Battles in Bangkok

My last night here in Asia. Can you believe it? I hardly can.

Today was as fitting a day as ever to end it, a sort of Asia Redux featuring street food, meandering, interesting transportation options, fruit shakes, protests, government crackdowns, fires, a massive festival, cute girls, and very itchy, mosquito-bite ridden ankles. Plus of course the requisite pointing and laughing by the locals.

It was a very fun day, and a bit eerie as well, as play fighting and real fighting co-existed within blocks of one another.

You've probably heard about the protests that have spread across Bangkok, and the heavy-handed government response. I don't know which side is better, if one side is even better.

I woke up today to the news - emailed over by my sister - that government forces opened fire on protesters early this morning, injuring at least 70 people. Protesters were - and still are - occupying intersections, and supposedly threw fire bombs.

Despite my sister's warning, I left my guesthouse and took a packed river taxi down to Chinatown. If there's one place in any city where protests are least likely to happen, I think it's Chinatown.

I enjoyed some street food and a few good soaks, this being the first official day of the Thai New Year and related water-based revelry.

Unfortunately the government called off the major celebrations today because of the whole 'state of emergency tanks in the streets threat of civil war' thing. But in addition to pockets of water play on side streets and corners, Kho San Rd, where I lived it up last night, was packed.

I took a Tuk Tuk there, and half way we are suddenly heading toward a huge plume of black smoke. Oh shit! I'm like, "Let's not go there. Let's not go there!"

The driver follows the rest of the traffic and takes a detour. We get close again, and turns out its a bus protesters had set on fire. Whoa.

People are gathered around, staring calmly with looks of concern on their faces, like, "Oh no where are we headed?" And all the while some of them are carrying waterguns, and 100 yards away there is revelry.

I said a prayer and then went back to the playfighting.

No more super soaker 1500 for me today. I haggled in Chinatown and upgraded to the 2000 PSI model, the one's the German's recommended.

Those Na - Germans - were right. This thing is bad ass. It's huge, has great accuracy to 20 feet, holds a good amount of ammo, and, aimed correctly, it can take someone's eye out.

Oh my god was this fun. Thousands and thousands of people in the streets soaking the shit out of each other all day. Little kids, big kids - even older men and women.

People shoot you with water guns, fire at you with hoses, and douse the crap out of you with buckets. Sometimes the water is ice cold, and sometimes it catches you completely by surprise.

I made some headway in terms of the rules of engagement, but not much. Here's what I picked up:
* Don't shoot old people
* Do shoot cop cars
* Don't shoot at people when they're on their cell phones
* Mainly shoot below the head, unless the target has a big gun or is a Westerner
* Go easy on nerdy people who are dressed up
* When you join forces with cute girls, but be sure to shoot at them too, to maintain the whole masculine 'I can take you in a second thing if you wanted me to' vibe

After an hour of minor skirmishes, I found a little electronic music set up in the narrow street. I joined forces with some cute Czeck girls, and we battled some Italian guys, and ambushed any Westerner who dared cross our paths.

Then we joined forces with the Italian guys, and instead of heading over every 3 minutes for another water fill up, I paid a buck 20 for a trash barrel full. Sweet! We filled that puppy up a good 6 or 7 times.

It was fucking rad. Daytime is great cus' it's so hot it feels good to be drenched. By nightfall, that changed, and it was time for me to head home.

OK, so in summation, today was awesome, I am safe, and my ankles feel like they will explode from mosquito bites. What a perfect last day in Asia :-) :-(

Lots of love,
Roni