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India and Nepal 2022
A tradition of south East Asian countries - Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia and Laos is the 'water festival'
It takes place in April and has been celebrated for hundreds of years to cleanse the old year and to welcome in the new year. It also coincides with very high temperatures (this week has been 102/38) and so people enjoy getting wet as they dry out quickly.
In Myanmar, the festival is known as Thingyian.
I got an early opportunity of taking part in Yangon - how can you resist the opportunity of being hit by water from a huge hose mounted on a truck! Such fun.
I am now in Bangkok, where the festival is known as Songkran.
As I travelled along the wide and long Sukhumvit Road on the way back from my stay at the hospital, there were many places with people throwing water, either from containers or from giant water pistols.
On the following day as I return to my hotel, there is no escape route and I am soaked to the skin from hoses, buckets of water and the water guns. I enter into the spirit if it all and am happy for the children, in particular to have some fun.
As as I pass a fellow Englishman of the same age going in the direction of the water, I tell him to be prepared - he replies in that charming way only the English abroad can summon up "No f*****g way, Jose!"
I feel already that the simplicity and good grace of Myanmar is being challenged and I have only been out of the country for 36 hours.
It takes place in April and has been celebrated for hundreds of years to cleanse the old year and to welcome in the new year. It also coincides with very high temperatures (this week has been 102/38) and so people enjoy getting wet as they dry out quickly.
In Myanmar, the festival is known as Thingyian.
I got an early opportunity of taking part in Yangon - how can you resist the opportunity of being hit by water from a huge hose mounted on a truck! Such fun.
I am now in Bangkok, where the festival is known as Songkran.
As I travelled along the wide and long Sukhumvit Road on the way back from my stay at the hospital, there were many places with people throwing water, either from containers or from giant water pistols.
On the following day as I return to my hotel, there is no escape route and I am soaked to the skin from hoses, buckets of water and the water guns. I enter into the spirit if it all and am happy for the children, in particular to have some fun.
As as I pass a fellow Englishman of the same age going in the direction of the water, I tell him to be prepared - he replies in that charming way only the English abroad can summon up "No f*****g way, Jose!"
I feel already that the simplicity and good grace of Myanmar is being challenged and I have only been out of the country for 36 hours.
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