Happy New Year...again

After another small debacle with the minibus that we booked, we finally ended up in Luang Prabang. Pii Mai or the Lunar New Year is celebrated from April 13^th through the 17^th. It’s their version of Christmas where everything shuts down. Businesses close, families gather, food is eaten, and alcohol flows freely. What’s most commonly associated with the new year celebration are water fights. I’ve heard its because they are celebrating the new year and the coming of the rainy season so they douse people with water all over the streets. There is no discrimination as everyone is fair game, even the police. Don’t think that just because you have a nice expensive camera they will spare you. Loads of tourists and loads of locals celebrate it throughout SE Asia but they say Luang Prabang is the place to be if you’re in Laos. As with any holiday the prices for everything is increased but it was well worth it.

After meeting back up with Adam and Oracle the first night we prepared ourselves for the next day. I put my money and wallet in my dry bag and headed off. True to the stories we got wet pretty quickly. But its so much fun and they love for you to join in. We cut the tops off some plastic bottles and there are refill stations where water hoses fill up big buckets along the way. There are also truckloads of people driving around town that have their own buckets filled. What we weren’t informed of was the black residue they gather from cooking pans and smear over each other as well. There’s also flour being slapped on as well as dyed water being thrown everywhere. The colored water washes out if you rinse off in time but unfortunately I didn’t notice some green on my shirt and now its ruined. Oh well.

It’s a very fun and festive time as all the locals let loose and there is something going on everywhere. The kids are running around with their water guns but I think the adults are having more fun getting wet. Plus it’s a great way to escape the sweltering sun. There are also some beautiful parades through town where you can see some great costumes and traditional Laos dress.