Volatile Liquidity

The Thais will tell you that the annual Songkran festival (April 8 to 16) is all about thanksgiving and family reunionsand so it is. But the best part of it is the license to douse passersby with water. This practice is apparently a rite of purification, but given that temperatures in Bangkok at this time of year can easily reach 35C, it's also a brilliantly timed excuse to cool off. If you happen to be in the Thai capitalor indeed in any one of dozens of towns and cities across the kingdomdon't think that your status as a visitor allows you...