Tensions remain high here in the city as anti-Thaksin forces stage daily rallies, and supporters of the embattled Prime Minister also gather in large numbers to voice their feelings on the issue. Will the PM resign? Will violence erupt? Will the King intervene? Will the April 2 election (in which only one major party is participating) be held as scheduled? Will McDonald’s bring back their Samurai Pork Burger? The dynamics of this political stew are changing each day, so all we can do is digest the avalanche of news reports and speculate as to what will happen next. One of our regular customers – I’ll call her Miss K – has been attending the anti-Thaksin rallies on a regular basis, going so far as to making her own protest signs and helping a “Gang of Grannies” (senior citizen opponents of the government) find places to sit at Sanam Luang – the site for most rallies. She praises the tolerant tactics of both the police and her fellow protesters, saying the vibe has been very good thus far. But, like many other Thais, she remembers past government crackdowns and fears things may get ugly if the PM continues his defiant stance.

We’re only a month away from Songkran, the Thai New Year holiday. This is the biggest – and wettest – holiday of the year here in the kingdom. It’s a time when Thai people of all ages engage in childlike water play; utilizing buckets, hoses, super soaker water guns, and anything else that is capable of projecting streams of water. It’s either a tremendous amount of fun or an extremely annoying display of idiocy, depending upon your frame of mind at the time. Whatever the case, you can pretty much forget about staying dry if you venture outdoors during the three-day holiday period.

Songkran is always observed from April 13-15, but this year it will run even longer thanks to the last day of the festival falling on a Saturday. The banks absolutely have to take their beloved Monday holidays, don’t you know! Many Bangkokians (yes, that’s what we call ourselves!) take advantage of the long holiday break and leave town for trips upcountry or overseas. As a result, traffic jams within the city miraculously dissipate and normally chaotic Bangkok becomes blissfully serene for a few days.

I’ve been debating whether to leave town during the holiday or remain in Bangkok. Last year we kept the bookshop open during Songkran, thinking that there wouldn’t be much water warfare here on busy Sukhumvit Road, and that some of our customers would want to buy books during the break. Well, business pretty much sucked those three days, plus the water weirdos were out in full force, particularly the aggressive young massage maidens on both corners of our block. Any customers wanting to shop in our store had to somehow dodge the bucket brigade to reach our front door. Invariably, the brave customers that made it that far were all dripping wet when they entered.

This year we’ve decided to close the shop for the three official Songkran dates. I’ve been getting e-mails from friends in both Laos and Cambodia, asking if I am coming to visit for the holiday. As in Thailand, both of those countries celebrate a similar wet New Year in mid April. I’ve done the holiday in both countries several times, so I’m not really hankering to visit either place for next month’s festivities. I’d like to go to Myanmar again but they also have an April festival, and by all reports it’s even more manic than Thailand’s legendary water party. Adding to the “I don’t think so” factor is the realization that if the festival in Myanmar is anything like the ones in the other countries, domestic travel will be difficult, many businesses and restaurants will be closed, and it will be damn near impossible to walk anywhere without some hillbilly dumping of bucket of bacteria-laden water over your head.

Staying at home is starting to sound like the best option this year.