bushpilot Posted March 14, 2006 Report Share Posted March 14, 2006 Time your adventures so you are in Pattaya the 18th and 19th. Those will be the wildest days and well worth the exposure to the craziness. People come to Pattaya from all over for the event. Many of the ladies to escape to their villages then to. So the pickings can be a little thinner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vintage_Kwai Posted March 14, 2006 Report Share Posted March 14, 2006 Songkran has basically degenerated from a gentle festival to all-out mayhem. I, for one, will definitely be heading for the provinces. I remember my first Songkran eighteen years ago in Chiangmai, as you walked down the street people would say, 'Excuse me' and then gently pour a small silver cupful of scented water over your shoulder. Mum was with me at the time (she was in her late sixties then) and she had a wonderful time too. The mayhem these days is something I and my family avoid. However, if you're into the mayhem, go to the tourist places like Nana, Khhao San Road, Patpong and you'll have the time of your life. Remember to keep your cool, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vintage_Kwai Posted March 14, 2006 Report Share Posted March 14, 2006 Oh, and a comment from some of the Thais I know (includes my wife). Most, if not ALL the locals (and long stay residents) know that the mayhem stops at dusk. So it is DAMN annoying to get sloshed wih ice-cold water by drunk non-local visitors at nine o'clock at night when the party's obviously over for the day. By all means go and have your fun (after all it IS the biggest wet T-shirt contest around). But for those of you who may visit for just that particular period with the sole purpose of participating in the purported 'water wars', 'water wars' it is NOT. Please try to gain a deeper understanding of the origins of the festival. Perhaps this comment may not go down well with some of you, but it is this kind of behaviour that give the 'falangs' a bad name. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bust Posted March 14, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 14, 2006 MadStockBroker said:I can not understand why anyone would want to reorganise their entire life so they can be here for SOngkran. If you had read OP properly I said "After careful planning I have reorganized my entire life to allow me to spend most of April in LOS" not specifically for Songkran. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flashermac Posted March 14, 2006 Report Share Posted March 14, 2006 VK, you have got that right. I experienced my first Songkran here in 1973 -- and it was a pleasant fun holiday. Older people were very polite, especially in the villages. Even the kids were good natured about it. Nowadays, it has become almost mean spirited. I don't know what the hell has happened to Thailand. Loy Krathong is another holiday that has been all but ruined. It used to be a romantic evening, taking your GF down to the river to float your krathongs together on a beautiful quiet moon lit night. Now it has turned into cherry bomb throwing, firing bottle rockets into crowds and God knows what else. I was with my Mrs in Chiang Mai in the late '80s, and Loy Krathong night had already started sounding more like a firefight in the VN War. When my Mrs told her coleagues about it the next day, they asked her what the police had done to stop it. She truthfully replied, "Nothing. They looked the other way." Since then it has got even worse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nervous_Dog Posted March 14, 2006 Report Share Posted March 14, 2006 I've got some nice Songkran photos taken in the village, everyone welcome to have a look http://board.nanaplaza.com/ppost/showgallery.php... [shortened URL description - KS] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vintage_Kwai Posted March 15, 2006 Report Share Posted March 15, 2006 Flashermac said:Loy Krathong is another holiday that has been all but ruined. Yes, but in this case the Thais are to blame. Try to float a krathong in a popular venue like Siam Park, and three seconds after the krathong is floating away from you, Splash! Crash! A group of pre-teens will jump in, grab the krathong right in front of you, and rip it into shreds looking for the coin(s) that are put in it for good luck. I find a local restaurant with a fair expanse of water these days, have a good feed with the wife and the kids, then float the krathongs there. Most places like this will provide you with a krathong if you are a customer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longwoodguy74 Posted March 15, 2006 Report Share Posted March 15, 2006 I gotta say though...that Loy Krathong song is one catchy number! Now i'm gonna be singing it for the rest of the day! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vintage_Kwai Posted March 15, 2006 Report Share Posted March 15, 2006 longwoodguy74 said:I gotta say though...that Loy Krathong song is one catchy number! Now i'm gonna be singing it for the rest of the day! Enjoy! :hubba: http://www.mamalisa.com/mp3/krathong.mp3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longwoodguy74 Posted March 15, 2006 Report Share Posted March 15, 2006 I shall blast it at excessive volumes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.