Man, talking about street festivals in Asia? Buckle up, cause I actually just dove headfirst into Songkran and Holi last year. Wanted the full chaos, y’know? No guided tours, no fancy VIP packages. Just me, the crowd, and whatever crazy was gonna happen.
The Planning Mess (Or Lack Of)
First up, Holi in India. Honestly? Didn’t “plan” much. Heard it was wild, figured “how hard could it be?” Big mistake. Booked a cheap flight to Delhi landing the day before Holi. Found a tiny guesthouse near Paharganj. My “plan” was basically: follow the noise. Bad idea.
I naively packed:
- My oldest white t-shirt (figured colors would wash out)
- Cheap sunglasses (eye protection, right?)
- A cheap phone pouch
- Zero information on where anything actually happens.
Turned out, Holi isn’t one spot. It’s everywhere. Whole neighborhoods explode. Went out the morning of, totally clueless. Got instantly mobbed near my guesthouse. People just smeared color everywhere. My eyes? Stung like crazy from that cheap powder. Sunglasses? Useless. Got colored powder all inside them, basically blinding me.
Songkran: Gear Matters
Learned a little from Holi. For Songkran in Bangkok, I prepped better. Knew it was a giant water fight. Packed:
- A super bright Hawaiian shirt (figured it wouldn’t matter if soaked)
- Real swimming goggles (not messing around this time!)
- Waterproof phone case that could actually hang around my neck
- A plastic water gun bought from a street vendor
Got myself right into Silom Road on day one. Total madness. Water flying from every single direction. Tuk-tuks drive by spraying hoses. Buckets get dumped straight over your head. Used my tiny gun, felt useless quick. Ended up just grabbing buckets. Dunking strangers. Getting dunked. Goggles were a life-saver. Saw loads of folks blinking painfully without them. Walked back to my place like a drowned rat, completely soaked for hours but grinning.
What Actually Works
So, based on getting absolutely hammered by powder and water:
- Forget cute clothes. Wear stuff you hate. It will get destroyed or permanently stained. My Holi shirt? Trash. Hawaiian shirt? Permanently stretched.
- Protect your eyes HARD. Swim goggles for Songkran, maybe even a full face visor if you’re soft. For Holi, proper sealed eye protection. That cheap stuff hurts.
- Assume your phone will drown. My case worked for Songkran’s water, but no way would it survive Holi’s dust. I almost dropped it multiple times dodging colors.
- Go early. Places like Silom Road get insane packed later. Got a spot near a water hose early, made life easier.
- Leave valuables behind. Seriously. Passport? Lock it up tight. Wallet? Minimal cash. Wear junk sandals that can get wet or lost.
- Embrace getting messy. Trying to stay clean is a joke. Someone will shove powder down your neck. Or ice water. Just laugh.
- Hydrate like crazy. Standing in hot sun getting splashed for hours? Easy to forget water. Felt like passing out mid-day Songkran. Big mistake.
The chaos? Absolutely worth it. Getting blinded by Holi powder sucked. Getting twenty buckets dumped on me Songkran morning was freezing. But laughing hysterically? Sharing buckets of ice water with complete strangers? Covered head-to-toe in neon dust? That’s the real deal. Messy, imperfect, utterly unforgettable. Wouldn’t change a thing… except maybe the quality of that Holi powder!
