T.S. Eliot wrote that "April is the cruelest month," and that's not so far from the truth in Thailand.  It's the hottest month, at least, with temperatures that often break 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Relief from the heat comes during Songkran, an annual festival that runs from April 13 to April 15th. It was originally the Thai New Year celebration, though nowadays Thailand celebrates New Year's on January 1st. Traditionally, Songkran was a time to engage in "spring cleaning," both physically and spiritually, as well as to honor one's elders. Many people still observe some of these customs, cleaning their houses as well as bathing their Buddha statues in fragrant water and traveling home to spend time with parents, grandparents and other older relatives. However, the main attraction,

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