Happy New Year!!

Sunday marked the beginning of Songkran, or the Thai New Year. In Bangkok and Chiang Mai especially, Buddha images are paraded around the streets while people throw water on them to "bathe" them. Not only that, but people get out their hoses and water guns and have some fun on the streets with each other as well. Not only for the traditional cleansing and renewing purposes, but also because it's the hottest time of the year in the area -- the end of the dry season. When I was at Khao Son Road in the beginning of the month the King lead a parade through the streets, including Soi Rattumbutri where I was eating breakfast, to promote the celebration. This would have been a good weekend to spend in Bangkok!