Dear Editor
As a first time visitor to this city, I somehow managed to arrive right on
Songkran day. While I did get splashed with my entire luggage, most Thai
people were kind enough to try to keep it to a minimum. However the many
drunken foreigners didn’t seem to have the same consideration.
While I was aware it was a holiday, I didn’t quite
realize it was that wet. I really enjoyed my time in Chiang Mai during this
period but it was marred by the inconsiderate behavior of many foreigners
who seem to think that it’s some kind of free for all.
Even though it was my first such holiday here, and I will
be back – just not arriving on the day, I could tell the difference in the
good humoured manner the Thai people had when spraying and splashing and the
rather aggressive stance many foreigners took instead.
Perhaps Chiang Mai would be better off issuing guidelines
to arriving foreigners about how to be considerate and not try to drench
people with bags, and perhaps also, that no Thai person splashes at night,
so perhaps they should consider following that clearly unwritten rule as
well.
I have travelled to Thailand many times and have always
noticed how many foreign tourists seem to think that because it appears that
there are no rules, that there are no rules. There are rules, indeed, just
not the same as ours. Guidelines on this kind of thing handed out to every
arriving tourist might help cut down some of the loutish behavior and ill
will such behavior inevitably arouses.
Signed
Drenched in Chiang Mai
Dear
Editor,