As a child, I would look forward to every birthday party and family outing so that I could join the throngs of children my age to play Hide & Seek, Monkey Ball or any sort of battle-related team games like, Ice & Fire or Thieves & Police!
As I grew older, the craze of Red Alert, Counter Strike and Battlefield was in every teenager. Flocking to cyber cafes with our team mates to challenge teams overseas for ultimate glory.
Moving on to college, I was crazy about Paintball battles or War Games!
But, now that I'm a full fledged adult,
does that mean I can no longer indulge in these fun games?
Usually, the answer is a sad 'Yes'.
As adults, we would be called names or laughed at if caught playing our old games or toys.
So, why am i talking about this?
Because.... LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!
We are forever young at heart and we can still go all out war mode in reality. Imagine going into battle in a REAL CITY with your good friends! With unlimited hit point/lives, this is a real life battle that is full of smiles!
(No sore losers la because everyone WINS!)
Say hello to the SONGKRAN Festival!
Thailand's New Year celebration and it is the MOST important festival for the Thais. It celebrates the importance of water and it being able to wash away your sins and bad luck of the past year.
A huge thank you to AirAsia
for flying me from Kota Kinabalu city to KLIA2 to meet up with
the ever-smiling Ka Mei (captain of our #teamkamei and AirAsia representative),
From there, off we went to Chiang Mai, Thailand.
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| Check List : comfy clothes, slippers, waterproof pouches, choice of weapon (watergun in this case!) |
You are spoiled for choice when it comes to celebrating Songkran in Chiang Mai.
Pools, canals, and streets are just a few of the places where you can get your water supply.
(Just stay away from the Old City moat water, as it made my skin itchy!)
Come prepared if you ever visit Thailand during Songkran,
grab a water-gun from the closest 7/11 or even just a bucket,
so you can get in on the action of drenching people!
It’s all about fun, fun and more fun!
Just leave your laptop at home for the few days of the festival, and maybe even consider slipping your fancy smart phone in a sealable plastic bag in your pocket just so it doesn’t get destroyed in your soggy pocket.
A waterproof camera isn't a must. I brought mine, and realized it only added bulk and it was more fun shooting people with water than taking pictures :) trust me, your smartphone can take equally awesome pictures as momentos. Most of the pictures in this blog, are from our smartphones that were in our waterproof pouches.
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| Reload stations are scattered around the city, this one was in front of our hotel. |
In the city centre of Chiang Mai is often said to be the best place to be for a Songkran celebration.
Most say its THE BEST festival in the world,
for it was probably the happiest festival they have ever had the chance to partake!
I thought these people were exaggerating or just showing off.
They weren't lying at all.
FUN is GUARANTEED!
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| A reload station by a tiny cafe. |
No one has ever gone out of the hotel and come back DRY.
If you do come back dry, you are probably in Thailand for the wrong festival
because its just IMPOSSIBLE to stay dry!
In fact, we were only A FEW steps outside our hotel and
we were greeted with buckets of FREEZING WATER!
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| THE WAR BEGINS! just a few steps outside our hotel |
Its a great time to dress up and shoot at the hotties!
(cuz there are so many of them.)
Tourists and locals alike get creative on the streets, almost like Halloween! Join the fun and dress up! I didn't bring anything fancy so i wore a sun-dress! Most would be wearing singlets and shorts.
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| This guy in the wolf mask actually scared me by shouting really loudly before dumping ice cold water on me! |
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| Sneaky masked boy shooting from Thailand's red taxis |
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| dancing in the crowd is Ultraman! |
If your tired from all the running and dodging,
you can learn a local trick : stand by the the sides of the main road
and have a FREE FLOW of victims.
>:) I LOVED IT!
Be sure to stand at a safe spot beside the road and next to a water reload station, and soak the oncoming motorists! Just please don't hurt them and cause them to get into any mishaps, ok?
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| Motorcyclist being soaked with a bucket by a restaurant owner! |
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| Kids aren't harmless. They actually have more 'victims' than adults like us! |
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| Most tuk tuk (Thai's little motorcycle taxis) are more than happy to join the fun by bringing passengers around town with a lil bucket of water supplied! |
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| Go gangster styled with a tinted vehicle! |
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| Truly no where to hide, everywhere is filled with shooters! |
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| Children join the fun in the back of cars with family! |
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| Go territorial! Fence up and soak any passerby! |
I believe this must be the happiest festival in the world.
Everyone is smiling and laughing. Everyone is having fun, enjoying the genuine warmth of the locals welcoming us to play, and good food is abundant.
Here is a tip though, amidst the craaaazy water fight, always remember to NOT get the elderly wet. Respect them by only sprinkling water on their hands if they indicate so or when openly expressed.
It is also frowned upon to splash water into places of business, like cafes or malls.
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| Air Asia's huge stage in the middle of the city! |
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| Thousands of party people enjoying rave music while being sprayed with water by the Air Asia team! |
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| we took over the AirAsia stage! |
It is really important that you go with a bunch of REALLY sporting friends.
Laughter and fun is sure to follow.
Have lots of fun, make new friends there too, and look out for one another.
Remember to snap some pictures or.... GET A GO-PRO!
Try their green curry, tom yam gung, and mango sticky rice available all around the city. Get a massage, it's really good and it's super affordable. Don't forget : SUNSCREEN!
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| #teamkamei ready for battle! From left : Henry, Joel, Calista and I. |
If you visit during the festivities, just be prepared to be sopping for at least 3 days! It might be the perfect time to take advantage of
AirAsia 's great deals for your next holiday!
A flight from KL to Chiangmai only takes 2 hours 35 minutes.
That's almost the same amount of time for a Kota Kinabalu flight from KL! :D
For more pictures and videos on our amazing trip,
check out my
Instagram or search the hashtags
#aabcsongkranadventure #aabcchiangmai #teamkamei
Here is to hoping I get to see you guys having loads of fun
in Chiang Mai's Songkran festival next year!
*hugs to all*
