New year in thailand water festival coming soon.

[sgtsabai]

I'm stocking up on beer. It will be nice and quiet here at the house, the wife and kids will be in the ville. Hopefully young son won't get run over by a drunk again. If I had the money I would be headed to the Philippines along with a lot of other ex-pats. One or two bars I can go to without getting soaked in the bar, getting out of the truck and into the bar is the problem. Also no telling what will happen to the truck on the way there and back. I know of one person that had their windshield broken by the combo of heat and ice water with a large chunk of ice. It starts well before start date and continues afterward. I did see a cop confiscate one of those water cannon things from an idiot farang starting to spray water over us bar patrons after sundown up in Nong Khai once. It was two days before the 'official' start. Songkran sucks!

[Suradit69]

Pop over to Cambodia, much more civilized there.

If you take the half-wit farangs from Beach Road in Pattaya with you, it'll be a lot more civilized here.

[Dannyboy6]

Bloody annoying Songran in Pattaya, I'm a Hater...

Edited March 21, 2014 by Dannyboy6

[laobali]

re

will you just be wet walking on the streets?

no .... i will be having a weeks holiday by the mekong river in a much more civilized country

luang prabang laos

away from the madness of songkran in thailand

dave2

And in Vientiane. I'm out of there a week before.

[sirchai]

You won't see me driving around before, while and short after the "dangerous days"

[denby45]

It's the ice cold water that's the killer for me. That blast of water you get from the water cannons they have in Patty is no fun at all. Got to ask "Why the ice", without it, it would not be too bad even quite a bit of fun. Last year I got a full blast of ice cold right in my ear. Earache for the next couple of days.

Expect Pattaya to start on 12th and continue till 19th. Crazy!!

I convinced and ex GF to join me in Patty this year as she has a few days off work and has a car. That will get me some respite after the novelty has worn off, probably after 2 days.

I got to say one thing about Songkran, I do like gawping at all the ladies nipples on display.

Den

[larsjohnsson]

I always leave Thailand before Songkran start. It's either that or stay inside. The most boring time and festival here is.

[Krataiboy]

And to think I was planning to escape the misery of Songkran by going to Singapore!

[Claude Balls]

I'm off...fark Songarn and thai stupidity

[Mentors]

At Songkran - stay safe at home; clean the house/flat and watch DVDs or visit Vietnam, Malaysia

[wym]

Pop over to Cambodia, much more civilized there.

If you take the half-wit farangs from Beach Road in Pattaya with you, it'll be a lot more civilized here.

Um no thanks, I think you just want all the slappers to yourself for the week? 8-)

and it would take a lot more than that anyway, AFAIC bomb it back to a tiny primitive fishing village.

[wym]

[Stan7444]

Great - just as I was about to start a more appropriately titled thread - such is life. Per JSixpack's thread, we already have this covered for the citizens of Pattaya:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/707843-2014-songkran-faq-long/

My question is simple : how many will actually leave town (be it BKK or upcountry) to escape the worst excesses of the holidays and how many will simply barricade themselves inside their homes ?

Songkran is my time to get out of Dodge pronto amigo. Hate the water and people throwing it onto me without my permission when I am just trying to go about my own business. Guess since I am in my 60s just too old to see this as having fun.

Found that Koh Chang is a more civilized environment and mostly in a bathing suit there anyway, so no big deal if happen to get wet.

Otherwise, love living in Thailand with these few exceptions. One year I loaded up with food and plenty of drinks and just locked myself in my residence for 4-5 days watching DVDs, and TV. Hard to get a Thai lady to stay during this period since they all feel obligated to get out and participate with their families somewhere else. My current lady is going back to Ubon for the holiday so might join her and hear it is a bit more sane than in BKK.

[JLCrab]

My approach to SongKran is to stay home and keep lots of towels and hair dryers on hand so the girls can come over après water frenzy and dry off.

[cooked]

5 cases of beer, ingredients for making cakes, biscuits and bread, freezer full of food. Watch TV and find out where my computer hid all my fotos. Get my Thai language books out (for the umteenth time). I might emerge after an extended week of hermitage with the wife.

[gp2002]

WAY too many stupid people during Songkran. There is ABSOLUTELY ZERO common sense.

Throwing water at motorbikes so they crash........idiots!!

[khrab]

Songkran is the only time of the year I am not living in Thailand.

[lazygourmet]

I will be off for two weeks Easter eggs hunting across Europe...

[ozyjon]

I hate it,, will be in Laos for the week

[kannot]

WAY too many stupid people during Songkran. There is ABSOLUTELY ZERO common sense.

Throwing water at motorbikes so they crash........idiots!!

Yes but so much more common sense after and before eh??

[NoshowJones]

Anyone fancy a wager on how many people will die this year?

Far two many, and these <deleted> throwing water and killing people on motorbikes, I hope you are the first to die, and that applies to the Farang <deleted> also.

[wym]

nice

[Thongkorn]

I for one will give it a miss this year, last year the attitude had changed and it got to violent for me, Pity because it use to be good.

What happened?

We made the mistake of getting off a bus from Bangkok, i had all my money, phone ,passport in my pocket, A girl went to throw a bucket of water over me i ask politely let me put my things in a plastic bag first, all i got was f,uck you, It was still going on at 3 am in the morning, to much for me now.it use to end about 6 pm . so i will give it a miss now for ever .

Edited March 21, 2014 by Thongkorn

[IMA_FARANG]

Pop over to Cambodia, much more civilized there.

I understand that burma and cambodia celebrate the festival too what do you mean by more civilized?

---------------------------

When I first came to Thailand in 1977 Songkran was much more cilivilized.

If you had water thrown or tossed on you they:

• Asked permission first
• Sometimes merely sprinkled some water on you. the put a couple of dabs of power on your cheeks (to cool you off0.
• Did not use high pressure hoses to spray everyone in the street with no thought of the traffic.
• Did not use such things as Urine, toilet waste, insecticide powder, or diesel fuel mixed in with the "water" they threw on you.

Unfortunately, all that stuff has become the norm in Thailand now.

Personal opinion:

Songkran is NOT the time to be a first time tourist in Thailand now.

Avoid that time.... save your first time tourist trip to Thailand for later .... avoid Songkran for a trip to Thailand.

Laos and Cambodia still practice Songkran as Thailand once did .... before it degenerated into the drunken hooligan nonsense it is in Thailand today.

Especially if you are a foreigner because today Songkran has become a time to humiliate and laugh at foreign tourists in Thailand these days.

Therefore, avoid Thailand at Songkran if you can.

[newatthis]

Unfortunately, I have to teach Summer School and there is not even one day off for Songkran this year. Going to school will be ok...it's too early. But coming home? Well, expecting to be a white cold mess by the time I get here.

[JSixpack]

Survival strategies are discussed in the comprehensive 2014 Pattaya Songkran FAQ: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/707843-2014-songkran-faq-long/

[JSixpack]

Bar girls you can see topless or nude in the go-gos anytime, in a much more comfortable, friendly atmosphere--except during Songkran, so Songkran is actually the worst time to come to Thailand for the girl-watching.

Edited March 22, 2014 by JSixpack

[willyumiii]

I would suggest coming specifically for that, CM's completely nuts around the central canal but less unpleasant than KSR and Pattaya certainly.

If you can pre-book a car (probably all sold out now) then you can head for the hills if you find you don't like it, very nice drive over to Chiang Rai.

Being in a car is also a nice waterproof bubble to get around in.

Most places it actually ends when they say it does, but Pattaya and KSR, maybe a few other BKK places it can go for a week altogether.

Yes, really if you've never done it then it's a must-do at least once. Some of my friends really get into it full-on for many days in a row.

Very nice wet T-shirt displays by the teeny boppers too, particularly tasty along Silom if you're in Bangkok.

But very likely once you've done it once that'll be enough for you. . .

1) Can we start a thread here on TV that shows photos of those nice t-shirt displays this year??

2) Can we convince the girls to lose the bra? ( A cup is the average bra size in Thailand, so, why bother with them? )

3) Cold water only for the girls please!

4) No ice in the water...it hurts!

[Thongkorn]

Bar girls you can see topless or nude in the go-gos anytime, in a much more comfortable, friendly atmosphere--except during Songkran, so Songkran is actually the worst time to come to Thailand for the girl-watching.

See a good post has come down to sex tourism and bar level.

[JSixpack]

Bar girls you can see topless or nude in the go-gos anytime, in a much more comfortable, friendly atmosphere--except during Songkran, so Songkran is actually the worst time to come to Thailand for the girl-watching.

See a good post has come down to sex tourism and bar level.

What did you expect? You do know where you are, don't you?