Songkran in Koh Samui

After my sister went back to America, I was back to my house in Ban Chang and I still had school vacation time left. We had just been as far north in Thailand as the Golden Triangle where Burma, Lao and Thailand meet in the middle of the Mekong River. That is where (in the past) most of the drug trading was done on boats and the surrounding land was used to grow Poppies. Now I felt like the islands of southern Thailand were calling … Another airport and another flight.

Utapao Airport (an old US Air base during the Vietnam war) is only 15 minutes away from my home in Ban Chang. A short one-hour flight made a weekend celebration of Songkran Festival, on Koh Samui a reality… Happy New Year Thailand!

Koh Samui, is an island off the east coast of Thailand. It is located close to the mainland town of Surat Thani.  Ko Samui is Thailand's second-largest island after  Phuket. Tourists enjoy the abundant natural resources, white sandy beaches, coral reefs and coconut trees that are present on the island.Samui also has many beautiful temples and we enjoyed our visit with a monk at Wat Lamai.

We stayed at Manathai Beach Resort, but the locals know it as “Buddys”

It had it own separate beach across the road with a large beach side swimming pool in addition to the hotel pool, Jacuzzi, and a fantastic spa. The resort had many different choices of restaurants and foods including an Irish Pub, an old-fashioned American hamburger/soda shop, Italian Pastas and Pizza and of course beach side Thai food. All yummy!

The Songkran festival from the Sanskrit word saṃkrānti, or literally "astrological passage") is celebrated annually as the Thai New Year from 13 to 15 of April. It is one of the most important festivals on the Buddhist calendar and coincides with the New Year of many calendars of South Asia.

Families prepare for the New Year by tidying their homes and paying alms to the monks and the poor. Water pistols and buckets are used to drench friends and tourists. The throwing of water is meant as a symbol of washing all of the bad away and is sometimes filled with fragrant herbs when used in the traditional manner. It is also the time of cleaning and washing the Temple Buddhas and it is done ceremoniously by pouring flower infused water on the statues.  Another time honored tradition is honoring the elders by the younger members of the family who knee when presenting flowers and pouring water on the hands of the respected elder.

 On the way to the airport to come back to Ban Chang, we visited Big Buddha Temple, Wat Phra Yai where the 12 meter high golden statue of Lord Buddha was built in 1972 and has become a main tourist attraction on the Island. As many tourists and locals were visiting for

Songkran, we also ceremonially poured water before climbing the great staircase to the top. Buddha Blessings for the New Year!