A miserable ride, a fun wedding

[rookie]

Getting from Pattaya and the return from a small village in Kalisin proved to be a most miserable ride.

 

But, the wedding was a lot of fun. A friend was getting married. They slaughtered 2-buffalo, 4-pigs, 30-chickens and had 40-kilos of enormous prawn for the occasion. A major feast and all that food rapidly disappeared, as did 40-cases of beer, large quantities of Lao Kao and other liquor into the stomachs of over 200 guests. I was a second 'best man', as I was told that two was an auspicious number for their ceremony. I've attended other Thai weddings, where there were more than 2 'best men', but had not previously

'bested' at an Issan wedding. The ceremony was given by the village chief, as I was told that the

monks refused to work on that particular day (Sunday Oct. 18th). I found that odd? Part of the ceremony involved the gals relatives each tying string around the wrists of the those in the wedding party. I now have about 80-90 strings on my wrist. It looks like a poorman's wrist cast. The bride told me they are not to be cut, as that's bad luck, and she will untie each of them on the 3rd day following the ceremony. Back in Pattaya, as I wonder around with these wrist wrappings, I hear gals I pass mumble, in Thai,

that I must have just been married. I'll be glad when they are removed, as the strings are serving to ward off all single females. :-)

 

Departing Pattaya, on Friday (Oct 16) the weather was fine, for the first 40km. Then some light sprinkles that quicky turned into heavy rain which continued, without letup, all the way to Khon Kaen! Tired and soaked, I overnighted there and rode into Kalasin the next morning, the day before the ceremony. There were some downpours, too, in Kalasin, just enough so I wore my motorcycle boots with my suit during the ceremony, rather that the dress shoes I'd brought, as there was deep mud everywhere! A real fashion statement.

 

The ride home proved worst than the trip to Kalasin. It began pouring rain as I left, some roads had stretches of running water, but nothing like I encountered in Korat! Approaching an overpass on Hwy-2, I was stopped by the police as had been hundreds of vehicles. The other side of the overpass revealed the flooding of Hwy-2, as most have probably already seen on the news. Hwy-2 was flooded for many Km's!

 

The police instructed me to backtrack and follow a police staffed road through Phimai. There was a non-stop line of slow moving vehicles, braving a road with but a few minor flooded sections. I diligently followed their designated roads...and it lead me back to Hwy-2 and south again to the

same damn flooded section and overpass at Korat! Great planning by the boys in brown!

Now there were hundreds of people on the overpass, viewing the spectacle. Kids swimming, adults wading, a military truck stalled in the deep area and a few boats now navigating the new River Korat.

 

Back at Phimai a second time, this time I took 2163 south to 226, the road which goes east to Buriram. Unfortunately it too was flooded in both directions. I considered getting a room, but the police said none were in the area, or maybe sleeping anywhere dry under a roof for the night! I was hesitant to brave the flooded section to the west, but as a rookie on my F650GS, I learned it easily handled water up to 2-ft deep! The only troubling sections had rushing crosscurrents, making it feel like the wheels might be taken out from under the bike. It was a good learning experience as I'd also found on the trip to Kalasin the bike proved very stable and predictable, on rain soaked Hwy-2, at speeds sometimes as high as 140kmH!!

East to Buriram, it was shallow with reportedly deeper parts further ahead.

Going west, initially fairly shallow but much deeper a km further.

 

Not giving up I rode west to 224, south to 24 west and took 304 and 331 south back to Pattaya

It rained and there were some flooded areas as far south as Kabin Buri. The roads were soaked and it rained sporadically, until about 100km before Pattaya.

In total it took 860km (normally a 580km jaunt), due to backtracking, from Kalasin to Pattaya...a very long, tiring and wet ride!

 

Here I was stopped at a PTT station hoping for a letup in the rain, which never came. I also paused at many of the flooded areas, wondering if Noah might pass by...

 

I'll check with the the weatherman, before attending another wedding...

 

 

[expat]

Thanks for the report. It was a very interesting read.

[zzzz]

I visited in October only once and it was my worst trip ever for Thailand. The October experience was so bad that I didn't go back to LOS for about 3 years.

[Flashermac]

The monks may have been offended at the excesses of the wedding. Slaughtering that many animals is hardly in keeping with the Buddha's teaching and smacks of extreme vanity (trying to outdo the Somsaks). I remember my university students criticising such things when I taught up north.

 

As to the strings, they are a common enough blessing in Thailand and Laos. We always do it at the party just before graduation. All of those gorgeous gals lining up to have me tie one of them and get one in return. Sigh ... life has its good moments.

 

I was told they could be taken off after so many days, but often Thais simply wear them until the strings fall apart from wear.

 

 

[LizardKing]

Excellent Rookie. Thanks for the story!

[LizardKing]

I was told they could be taken off after so many days, but often Thais simply wear them until the strings fall apart from wear.

Interesting. I was "taught" that you *had* to wear them until they fell off (if not, bad ju-ju) -- well, maybe that was just the onesy-twosys tied on by monks at a temple, not the huge big bundle y'all are discussing.

[Nervous God]

3 days is the time line, I don't do the string.

[khunsanuk]

Hi,

 

Yep, my wife says 3 days as well, but I usually cut them off as soon as I get home as they tend to annoy me

And I am not even remotely superstitious.

 

Rookie, thanks for the report. Sounds like you had quite a ride!

 

Sanuk!

 

[Hugh_Hoy]

Rookie...good story and the photos only added to it Thanks.

 

HH

[Coss]

When I had the strings, I got looks of "another Farang's 1st trip" from BGs so I took 'em off. Then I got looks of "Handsome man me so horny" much better.