Party Tonight!

[Mai Krap]

I knew something was up when I saw the neighbor cleaning up the land I rent outside of my wall. I sent the wife out to ask about the time a truck showed up and started dropping off hundreds of plastic chairs, well maybe not hundreds but plenty. As I type the karaoke has began, its not horrible just yet but none of the party boys are drunk as its only 2 in the afternoon and this is just the warm up. There is nothing like getting a front seat to music you have no intrest in hearing. While I like Thai and Lao music and I enjoy a good show this is far from it. Its mostly guys who cant sing to save their life who turn up the PA as loud as it will go. Oh well, looks like another allnighter, good thing I have some headphones.

I will go out and mingle for a hour or so to be social and keep a smile. Actually Im having agood laugh about the situation now as there is nothing I can do anyway. They will have a good time so good for them, I just wish it was by candlelight without the loud speakers. How absolutley fantastic Thailand must have been before electricity arrived, my God it must have been peaceful!

Anybody else having a party tonight or have a good party story?

I will try to put up some pictures later.

[Cuban]

Hmmm... I have sympathy for you. One of those things that happen, the locals like it - they don't get much fun in life compared to me so I don't begruge them their "parties" - pity it is so close to you.

I am hosting a mostly Thai party tomorrow night, to avoid problems towards the end of the night I'm limiting the amount of beer and whiskey that is availible and insisting that parents bring their children.

With kids in tow there seems to be less hassle, the grandmothers are great at keeping the younger men in-line and limiting the space to spread out stops localized groups kicking off. Having the food and drink together I hope will encourage people to eat and I've had a word with a nearby hotel I have a room set by for me in case I need to Fox-Trot Oscar.

As there will be Village People (family does not understand why I smile when refering to them as such) milling about I've told the few local farangs coming to leave wallets and mobiles etc in their locked cars, they are not needed for the evening and it does not put any temptation in the path of those weakened by drink.

Any other people out there that consider such party tactics ?

[bina]

my wedding in the early a.m. was w/o booze (just some grannies and guys came with beer) and w/o all the other stuff except for a small 'dj' set up.... and only family and close friends came so we were done at 9:00 a.m. (started at 5:00a.m. )and no drunk bodies laying around. we also claimed that we couldnt ahve alcohol too much etc due to my 19 yr old daughter being present and she doesnt like that sort of thing. bla bla bla... so our request was respected. doubt i could try that again though. we did indeed do that to avoid all the party problem (and finances involved too!).

[bino]

Village People (family does not understand why I smile when refering to them as such)

[Khutan]

Welcome to living up country.

I had the same a while ago for a funeral. The noise fro mit was enough to wake the dead, let lone let those living sleep.

[Mai Krap]

Last nite was just the test party, The karaoke works great! About 20 people showed up and flooded my house with mediocre music until about midnite. They had a blast though so God bless em, I would never begrudge a man a party. Tonight is sure to be a all nighter and block traffic and drive me semi crazy but the reality is they have no idea it even disturbs me. Like I said, There is nothing I could do or say even if I wanted to and why bother. They are some of the best neighbors I have ever had in Thailand and if they want to sit around singing karoke all night, why not.

Our drunk cousin Ting tried to hire a karaoke at our last family funeral and give my wife the bill. Now my brother in law has totally ran him off as he has also borrowed around 5,000 baht from the family and made no effert to pay anyone back. Things have a way of working themselves out in the end. I have never to this day understood all night karaoke for the dead, but I guess it gets boring hanging around for three days and now its adapted into the culture. You cannot have a decent funeral without a guy who sells squid either for that matter. Maybe I should adapt popcorn makers to motercycles and send them throughout the country and make my first million baht.

[Thaddeus]

Maybe I should adapt popcorn makers to motercycles and send them throughout the country and make my first million baht.

Or, try real frankfurters on bread rolls that don't taste like cake...... that one has been pacing up and down in the back of my head for a while now.

I really enjoy the Thai parties during the day or early morning and for a new arrival (a few years ago for me) it's a very good way of removing your 'strangeness', knocking back the odd Lao Khao, eating something unrecognisable, making an attempt at Lao Dancing and going for a piss in the back yard with the other 'boys' shows that you are human.

It's only when the music gets cranked up to full volume that I have to leave. A few years back, I got out the English/Thai dictionary and pointed out the word tinnitus to wifey, so now I get a couple of locals pointing at their ears just before they impersonate The Who live at Leeds and I am allowed to go without any insult being inferred (usually have a couple of bottles of beer in a bag forced on me )

It's great to see the village people having fun, for the most part, they work hard for most of the year, I have no objection to them partying hard when they get the chance.

[lampard10]

We have a party every day

[Cuban]

Just a few lines of follow-up, party night passed without any incidents. Drink policy and grandmother monitors worked well. Also having a few outsider Thais there (from another village) seemed to damper behavoiur I have seen before.

One idea that struck me mid-evening while taking pictures was only a few people close to the family get to see them, either in edited form when on my computer or the few occassions we get them printed. What I have in mind is to get a large sheet of corrigated plastic board (larger Big Cs and Tewsco etc) and get it fixed up on a wall in the village shop, then whenever there is an event where I (others) get pictures made they can be displayed there for all to see, relive the moment. It would also act as something of a village diary as I'm around or invited to most events.

Has anyone else done this sort of thing before, what reactions did you get?