Happy Thai New Year!

I am sitting inside an Internet cafe enjoying a brief respite from the insanity occurring on the street outside. I am soaking wet and covered in talcum powder, a sweet-smelling pasty combination that is starting to dry and harden onto my skin.
It's Thai New Year, which means it's time for Thais to congregate in the streets and pour water and talcum powder on each other. I'm not quite clear on the reasons why; it has something to do with sprinkling water on Buddha, which somehow that turned into a spreading talcum paste on the faces of people walking by and dancing in the street. But I mean, who's to judge, in the West, we turned Easter, the celebration of Christ's resurrection, into an egg hunt.
Amy and I arrived just a couple of hours ago. Our bus didn't even attempt to get near Khao San Road, and so we were left to navigate the wet, throbbing streets on our own. The further we walked, the slower our pace became. Hands reached out of nowhere, spreading paste on our faces and water sprayed on every direction. It was all I could do to shield my purse from the main onslaughts of water. At one point a strap on my backpack hooked onto a passing motorscooter, but luckily traffic was moving so slowly that I had plenty of time to untangle myself.
Amy and I went into the first guesthouse we could reach and much to our delight, it had one room available. We aren't going to get much sleep tonight with all the commotion below our window, but at least we have a shower and a bed.
Next time I travel overseas, I think I'll research holidays a bit more.