Songkran the polite and traditional way in 2011
During Songkran, the New Year water festival celebrated in Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar and Laos, it is perfectly alright to get wet and stay wet for several days. What began as a traditional sprinkling of water on the hands of another, Songkran has become a wet battle in the streets of Thailand's largest cities. Marauding trucks carry tanks of water to hose those unlucky enough to be out on the streets. Schools, banks and businesses close and there is a lot of public drunkenness. Leather shoes, notebook computers, mobile telephones, cameras, and fine clothing are all at risk. Songkran is the time to flee Bangkok, or else lock yourself indoors for four days.
Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar all celebrate their own New Year water festivals at the height of the warmest, driest time of the year. Thais and Lao call their New Year "Songkran," which could also be translated as "let'
s all get wet."
Although drunken hooligans prowling the streets with high powered water guns have spoiled the holiday in much of Thailand, Songkran in Luang Prabang remains more traditional. Those who want to get a little bit wet for a few days can easily find ways to do that. Most people enjoy colorful parades, special markets, beauty contests and the chance to sculpt chedis out of sand. The atmosphere is quite festive. People either dress up or stay shirtless, and the flow of beer and local whiskey seems to put folks in a very agreeable frame of mind.
For one of the best times of your life you can join us in Luang Prabang for Songkran 2011. While hotel rooms are almost impossible to get, we have six rooms at a comfy, yet affordable boutique hotel on the shores of the Mekong. Arrive 12 or 13 and depart on the 16th. (You can go earlier or stay longer if you like.) Although we have planned some fun activities, we are leaving plenty of time for everyone to enjoy LP on their own.
13 April 2011: Arrive Luang Prabang early in the day or come a day earlier if you like. We provide transportation to Sala Prabang, a compound of charming colonial villas on the banks of the Mekong that will be our home during your stay. In the afternoon we sail to an island in the Mekong to join local folks making chedis out of sand. Tonight we enjoy a dinner together at Lao Lao Garden, which is as gay as it gets in Luang Prabang.
14 April: You are on your own today to watch the parade and join in the new year festivities along the streets.
15 April: Good deeds help pave the way to heaven. Before breakfast this morning you can join us for "alms-giving," a spectacular procession of hundreds of monks who collect their food for the day from early-risers who need to "make merit," If you like, we will help you shop the day before for appropriate gifts to help you cancel out a sin or two. After breakfast our guide will take you on a walking tour of Luang Prabang.
16 April: Transportation is provided to the airport for your flight to Bangkok, Vientiane, Siem Reap or Hanoi.
Stay longer if you like, and travel to Chiang Rai on a Mekong River Cruise or spend a couple of days getting to know the local pachyderms in a nearby elephant camp, where you can be a Mahout for a Day!
Cost: Rates will not be set until October 2010. However cost per person sharing one room are expected to be under US$300per person sharing room, or under US$500 single basis. You an add extra nights at the beginning or the end of this itinerary.
Includes: gay-friendly hotel accommodation, tax, service, daily breakfast beginning on the second day, airport transportation, guide as shown, one dinner, entrance tickets to places visited with guide, plenty of fun. Not included: airfare, visa fee, other meals, beverages, anything of a strictly personal nature.
 
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