Thai New Years Extension – March trip

Thailand. A country known for it’s cha-cha (laid back) attitude. Warm smiles and calm voices. It is a country where religion and respect for the King runs very deep. Self-control and dignity are paramount priorities to every man and woman. Once a year, during the hottest month, this normally reserved country descends into 3 days of complete and utterly INSANE MAHEM!! The Songkran (Thai New Year) festival has to be one of the craziest and funnest events on the planet.

Think back to when you were a kid and the one of the greatest pleasures you could have would be to ambush someone with a water balloon or a squirt gun. You might get into trouble...but it was worth it. Now imagine an entire country of 67 million people all doing that for three days....everywhere! And you’re not gonna get in trouble!!

In 2009, for the first time, Free and Easy has decided to offer an extension onto our March trip where we will experience this festival in what is known around Thailand as the best spot to enjoy it - the northern city of Chiang Mai. This city has an older part which is surrounded by a moat. Thousands of people gather along the moat and walk around splashing each other. There’s music and partying galore. Everyone is in high spirits and going crazy. You really have to see it to believe it.

Since we will be up north for Songkran anyways we’ve decided to also tack on a 3-day jungle trek where we will visit hill tribes, swim in waterfalls, ride elephants and float down the river on a bamboo raft. It will be an unforgettable experience of a lifetime. Come ring in the New Year with us in Chiang Mai....it’ll put all your Dec 31st midnight countdowns to shame!

April 11 – 18: add $590 to your trip

Chiang Mai

This northern city is the ancient capital of Thailand. In the middle of town is the “Old City” which consists of a section surrounded by a moat and the remains of a decaying wall. This part of town consists of an abundance of winding tiny alleys that lead you to a seemingly endless array of temples, parks, quaint cafes, markets and outdoor live music venues. Our guesthouse is located within these walls meaning all this cool stuff is within walking or biking distance. People fall in love with this simple laid back lifestyle and some who only planned for a 2 day stop never ever leave!

The North of Thailand also offers us a glimpse of just how much the culture can vary from north to south in this small country. The northerners are known for being much more laid back and friendly than the southerners (and they are hard to beat!) The simple rural mountain lifestyle will widen your scope on what you have learned about Thailand in the south – a slow, rural pace of life, new foods, new craftsmanship, new architecture and a new landscape of rolling, lush, green mountains.

The majority of the Songkran festival takes place around the moat. If you don’t want to get wet during these three days..don’t even think of going near the moat. Thousands of people set up camp and grab water from the moat to soak passersby. Those who don’t want to stay in one place either walk around with water guns or sit in the back of trucks and do drive-by shootings. One of our favorite places to set up shop is at the Rasta Bar where they have live entertainment nearly 24 hours a day during the festival. You can sit and party, dance and soak people….this is the easiest time to meet people because rather than introducing yourself you just walk up and pour an icy bucket of water over their head! It’s a great ice breaker!

Jungle Trek

The mountains in the north of Thailand which extend into both Laos and Burma are teeming with lush jungle vegetation, waterfalls, rivers and wildlife. During this extension we will be heading into this landscape for 3 days. During that time we will hike, ride elephants through the jungle, swim in waterfalls and float down river on a bamboo raft. At night we will be sleeping in local tribal villages where we will be able to witness a culture living independently within the country of Thailand. It will definitely be an educational, inspiring and invigorating way to end off your 48 day Free and Easy experience!!