The Revelry Continues

Songkran in Bangkok, Day 2. 

Having gotten our feet (and everything else) wet the first day of Songkran, yesterday we decided to go where the real action was.  We took the subway down to Silom, a district in downtown Bangkok.  We made sure to wear clothes that could survive the water and talc, and we made sure all of our valuables were safely ensconced in a dry bag.

We started out on an overhead walkway, staying dry and getting the birds eye view. 

A table of talc - only 10 baht.

As you can see, you could get talc anywhere.

Weapons of Mass Soakation.

There is a point at which we asked ourselves, are we going to stand here on the sidelines and watch, or are we going to take the plunge.  We took the plunge.

It's hard to see where the water is coming from in the video, so I will explain that there were firemen with hoses, spraying the crowds.  We stayed on the far side of the street.  It's not like we needed help getting wet.

Here I am after we walked the street, soaked to the bone.  Notice the talc on the escalator.

Nothing was spared from water and talc, with the notable exception of the food vendors.  Somehow, the food seemed to be spared.  I consider that almost miraculous.

I think this wall was outside of a bank.

Even though the street was cordoned off, there were a few cars that slowly made their way through the crowds.  I don't know who was in them (wimps!).  Dignitaries?  But you can see that the cars were prime targets for talc and water. 

It was an atypical pleasant and non-humid day yesterday, so the buckets of ice water (and yes, ice) that were thrown were quite chilling.  We forgot to take photos of it, but the entrance to the subway was blocked by a gate, and women standing next to buckets of water. Everyone was handed a wet towel.  You had to pass inspection before entering. 

A big thanks to M for not only letting me use his camera, but also for providing many of the photos and videos on this post today.   I may get brave today and take the big camera down to the heart of the city.  But maybe not.