not only Thai New Year but in theory is the same for Laos, Cambodia, Burma and Sri Lanka though dates may vary slightly.

Even 5 yr olds will attack mercilessly

Now firstly you have to get to Chiang Mai and it's a very popular destination for Thai tourists over the New Year holidays therefore flights and trains book up well ahead as do any mid to upper range hotel and half decent guesthouses. So if you haven't already made arrangements then a tourist bus and less popular guesthouse are going to be your only choices unless you're very lucky.

Secondly, if you have made it to Chiang Mai then dismiss any considerations of whether you'd like to participate or not or perhaps join in the fun one day then go and check out some temples whatever the next day. It is unavoidable and all 'normal' activity in the city stops for five days or so whilst Chiang Mai turns into a giant water fight.

All roads in the centre of town will be totally gridlocked for the duration and all roads in and out of town will be severely congested so if you do have to get to the airport or bus station allow five times what it would normally take you. Note also that a lot of public transport - tuk-tuks and songthaews - are 'commandeered' for the festivities so there's not so much available and if you do find one the driver's going to want seriously compensating for his troubles!

Now forget any TAT niceties about Lanna maidens, flower petals and delicate finger bowls of water - you're more likely to be faced with high powered water pistols and buckets of iced water. (Be very careful on motorbikes or bicycles because that doesn't stop you being a target and can be dangerous.)

Unless you lock yourself in your hotel room for 5 days you will be drenched from morning to evening - soaked the minute you leave your hotel room - so make sure that any cameras, passports etc you carry are wrapped in plastic bags.

Standard practice in Chiang Mai is for a bunch of friends or a family to pile into a pick-up truck with huge bins of water, pistols, bags of flour and buckets and head into town to soak anything that moves. As a foreigner you will be a particularly tempting target!

However many times you get drenched or your $1,000 Nikon has just been totally destroyed you have to keep smiling, take refuge in your hotel room or leave town. Good news is that in Chiang Mai, unlike some other towns, it's only really a dawn to dusk thing so you can get dried out and go out for dinner in relative safety.

Main concentrations of combatants will be around the moat and key points such as Central Huay Kaew and Worarot but any side street and quiet soi will have kids and or grannies waiting to ambush you. (See map)

Yes it can be a lot of fun and the total mayhem is quite something to behold but be prepared - in Chiang Mai it goes on a  long time! TAT worryingly give the dates as 7th to 19th!? but 12th to 17th are going to be the main days though kids are already our practicing now!

Enjoy - good luck and take care!

Tags: Central Department Store, Chiang Mai public transport, Worarot