New year means water in Thailand

If you're thinking of taking a flight to Bangkok, be sure to make it in time for the Buddhist new year celebrations this spring.

New year is celebrated with some fervour between April 13th and 15th in the Thai capital Bangkok and indeed all over Thailand.

Visitors can expect to get wet - and there is absolutely no point fighting it - as the country descends into one big water fight for the national holiday and important family celebration.

From demure grannies to excited children, everyone joins in the fun, throwing water that is as likely to be scented with jasmine as it is to be laced with flour.

The Buddhist new year festival, known in Thailand as Songkran, is celebrated most avidly in the northern cultural centre of Chiang Mai.

It takes over the city, a favourite spot among tourists, bringing carnival floats armed with water buckets to soak passers by, making Chiang Mai a great place to enjoy the fun.

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