Climate Change and Conflict
So due to poor insight on my part (or perfect planning) my meeting schedule has been put on hold at least in the official sense as most Bangkokians have fled the city to celebrate Thai New Year. Those few brave natives that stay in the city are then subject to the thousands of foreigners that descend on Bangkok and other Thai cities to celebrate Songkran!
Songkran started as a fairly solemn Buddihst religious festival. Also known as the Thai New year or Thailand Water Festival, Songkran was originally celebrated as a way for the Thai people to sprinkle water on their family members and elders for good fortune and pay their respects to images of the beloved Buddha. Today, while that might be the case behind closed doors in peoples homes, the public festival is anything but! The festival has transitioned into 3 days of water play fun, splashing locals and visitors alike with buckets of water, water hoses and super-soakers as they gather in the streets. Bangkok shuts down for pretty much the entire week and it is one long wet party. It is interesting to me to be participating in this festival while thinking about climate change and issues of access to clean fresh water still running through my head from the week before. There is a long list of things I could find wrong with this in a changing world where resources are getting more scarce and such. But I decided that in this, I would just join in, loose myself to the unique experience and just have some fun... wet. Happy Songkran everyone!! To check out better photos and get more information (like I was going to take my phone out of its plastic case with all that water around), check out this website that shows lots of fun pictures and gives more details on the holiday. http://www.songkran2015.com/
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April 2015
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