Sonkrong, Anybody Go Out Riding ?

[tavarich]

I am out by Minburi, I have been riding as usual out in that area. I have found that the people are reasonably respectful of me as I ride past them. They would wave me over and ask if it was ok to splash me, and I play along, they do like getting the falang wet.

So as I headed into Bangkok the water people seemed to get a little more mean spirited. They would run out into the street and try and soak me. It was like they were drunker the closer I got to the city center. Oh and the water was iced down to. seemed a waste of ice as it would have been more useful in a glass of scotch.

Anyone else have any observations to share????

[pattayadingo]

I'll only use the m/c to go get water or food from the end of the lane as the amount of idiots throwing water at m/c increases.

this is where the car comes into its own

[moe666]

I live a short walk to the moat here in Chiang Mai, plenty of people riding but my PCX is parked until this fun is over

[jayci]

Been riding in koh chang. It is okay is you slow down. The slower you go the gentler they are with the the water. If you don't slow down, you get hit hard. I like to stop for the little kids, they get a real kick out of wetting a farang.

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[Shurup]

I did go ride into the local town from the village, while the kids make some sort of check stops in the village and you have to slow down when passing them, I didn't mind getting splashed with water, just smiled and kept on going. Encountered the same sort of check stop on a highway so no problem, but what I did have a problem with was getting splashed by some brainless kid from oncomming pickup - I was going at 80kmph and they probably same speed too so getting hit with a bucket of water at 150kmph isn't pretty. Only noticed that I was gonna get splashed, fraction of a decent before it happened so couldn't do anything... another thing was that the water was colored red, had to wash the bike right away to avoid having stains on my white leather seats.

Will park the bike until this craziness is over... screw it!

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[loserlazer]

I like driving in songkran and let kids splash water all over me.

I was riding my big bike all around village and no problems wirh my full face helmet, it was fun.

At one point surrounded by around 30 ladies though and sexually harrassed by them today with cool powder in my underwear:D

Only problem, need to adjust the mirrors after people surroud me!

Edited April 14, 2013 by loserlazer

[BSJ]

Sometimes I stop and take pix's of the kids . They are really funny. What pisses me off is the idiot element with the big blue tubes....so no pixs for them.

[ClareQuilty]

I've been going out for about 30 minutes each afternoon on the bike, just in the smaller local lower-speed type of sois to get a pad-grapao beef and head back home. Always get doused but not too badly - they don't 'ask' me if it is ok though! Then, I shift to the car for the rest of the day for longer trips. I couldn't take this stuff for more than those 30 minutes to be honest, and I don't think it would be safe to drive a bike either very fast anywhere or at all in the 'designated water-throwing sois'.

Did get squirted once right at the cash register of my favorite local Amazon Coffee, (in the air-conditioning!).. but it was a tiny squirt gun and done fondly (I go there every day), so I didn't mind a bit.

[MilesCh]

About 4 pm yesterday attempting to go to the gym across town drove car through Chiang Mai -- cross town via Air Base road moved right along. Reached Suthep which was at a standstill. Cut across Sri Mangalachan and it was OK with several groups of kids having fun & splashing, and older ones with big guns also having fun.

Reached Huai Kaeu which was at a standstill. Pedestrians using the left lane and all shooting or squirting and having a great time. Many on the back of open pickups and pickups with top on back shooting water cannons, and at each other. Took an hour to reach Hadsadhi where we crawled along until the 1st intersection and turned right to the back entrance of Thai Fitness Gym which traffic didn't budge. And the 8-story parking lot was full, so continued at a snails pace to the moat where even water hoses were in use from the sidewalk such as Icon, and music blaring & people dancing in the street. Soon crossed over & reversed directions on the inside. People were having a great time throwing/shooting water, Latin dancing in the streets to the tunes from bars/restaurants/pickups. Motorsys squeezing through which everyone enjoyed throwing water at and the bikes seemed to enjoy it as well. This blocked all lanes but one. Went around and out Thipanetr Rd. which was quite civilized, by then it was 8 pm and I had dinner and wine at Nim which was an area as if SongKran didn't exist.

All Thais of all ages were having a wonderful time, reminding me of Carnival in Rio, dancing & singing in some areas of the streets. Police doing a good job directing traffic away from the "sidewalk lane" and allowing vehicles to cross the moat.

The prior night was caught up in the farang side of town by Thaipei Gate and observed only grown farang males shooting water canons with a vengeance and not really having the same fun as the rest of town. Drove a ways down Loi Kroh which was relatively quiet and bar girls inside, not shooting water cannons with drunken farangs. (Were the bars closed off from selling booze?) And what I historically called "wet T-shirt week" wasn't seen, for most Thai women were wearing bras, and couldn't see them clearly inside of the bars on Loi Kroh through my closed darkened windows.

Didn't see any colored water and assume much of the water was from the dirty klong which was very full; perhaps not that dirty if water was flowing freely. Recommend one not drive their car around for risk of being scratched up enumerable times by motorsys squeezing through.

In my opinion, Chiang Mai should close the the moat roads to all traffic except one lane to allow motorbikes & pickups to shoot and be shot at in the evenings of SongKran week and allow the Thai revelry to take over and hopefully the City Water Dept. will supply free clean city water for everyone.

[jayci]

I did notice that the farang like to throw the water harder than the thais, idiot farangs!!!

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[LotusBoy]

I did notice that the farang like to throw the water harder than the thais, idiot farangs!!!

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Idiot Thais for being so childish in the first place.... Bah Humbug!!!!!

The water 55555555

Edited April 15, 2013 by LotusBoy

[nikster]

I did notice that the farang like to throw the water harder than the thais, idiot farangs!!!

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yeah well no need to get upset the tourists don't know any better.... they also like to aim for the eyes apparently not realizing that none of the locals do that...

i was at central KSK yesterday too which was super nice, later at Ta Pae gate; the gate was fun too but central KSK definitely where the locals were and a much nicer vibe.

forgot how exhausting it can be to splash and be splashed for 3 hours straight... unfortunately too many little shops along the moat road selling gigantic blocks of ice, so thats how all the pick ups get iced eventually even if they didn't start out that way... ice water got us cold toward sunset.

as for booze I suppose the normal rules apply, no selling between 14:00 - 17:00. after that should be ok?!

Edited April 15, 2013 by nikster

[Garry]

One of the reasons I moved out of Chiang Mai, was because of the Songkran lunacy. Mainly it was the idiotic drunken tourists, who didn't know when it was time to shut down the water splashing on the roads at night time.

[Morden]

Most of our area has only a few kids and no idiots. Nevertheless, because of the water and the heavy through traffic before and after, the bike is grounded for the duration.

[pattayadingo]

I have found that village Songkran is a different kettle of fish altogether.

People at the side of the road will generally ask to splash water on you. Definitely much more polite and civilised.

Not like the bigger towns where it is / can be mayhem.

[Beardog]

Just watch out for the jerk-offs that purposely try to wipe you out by dumping buckets of water on your tires. After nearly wiping out on a Honda wave in 2005 I don't even drive through Pattaya on Songran. I went on a truck ride with copious ammounts of water in 2010 & had a great time targetting all the drunk Farang on the beach side bars. The ones with the super duper soakers got temporarily blinded . The smaller diameter gun I used had great velocity to put down the masses.That and I am a good shot! But I only targeted the people shooting & avoided cameras , cell phones & somewhat Baht busses. Songran is a fun holiday but I don't think I would enjoy it as much on a medium size 650 bike to much bike to have to veer thru traffic & water to the tires cutting the adhesion to the road!

[billd766]

My bike went in the shed on Friday and won't come out until Wednesday or Thursday.

[AllanB]

Aren't Thai roads dangerous enough for you?

As for you old farts...Songkran is traditional here, it is about being a kid a again I ache like hell this morning but had a great laugh, better than sitting in a bar every night, didn't get drunk or angry. I took the Wave 18km to the wife's village, expected too and did get soaked.

Sometimes I think people are living in the wrong country......but grant you it can be dangerous, so give the big bike a rest for a few days.

In my country they don't encourage the old and young to mix, don't allow kids in pubs in case they disturb the drunken yobs. Songkran is great, so you can't ride for 3 days, small price.

[apetley]

Very little water chucking in the village this year so been out on my bike quite often.

Got felt up once too when I was forced to stop but she was the wrong side of middle aged with no teeth so it was hard to reciprocate.

Closer to town, the throwing is more enthusiastic so I avoid that. Never understand why people let their kids run out on a 6 lane highway to hurl water at vehicles.

Edited April 16, 2013 by apetley

[Gweiloman]

Just returned from a 1,600 km round trip Bkk - Nan - Bkk. Left Bkk on 12 April, came back yesterday. I had good fun, both on the fast twisties as well as riding slowly through towns and moobans being splashed and soaked. I even appreciated the iced water as the weather was so hot.

As long as you know what you are doing and why and how, then I don't think there is any more danger than on normal days. If anything, there was a lot less traffic on the roads and most people drove slower than usual going through the moobans due to it being Songkran.

When in Nan, I actually got on the bike with a lady friend and road through town to enjoy the water fights and to take in the sights and sounds. I will most probably do it again next year.

[moe666]

Songram is over, went down to Lamphun yesterday. The drive along the river is fantastic the tree with yellow flowers is in bloom simply beautiful

[guzzi850m2]

Today is the big water playing day in Pattaya so I will stay home in the garden and read a good book.

Drunk riders/drivers will be out in force here today, the later the drunker.

Maybe a bit of water playing in the Moo Baan with my little boy later.

Here in Pattaya the celebration of Songklan have nothing to do with tradition, it's a full out water war and I don't enjoy it anymore.

Okay the fridge is fully stocked up so no problem.