songkran

I didn't realise when I booked this trip that I would be arriving in Bangkok during the Thai New Year - Songkran. The first I knew was when I left my hotel yesterday and the doorman hosed me down with a super soaker. Not the sort of behaviour one normally expects from the staff of a place you have paid good money to stay at, but that's how they celebrate the New Year here - by literally drenching each other in water and smearing faces with a chalk based mixture.

It was an absolutely incredible and totally unforgettable sight to see thousands of people behaving like this in such a good natured manner (by 'good natured' I mean nobody punched anyone who threw a bucket of freezing water over their head, although I must admit to feeling tempted at times). The streets thronged with people getting into the spirit of things, and I very quickly resigned myself to taking an utter drenching and to forget about trying to avoid the inevitable. Can you imagine what would happen if we ever tried an equivalent of this in England? I'm not sure the good people of Gillingham would be quite so laid back.

The big downside to all of the above - aside from the obvious - was how tired I felt from the flight over here, and because I was suffering from toothache. I don't enjoy toothache at the best of times - getting it in Bangkok as people throw pans of water at your face is about as welcome as having a marrow shoved down your cock. Fortunately it has now more or less gone, although I will be taking the precaution of buying some anti-biotics while I'm here just in case it flares up again.

The journey from London over here was basically fine. Terminal 3 at Heathrow is hardly the most inviting place to start a holiday, but after a few drinks I was quickly chilled out and ready for the off. I flew with Thai Airways, who I had very pleasant memories of from my first trip in 2004. The flight was good, and I had three seats to myself, but I was a bit surprised that there was no in-flight entertainment at all. None whatsoever. I had books, an ipod and access to a free bar, so I wasn't exactly breaking down in tears, but it did seem odd for a relatively expensive and popular airline.

Anyway, I'm now going to brave the streets of Bangkok and get another drenching. Unfortunately my ickle netbook isn't working (I'm writing this from an internet cafe) and so I won't be able to watch the Norwich v Nottingham Forest game via all the dodgy sites facebook is advertising to me at the moment. Perhaps that's not a bad thing.