After about 12 hours of sleep we decided that it was time we headed out and explored Bangkok. With this plan in mind we got ready and headed out for a day of new sights, sounds and experiences. Although this is exactly what happened it came in a very different form than we were expecting. We quickly found out that the 'water festival' was actually Thai new year celebrations, which is basically a MASSIVE water fight, which goes on for 3 days.

We left our hostel and headed straight into a sea of people. A mix of Thai locals and other tourists using a combination of Super Soakers, buckets and hoses made sure we were absolutely drenched within 30 seconds.

As we made our way down a small street away from our hostel and up to the main road, more and more people were not only soaked but covered in what looked like wet clay. This was the next thing which made it's way onto our faces, arms and clothes. It was all very friendly though, with locals smiling and wishing us a 'happy new year' as they gave Belle and me some clay beards.

Our initial plan was to head to Koh San road to see what this had to offer. However when we reached the main road we needed to head down, it became clear this was not an option. The main road was heaving, like leaving an old football ground (nestled between houses) or watching Lethal Bizzle in a tent at Reading Festival. We went with the flow of people down the main road, the clay and water fight reaching new levels, soaking up the atmosphere (literally). After some time in the middle of the organised chaos we headed to the relative shelter of a open front bar. As we sat there in our sodden clothes, we watched the celebrations continue with a nice cold Chang and the occasional spray of water from the street. The main focus of our attention was a fully grown man who seemed to enjoy sneaking up on people and throwing a full bucket of water over their head. This went on for hours, although a Hulk Hogan look a like did not seem impressed.

(The cover picture is not ours - as we wisely decided to leave camera's at the hostel.)