Farangs And Songkran

[H2oDunc]

Yesterday the missus and I went down the mountain to party with the locals. We went to a small noodle and Thai food place on the ring road at the junction for Nikki beach and the Raja ferry. Good food, good company and an ideal spot I thought to take some pictures.

Out of taking over 600 hundred photos not 1 Thai threw any water at me or in my direction when they saw the camera. They all posed or smiled.

Contrast this to around 6-7 @anker farangs who seemed to think it was hilarious to soak someone with an expensive camera. WHY?

Apart from that a good day was had and glad to see it just lasts the one day here unlike other places I have been to for songkran.

A few pics of the day.

[carmine]

It's no longer a one day event in Chaweng. It started on the night of the 11th.

Anyone any idea whether this followed suit in Lamai?

[mattcodes]

I dont think people would of meant to damage (or risk) your camera, you put alcohol, sun, and water pistols together and people are going to be wreckless, intentional or not. Perhaps falangs were just more pissed.

[BWPattaya]

Here we go again! The Thai people respecting the fact that you don't want water thrown over you, but the falangs not caring whether you have valuable equipment that you don't want ruined.

[Evergreen]

Good to see you were out having fun Dunc...someones gotta eh mate?

As for the subject last years Songkran i got soaked by EVERYONE, Farangs or locals, in fact when i took my camera out (which was in a waterproof bag) people seemed to especialy target me....that's the way it is, as someone's already said the mix of sunsine and too much alcohol make people go a bit crazy i guess so you've jus gotta get on with it, be glad yer still there to enjoy the fun!!

[koheesti]

No offense, but you should know better than to take anything with you on Songkran that you don't want to get wet. If you must, put it in a plastic bag. Counting on all of the people you see to not get you wet is a big mistake - one that I made ONCE, on my first Songkran.

[rik072]

Great pictures! Hope you stil did have some fun takings the pictures

[Sunderland]

Walked back from TOPS with my Aussie mate at lunch-time. Passed the locals who work as guards, maids, gardeners, etc. drinking on the edge of the pavement. Waved and then heard them shout in Thai, "Go get the farangs!"

A girl of about 7-8 years old wandered over and 'asked' to daub some of the perfurmed white gunk on her faces. She spread it on nice and thick, but not all over our eyes. We blessed her and she said thanks and that was it. This is the way it was intended.

Even in the mayhem of previous Songkrans I have seen a lot of people do this amidst a soaking from others. Thai traditions are not dead. Unfortunately, there are some idiots about and alcohol does play a large part in those people overstepping the mark and moving on from water splashing to full on assault.

Enjoy yourselves out there ... play safe!

[walkingman]

Some good pictures there.

But why do you have to go on about farangs being bad. Its bad enough living here with some Thai people not liking farangs for no reason at all. But now we farangs are starting to hate eachother ? What all this about ?

Songkran is 1 day a year here. Everyone can get some good pictures. You have just got to be alert and watch out for people coming with the water. Being Thai or Farang it doesnt make a difference. So dont bring race into it please.

It would be just as easy to say some wanke_rs threw water at you. It doesnt matter what they look like.

[Patsycat]

Nice pics of happy smiling people enjoying themselves. Makes a change from the doom and dark pics we have been looking at recently.

Kudos

[MSingh]

I stopped on the Ring Road to get one of the little one's out of the back of the Vigo & into the Car as she'd been in the Sun for a good couple of hours & i wanted to give her a time out, whilst doing so i had the door of the Car open when drying her off with a Towel ( she's only 4 ) & the Thai people could see this as could everyone else & didn't soak us & what would have been the inside of the Car however a Cra of Fraangs came along & even though i said " No don't do it. have a look " they proceeded to drench me, the little one & the inside of the #@#@# Car & thoguht it was hilarious..

The red mist came & i was going banana's when i realised that i had 5 Kids in the back of the Car & 2 inside & had to stop myself from going after them..

I was FUMING !!

I remember the Car & the faces & thought i recognised one & if i see them again, i'll commit an act of outrageous violence on them & they won't have the faintest idea why probably..

[H2oDunc]

Here we go again! The Thai people respecting the fact that you don't want water thrown over you, but the falangs not caring whether you have valuable equipment that you don't want ruined.

No doubt you are the exact type of tosser that would think its fair game to drench somebody with a camera? If I had as many Thai;s throwing water at me as farang it would have been different.

The fact that EVERY Thai could see I was there to take pictures and not get soaked says heaps. They ALL just posed or smiled. I did put the camera down and threw water and enjoyed being fair game. I got very wet and covered in talc. NO PROBLEM!!!!

I presume from your name you stay in Pattaya so expect nothing more.

[neverdie]

Yes there are certainly some douchebags out there, H2O's and MSINGH's incidents are two such incidents where just a little bit of brain power may have stopped the person from doing what they did.

Live and learn, something else will happen next year.

[britmaveric]

^little brain power usually is result of imbibing too much drink and tossing water becomes out of control.

Edited April 14, 2010 by britmaveric

[Shotime]

It's true. The Thai's were extremely respectful, but the stupid farang don't seem to understand. It's not even their holiday, and, probably have no idea of the significance of the water.

MSingh, my good friend, let it be water off your back.

[samuijimmy]

Well, I decided to play it safe while the neighbours kids did the water throwing from the back of a pickup, just because I knew the Canon camera would get wet!

My Sony Camera which has a waterproof casing, has been in for repairs/ supposedly under warranty, for two months now , Another story!

Just about all my pictures were taken through the truck window!

Other than four ambulances trying to make their way through & very few people pulling over, the crowds I saw where pretty good!

But life in Maenam is more civilized..... :D

[theoldgit]

Here we go again! The Thai people respecting the fact that you don't want water thrown over you, but the falangs not caring whether you have valuable equipment that you don't want ruined.

No doubt you are the exact type of tosser that would think its fair game to drench somebody with a camera? If I had as many Thai;s throwing water at me as farang it would have been different.

The fact that EVERY Thai could see I was there to take pictures and not get soaked says heaps. They ALL just posed or smiled. I did put the camera down and threw water and enjoyed being fair game. I got very wet and covered in talc. NO PROBLEM!!!!

I presume from your name you stay in Pattaya so expect nothing more.

If you read his post properly I think he is saying exactly the opposite of what you are accusing him of.

[Birdman]

You have to excuse them, most holiday Farang really don't know how to behave probably. Just look at the farangs waiing the gardener like a monk or dancing a go go, because they think the girls like that or, and best of all, assume the a go go girls do that because they are horny.

[samuibeachcomber]

Some good pictures there.

But why do you have to go on about farangs being bad. Its bad enough living here with some Thai people not liking farangs for no reason at all. But now we farangs are starting to hate eachother ? What all this about ?

Songkran is 1 day a year here. Everyone can get some good pictures. You have just got to be alert and watch out for people coming with the water. Being Thai or Farang it doesnt make a difference. So dont bring race into it please.

It would be just as easy to say some wanke_rs threw water at you. It doesnt matter what they look like.

the point being made by dunc,i think is a valid one.from my experience thais are far more considerate than the holiday farangs.

[BusyBee123]

600 photos in one day? no wonder you didn't see the water coming the camera must have been glued to your eye.

[BigC]

i like this post. couldn't agree more. i locked my car doors becuae last year in phuket some idoit tried to through water innside my car.

the same thing happened this year a pissed up forang. thought that i might not get angry if he through a buck of water inside my car all o ver my sterio, ipod, mobile phones.

tellu what if he my door was un locked and he succeeded i he would have had something thrown back at him and it wouldn't have been water.

[BigC]

600 photos in one day? no wonder you didn't see the water coming the camera must have been glued to your eye.

[BigC]

Some good pictures there.

But why do you have to go on about farangs being bad. Its bad enough living here with some Thai people not liking farangs for no reason at all. But now we farangs are starting to hate eachother ? What all this about ?

Songkran is 1 day a year here. Everyone can get some good pictures. You have just got to be alert and watch out for people coming with the water. Being Thai or Farang it doesnt make a difference. So dont bring race into it please.

It would be just as easy to say some wanke_rs threw water at you. It doesnt matter what they look like.

the point being made by dunc,i think is a valid one.from my experience thais are far more considerate than the holiday farangs.

it is probably because some of us have come 10 000 kms to get away from our own. not all of them just some breeds.

i came out here to get away from my own scummy people now they are my neibours. i have a herd following.

[Birdman]

i like this post. couldn't agree more. i locked my car doors becuae last year in phuket some idoit tried to through water innside my car.

the same thing happened this year a pissed up forang. thought that i might not get angry if he through a buck of water inside my car all o ver my sterio, ipod, mobile phones.

tellu what if he my door was un locked and he succeeded i he would have had something thrown back at him and it wouldn't have been water.

it would be an old hoi from your slingshot, Big Sea.

dn't u know, that rule #1 inda Thaioand is....................don't opn cardoor onda street durin songkran?

[wolf5370]

Maybe because we are farangs we only see the stupid things the farangs are doing and ignore the Thais when they are being tossers too. I saw plenty of Thais drenching people with cameras yesterday (stayed at home today). I accidental shot one guy with a camera with a water pistol, but apologised when I saw the camera (I aimed at his chest NOT his face, so missed the camera anyway).

On the Hang Dong road (for non-CM'ers that's a 3 lane dual-carriageway - a highway/motorway) at the junction where BigC is a van had broken down. I was diagonally behind on my bike having come out of BigC. A load of girls and ladies got out of the back of the van all dressed to the nines. The van was full of instruments. They were obviously on their way to a concert or something. An open truck van pulls up next to them full of Thais (all adults of various ages) and proceeded to drench them with buckets of iced water as they tried to push the van. They were not happy. It was obvious they were off somewhere and did not want to be soaked - this was late afternoon too - about 7pm.

In a bar I was in yesterday having a beer and enjoying the water fight, there were several oil drums. Most had been left after they were empty, but two were actively being filled. Both had ice in. I believe the golden rule is that you can use the water if you are a customer of the bar - hence I bought a beer. After refilling my 1 litre water bottle for the gun twice at a drum surrounded by four 50 something farangs, one piped up and told me "no". I said what, and he repeated. Saying that he bought the ice in it and it cost 100 baht, so I had to cough up 100 baht or I couldn't use it. I said I don't want the ice, just the water courtesy of the bar I'm am patronising. He said that I am also having the benefit of his ice and the others had put in earlier. I said, I am not getting the benefit of their 300 baht's worth of ice, or 50% of his 100 baht, but all 4 would get benefit of my 100 baht. At this point I was bemused, so was trying to see how much of a muppet this guy really was. Before it got nasty, I started using the drum three steps away - also with ice (freely supplied by the bar) - and carried on with the fun - smiling all the way. Some people just don't get the Songkran spirit. He was too easy to bait, and too dumb to see I was winding him up, so I simply said "Happy Sonkran" and used the other barrel!

[Boo]

Plenty of thais throwing ice water up here in Khon Kaen, one pick up with a bunch of thai muppets (and not only teenagers either) had mixed quite a lot of prickly heat powder in with the water & were throwing it at people in the face. got me & my son who spent 10 minutes screaming cause hs eyes were burning whilst I was struggling to comfort him cause mine were burning & blinded too. I think the muppets are everywhere not just farang, although they are the most visible when doing stupid things.

[Boo]

Oh & yesterday I we went to make merit at the family temple so I didn't want to get wet, stayed in the pick up & made sure not to be outside the gate of the house. So we were just leaving an aunts house when a pick up full of fully grown thai men & women spotted me standing with my son, handbag thankfully in a ziplock plastic bag & actually came into the gate of the house with buckets of water to get me. I clearly asked them not to but they ignored my request & proceeded to drench me & smear green (why?) powder mix all over my face & hair. I took it in good jest but when someone says no, the common rule is to accept it. Why they thought it was ok to do it I don't know but at least they left my son out of it.

[carmine]

I think Songkran is a day to enjoy the moment, keep in the memories and leave the camera at home. Let's face it, it's not right, but the chances of some idiot chucking water over you and your camera is almost guaranteed.

[Obiwan]

It seems that Sonkran has become an excuse for wouldbe terrorist.

[gmac]

Oh & yesterday I we went to make merit at the family temple so I didn't want to get wet, stayed in the pick up & made sure not to be outside the gate of the house. So we were just leaving an aunts house when a pick up full of fully grown thai men & women spotted me standing with my son, handbag thankfully in a ziplock plastic bag & actually came into the gate of the house with buckets of water to get me. I clearly asked them not to but they ignored my request & proceeded to drench me & smear green (why?) powder mix all over my face & hair. I took it in good jest but when someone says no, the common rule is to accept it. Why they thought it was ok to do it I don't know but at least they left my son out of it.

If someone had done that to me and I had a gun I would have shot them.......but then, I'm a grumpy b......d!