Songkran Romance

by Felix from Lugano, Switzerland

Songkran New Year is the time when Thai families come together. Many tourists and travellers come to Thailand to join the soaking wet fun. This is why I went to Chiang Mai with an open mind to see what happens. The hotel staff said, I should go to Sri Phum corner where most of the action is.

On the way I ran into a university student named Tee. He was well dressed in blue jeans, white shirt, and sneakers.

"Where are you from? Where you go?" he asked.

"From Switzerland, to play Songkran." I replied.

"Oh good. I go with you!" We introduced ourselves and talked about Songkran. Soon we found out that we both enjoy fun in wet clothes like Songkran.

We arrived a bit too early, not many people there, most of them still dry. Some swam over to a pontoon in the middle of the moat.

"Shall we swim over to that pontoon?" he asked with a big smile. I agreed and without hesitation he went into the water with all his nice clothes on. He looked stunning in his wet white shirt as he waved at me and said I should come into the water.

I sat down on the edge and slowly lowered my canvas shoes with socks into the warm water. This amused Tee no end and he splashed water over my clothes. Then I went into the moat to get my jeans and hoodie wet.

We swam over to the pontoon, climbed out in our waterlogged clothes, and snuggled up like the others to watch the wet festival unfold.

Over Songkran we became intimate friends and spent the following weeks together swimming in the nearby lake or getting drenched under the waterfalls. Tee took every opportunity to get his clothes wet, like swimming in my hotel pool, cycling in the rain, or jumping into a fountain.

When he visited me in the evening after he finished university, he always took a shower first, still in his clothes and insisted that I got fully dressed and join him. In the morning we went into the hotel pool in our sports clothes and/or rainwear. Happy times.