Songkran,Day,The,Traditional,T travel,insurance Songkran Day Is The Traditional Thai New Year

Like any American, traveling occasionally is just what I love doing and I bet you share the same stuff with me. But traveling does not mean that you would be safe. Escaping from our job and other stressful activities is just something that w Torres del Paine is among the biggest of Chile’s national parks, occupying almost 600,000 acres (242,000 ha) of land in the south on the border with Argentina. It is also among the most important, receiving a significant proportion of domes

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The festival is the most importantin the Thai Calendar and is traditionally held when the sun moves out ofPisces.As the nation prepares to partythrough its third new year in 4 months, Chiang Mai is as ever, dubbed as thecenter of activity and it is there that the celebrations are most vigorous.If you're intending to be there atthe hub of things, you should be already booked. If not, be quick. The mainevents take place over three days starting on the 13th.Firecrackers are let off at dawn onthe 13th as people start to spring clean their homes. In the afternoon Buddhaimages from local temples are paraded through the streets as people tosslustral water (water scented with perfume and flowers) to bathe the images.Ceremonies are not held on the secondday which separates the new year from the old. The new year begins on the third daybut water throwing takes place continuously throughout the festival. Dailydrenching begins as early as nine in the morning and goes on till sundown. Itcontinues for at least four days and sometimes longer in the countryside. Driveslowly and beware of water hitting you at high velocity, especially if you'reon a motorcycle.The entire nation arms itself withbuckets, squirt guns and anything that can project water - and drench all butmonks, the aged and mothers carrying very young children. Wear clothes that youcan be wet and happy in. Foreigners are always a welcome target so protectcameras, wallets, etc. in plastic bags.Of course, the activity is notlimited to Chiangmai as the whole country goes water crazy in the hottest monthof the year. Perfect. Bangkok tends to suffer a longerbout of drenching as does Pattaya which virtually sees 2 weeks of revelry withthe follow up Pattaya festival immediately after the new year.For those in less of a party mood,more traditonal style parades etc.. can be seen in Hua Hin, Prachuap Khiri Khanor the northern villages.However, the watchword is to bookearly or be disappointed. Hotels book up far in advance and even guest housesare usually at capacity before Songkran day. Rail and bus tickets areimpossible to find at festival time as relatives head up country to visit theirfamilies. The whole country is in transit for a week.For 2001, the beach destinationshave been fully booked for some time and it is the northern towns, other thanChiangmai and Kanchanaburi province that always show the last of theaccommodation availability.In this respect, that's good valuefor money as most upcountry destinations do not increase their prices anywherenear the escalated rates of the beach resorts. An unwelcome recent addition isthe noticeable "compulsory" Songkran dinner which has started toappear on some hotel reservations Neighbouring Cambodia, Laos, Myanmarand even Nepal have similar festivals at this time so its perhaps the busiestannual period for the region, not just for the land of smiles. Venturing out ofthe country either for the holidays or to avoid a drenching can therefore besimilarly frustrating when booking accommo-dations and flights. It also makesMalaysia and Indonesia very popular destinations, even allowing for Eastervisitors.For many expatriates it is an idealopportunity to make headway on the sightseeing within the region that requiresthose extra few days. Such holidays involve Teman Negara and Mount Kinabalualong with Sandakan Orangutan sanctuary in Malaysia. In China, Yangtze cruisesprove more than popular, especially with a Great Wall and Terracotta Warriorexcursion thrown in. A visit to Japan prior to the May blossom festival willalways be a cheaper(!) treat than a month later. For the Phillipines, Cebu andBoracay seem closer and worthwhile when the extra days are taken intoconsideration. Sri Lanka, although celebrating the Easter festival is one ofthose destinations also requiring that little extra time to see enough of it -and Songkran is a perfect time for that.All in all it's a big break as wellas a third new year for all those resident in the kingdom. As ever, the fact ofactually being here offers a tremendous choice of how to spend that holidaytime. Personally, I am staying put to takeadvantage of an empty capitol and to see all of those things I have been unableto reach during those heavy traffic days - Wat Indrawiharn, Kamthieng House,Vimanmek, Suan Pakkard, Muang Boran - as well as also enjoying some non-noisepollution days. Seriously, Bangkok is a treat at anyholiday time, but especially at Songkran when it is the least busy andeverything is so attractively accesible. Of course, I will get wet, but notbehind the ears. Sawasdee Pimai.