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Songkran - The war has begun
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MADMAC
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Everyone on my street who is of age, and a few who aren't, is now inebriated at 3 in the afternoon. Village kids have come in and are riding around in pickups. Water is flying as fast as the alcohol. Some drunk girls are "flashing" as they go by in the beds of the pick ups... the city is now officially out of control.
#1 Posted: 13/4/2012 - 03:17
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neosho
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LOL It's kind of subdued here in the village this year. I'm trying to stay on the porch but the other night I was kidnapped. Woke up the next morning feeling like I had been waterboarded with Lao Khao.
#2 Posted: 13/4/2012 - 18:04
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It must be the same festival here in Phnom Penh then.It's officially New Year and the city is deserted as most people have gone back to the villages to drink themselves silly.Quite nice last night watching everyone lighting up their little Spirit Houses and a great firework display.The downside is I live next door to the Pagoda.Do these sermons ever end?He's been going flat out now for at least 24 hours!
#3 Posted: 13/4/2012 - 20:08
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sayadian
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BTW a question Mac.
I know Songkran can mean 'war' but is this the same word, same tone?
#4 Posted: 13/4/2012 - 20:09
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money frees you from doing things you dislike,since I dislike doing nearly everything money is handy'
altmtl
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"3rd danger day for Songkran road accidents see 144 deaths, 1,668 people injured in 1,554 road accidents" - not so good is it...
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#5 Posted: 13/4/2012 - 22:41
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MADMAC
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altmtl
Don't drive during Songkran. Simple as that. Everyone is drunk. Really simple math here.
Sayadian
According to my wife the words have no meaning other than the name of the festival itself. They must have some etymology or other, but my wife doesn't know it and neither do I.
#6 Posted: 13/4/2012 - 22:57
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CrankyCarrot
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No girls flashing for Songkran here, and I'm in Phuket fer goodness sakes. I guess nobody wants to give it away for free in these parts.
They're even charging 20 baht for water re-fills on Bangla road. Peng mak mak!
#7 Posted: 14/4/2012 - 03:58
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Captain_Bob
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Songkran, Thai New Year
Songkhram, war
Totally different words that just happen to sound similar
#8 Posted: 14/4/2012 - 05:32
MADMAC
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Bummer Cranky, maybe they're not drunk enough.
#9 Posted: 14/4/2012 - 05:54
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DLuek
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songkran comes from the Sanskrit word samkranti or literally "astrological passage" (according to Wiki). Believed to be adapted from an ancient Indian festival based on the lunar calendar. In terms of the water splashing it's very similar to the Indian "Holi" festival, except in that it's a mix of dyed water and dyed powder being thrown around. Along with Thailand, Sri Lanka, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, and Cambodia all celebrate their traditional new years at this same time, all adapted from the same thing. Southern China also has a water splashing festival that's believed to part of the tradition as a whole.
#10 Posted: 14/4/2012 - 06:38
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MADMAC
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Thanks for posting DLuek. Interesting.
#11 Posted: 14/4/2012 - 07:06
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time2fly
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I found my self armed with a supersoaker 5000 taking lots of fire. It was fun until I took the scooter to head to bottle beach and dumped it with my GF on the back... We both got ourselves an official Thai road rash tat to remember.. No Hospital thank god. But the ride home was brutal!! Both Bleeding yet still getting dumped with water kind of sucked!! But no flashing in Koh phangan either!!! Just in Samui now!!!
#12 Posted: 15/4/2012 - 07:59
CrankyCarrot
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Yeah, I never cease to be baffled by how ruthlessly people will squirt passing motorcyclists right in the eyes during Songkran. Kind of like those people who flash laser pointers in the eyes of pilots, albeit on a much smaller scale.
#13 Posted: 15/4/2012 - 08:15
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MADMAC
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I rode once this songkran, slowly, with caution. Don't want road rash or anything else. Not going to move fast enough to go down.
#14 Posted: 15/4/2012 - 08:38
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inspiredbyk-
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haha a good few days and the war is over... I shall be awaiting next year
#15 Posted: 16/4/2012 - 10:02
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A mindful traveller, perpetual wander, part time meditator and newbie blogger