Cultural Immersion!.
As our team’s time in Thailand concluded we were fortunate enough to experience their New Years celebration, called Songkran. After briefly participating in the countrywide water fight in Chiang Mai we left on an early morning bus to Chiang Rai, where we had a full day of immersion! Literally we were immersed into the cultural celebration along with the water that flooded the streets! For hours we stood, soaked, at the side of the crowded roads with our new local friends. Packed full of drenched, joyful people, trucks were armed with buckets of ice-cold water that engulfed us and dowsed anyone they passed. It was spectacular to witness something where the entire country participated in throwing water at one another to bring in the New Year. As fun as this holiday was in Thailand, I couldn’t help but think how uncomfortable it would be if it were occur in Canada on most days of the year.
The images below are from our previous day trip visiting a few temples in the region. Within minutes of climbing hundreds of stairs, a man with a camera and police officers approached us to ask if we could be in a video. It was for the regions traffic police and since they were so kind it was impossible to decline. At the second temple there was a school of boy monks visiting the temple of Wat Phra That in Doi Suthep. I loved how one moment they would be meditating or praying and the next instant they were just like every other boy their age, playing or joking with one another.
After taking a short flight, to a nearby country, we met up with some people who were really encouraging. Not only was the work they were doing amazing but even their philosophy on overseas work made me hopeful again. Our team is in Bangkok for the next few days to pray for the red light district and take a few days to plan out what we’ll be doing in the upcoming countries. If you would like to hear any needs our team has or a way you can help feel free to contact me and I’ll give you some exclusive details!
