Around town during Songkran 2012

So a while back my camera broke. All of the pictures I've taken over the last two months have been with my phone - a cheap phone with a not-so-great-camera. But I still want to have some memories documented so I'll have to deal with crappy pictures for a while.

We've survived and even enjoyed our 2nd Songkran. Because it's the biggest holiday in Thailand, it feels almost like Christmas. Ok, well many not almost, but the energy in the city is just great. You know that excitement that's in the air between Thanksgiving and Christmas - that is how it is here for the few weeks leading up to Songkran. The stores sell water guns, the news is talking about it, the kids are out of school, people are wearing their Songkran shirts (see picture below), etc. 

And then it starts. The whole holiday lasts for about a week. Different things are done on different days. But every day is a water fight. There is some actual history to the meaning of it all which I wrote about last year. People on the side of the road throwing water and squirting hoses, driving around with trash cans full of water, driving on their motorbikes totally decked out in a huge rain coat so they don't get wet...

Lots of people put white mud-type stuff on their cars. I have no idea what it means (if anything).

Typical Songkran shirt - flowers and bright colors.

A pick-up load of people headed to the moat.

People on the side of the road getting the motorbikes as they drove by.

Although people are getting wet for days and day, everyone just wears normal clothes...the only people we've ever seen in bathing suits are tourists.

Kids absolutely love it!

I love the monks with umbrellas.

On the last day of Songkran some friends rented a songthaew to drive around the the moat and play in the water fight there. So much FUN!