thai3 Posted January 13, 2002 Report Share Posted January 13, 2002 Although I enjoy a go-go bars or spending a few hours in a beer bar as much as anyone, a bigger buzz is seeing some thai singers. The trouble is that finding out when and where they can be seen can be harder than a few levels of tomb raider. Before my recent trip I had all sorts on the look out for concerts, I even wrote to TAT and Bernie Trink, nobody came up with anything. Never mind, as soon as I arrived I had a thai tour guide ring up Sure rec company to ask about Jintara Poonlarp concerts. The answer was she was somewhere in Issan, narrowed it down a bit but not a lot of help. Then I found a new web site giving concert dates and I had the girl in the internet cafe write down the details for a concert in Lop Buri on the 9th Jan, hey this was going to be easy. To confirm the web info I got the number of a band member by ringing Sure again, he confirmed the time and place and I got a thai to write down the info in thai. All I had to do was book a hotel in Lop Buri. I could not find one on the web so asked for a register of hotels at the Marriott reception desk-no have, but they did ring up a travel agent who gave the two hotels. One said the concert site was 20 kilometers out of town, the other that it was 40. I thought the best thing to do was to find a girl from the area to go with and found a nice washington sq girl who said she was from Lop Buri. Not until we got on the bus did I realise she was not from Lop Buri at all but that her sister lived there, she knew where the Lop Buri Inn was though so we booked in and confidently asked about the concert at the hotel info desk. Not only did nobody know of any concert but nobody knew where the place was either-I don't believe it! Luckily someone staying at the Hotel managed to identify the place, both the girl in the cafe and the tour guide had written the name down slightly incorrectly, but showing this guy both pieces of paper meant that it could be written out again and a local driver contacted for a ride, still nobody knew of a concert taking place, but we were going anyway. The price for a ride came as a shock-2,000 baht which I declined. Two staff members had a friend who could drive us but they wanted 1500, bargained one down to 1300, still seemed a lot for a few miles up the road. The guy and his girlfriend turn up at 7 which was early as the concert was not on until 9, does he know where it is? showing all the bits of paper, yes him know declares the girlfriend, does he know he has to wait and bring us back after?, yes him know.After an hour and a half of driving like a bat out of hell we must have travelled more like 100 k, suddenly the car starts to slow up and the driver wants to look at the address again, this time he looks at it as if written in chinese instead of thai, oh no here we go I think, the girlfriend says mai pen rai, if only she knew how long I had been trying to see this singer and the amount of money I had spent she might have threatened the driver with his life. On we go and now even the road signs have to be stopped for and read several times. Luck seems to be running out when we have to ask people, not that there are many about-this really is Nakhon Nowhere. The road gets rougher and rougher and we get slower. Just when it looks as if we will never find it we crawl round a corner and bingo it looks like Morlam Heaven, there are lights everywhere up trees, along the roadside, strung from poles, there are balloons all over, food vendors, a fun fair, stage, spotlights and about 6,000 people who did know the concert was on. After paying the 20 baht a carload to get in the next worry is will Jintara turn up this time? As usual we have to sit through several hours of minor singers and the dreaded 'funny troupe' which always seems to appear at concerts. The dancers are top class, I count 48 but might have missed a few. The crowd includes everyone, old, young, babies and local big wigs bedecked in silk and gold. I really enjoyed it but being the only falang got more than the usual amount of stone faced stares. Unfortunately Jintara did not hit the stage until 12.10 sadly in jeans and tee shirt instead of one of her short skirts. Half the big wigs decided it was time to get up and leave and most of the kids decide they have had enough of sitting down doing nothing and start to kick up. Never mind, I get to see Jintara at long last and it is not a let down, how can such a big sound come out of such a little body? she sounds just as good live as on CD. We have to leave after a few songs as bat out of hell's girlfriend is cold and he has to get up for work. The funny troupe had just come on again anyway, does anyone know the history of the funny act? always seems to be the same thing. BTW I thought Lop Buri town the ugliest place I have seen in LOS, what is that civic monument in the centre? horrible. Strangely the Hotel gave me 400 baht refund when we left, maybe the thai price? If you are in Lop Buri and are waiting for a bus do not trust the time on the ticket. Ours said 10 A.M. as it was only 9.20 and nobody was on the bus we went to look around the market. At 9.35 the girlfriend shouts peetur bus go now, no bus not go until ten tilac, has on ticket. Sure enough the 10 o clock bus was pulling out, but slow enough to jump on. If anybody wants jintara concert dates let me know-peter [ January 13, 2002: Message edited by: Peter G ] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix Posted January 14, 2002 Report Share Posted January 14, 2002 Hi Peter, Thanks for that account, I also like that singer, and wish I'd been there. If you hear of any other such events, let me know. preferably in BKK, since I'm there for the next few weeks. I've just been to Lopbury same hotel, paid 600 bath incl bf, on New Year's eve. (see one of my 'letters from Isaan", posted today, I think no.4 What is currently the best Molaam concert place in BKK? Regards, Phoenix Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 14, 2002 Report Share Posted January 14, 2002 I've been to see Jintara in Bangkok 2 or 3 times. Every bit as good in flesh as on CD. A Western friend of mine did a number of tours with her, she has a superb voice, really cute to look at as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thai3 Posted January 14, 2002 Author Report Share Posted January 14, 2002 The best place is sukhumvit soi 69/1, there is a cinema building at the front and you walk down on the left to the back. They have a show a couple of times a month I think. Went on the 6th Jan and it was a very good show, 100 baht to get in. The mall Bang Kae has a free concert most satudays at 5.30, saw Monsit and Fon there in Dec, Fon is the best Lukthung singer now IMO. Cafe on suk soi 105 is quite good -cham Issan, I think the club over country road has closed as has Issan Pub on soi 23, very sad that. Rictic is that the guy who has the web site on Jintara (which he never finished)-peter quote: Originally posted by phoenix: Hi Peter, What is currently the best Molaam concert place in BKK? Regards, Phoenix Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.