Thelma and Louise Take on the World: Songkran and Beached Whales

Thursday the 19th was the Songkran celebration in Pattaya. It is the biggest of the new year's celebrations in Thailand and boy was it crazy. We started off the day by going to the beach and getting a little sun. Let me mention that by the time Thelma and I made it to the beach...about 50 yards...we were soaked. It was amazing, except that our towels got wet. Oh well. While we were at the beach, we had the show of a life time. Apparently, every morbidly obese Russian takes vacation in Pattaya. We were surround by huge people. Let me just say that Thelma and I have nothing against big people, but we are not to fond of seeing it flying free in Speedos and skimpy bikinis. Needless to say, we saw a whole body that shouldn't be on display. After a couple hours on the beach, we went back to the room to get prepared to celebrate Songkran.

We headed out loaded with squirt guns ready to go! We made our way through over a mile of bumper to bumper traffic, blaring dance music, hundreds upon hundreds of people all loaded with water guns, hoses, buckets, and paste. There were truck loads of people dancing and throwing water. Almost every person we past was either soaking or pasting people. The Thai people walked by us and pasted our faces wish us a happy new year as we walked. There is really no way to describe it. Every street in the entire city is all the same and just as exciting. Not only that, but there were transvestites all over the place. It is a very common and accepted practice here in Thailand and boy do they celebrate like the rest of them. It was such an amazing experience.

After the epic trip, we ate an Irish Pub with a buy one get one free happy hour. We enjoyed good food and drinks as we regrouped from the festivities. Then, we made our way home to the Shakespeare. It was an amazing day and we will never forget it.