sharecropper Posted November 25, 2015 Share Posted November 25, 2015 I just walked up Jomtien beach and it was a very quiet affair. A fair few lanterns, not as many people, much less traffic (hooray), far fewer women in traditional Thai dress, far fewer krathongs being bought and launched (I won't do it as any nice vibe I get is immediately decimated by one of the scavenging tossers a few metres offshore ripping it to shreds every year). I felt the weight of recent events playing out on the Thai population tonight. What is normally an exuberantly joyous event felt very flat. I wonder how it was in other areas of Thailand? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazygreg44 Posted November 25, 2015 Share Posted November 25, 2015 you are right, Thais celebrating Loi Krathong on Jomtien Beach tonight were in lower numbers than before. but this is due to the fact that most Li Krathongs in the recent years had correlated with weekends. What surprise me was the view the low tide offered. The sand out there seems to be gone ! I can remember Jomtien Beach being shallow from the beachhead thru at least 200 meters onwards. Tonight what I saw was the beach was so low from the road level as I have never seen it before Where has all the sand gone ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BWPattaya Posted November 25, 2015 Share Posted November 25, 2015 Perhaps it was more to do with the rain? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoiBiker Posted November 25, 2015 Share Posted November 25, 2015 Very busy. Unfortunately the wind blew all the candles out and then it pissed it down with rain. I blame the government. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
007cableguy Posted November 25, 2015 Share Posted November 25, 2015 I bet a few deck chair vendors are not happy with L.K falling on a Wednesday! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swiss1960 Posted November 25, 2015 Share Posted November 25, 2015 Agree, also on beach road, it was more quiet than other years. But as BWPattaya pointed out.. the rain did stop many people from coming, my GF also did not want to go initially Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simon43 Posted November 25, 2015 Share Posted November 25, 2015 My Loy Krathong was indeed, a quiet affair. No waves to rock the boat and certainly no thieves Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidBonnie Posted November 26, 2015 Share Posted November 26, 2015 It was quieter in Bangkok also and strangely the river boats and fireworks did not start until about 10pm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dageurreotype Posted November 26, 2015 Share Posted November 26, 2015 No. Here in South Phuket, for the first time ever, they'd set up a stage, far from any waterway, which belted out some live 'pop' songs from some tone deaf woman accompanied by a two-beat 'drummer' all bloody night. Gumlung jai? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craigt3365 Posted November 26, 2015 Share Posted November 26, 2015 Very quiet south of Jomtien. Hardly anybody on the beach. The restaurant owner said the police had come by and warned people not to do the burning lanterns that float into the sky. I guess a huge fine for anybody caught selling them. Though I did see a vendor on the beach with a bunch for sale! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4evermaat Posted November 26, 2015 Share Posted November 26, 2015 It was quite lively here in Saphli, Chumphon. The new pier is 90% complete....they turned the empty space into a concert/festival. Plenty of lanterns and people placing flower floats in the water. No police harrassment...large turnout. It did explain why the beach was so empty. Nice views of the full moon, with some light clouds. I think it would have been bigger if it was on fri/sat/sun. Now everyone is getting ready for father's day on 5 dec. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pgrahmm Posted November 26, 2015 Share Posted November 26, 2015 Reports from CM saying crazy crowded and insane traffic with so many people that the parades didn't have room/space through the mass of people....We stayed away for the first time in years and are glad we did..... As they could only launch one night they said the amount of lanterns in the air were spectactular.....3 days worth on one night..... We made Kratongs and walked to the canal and floated them → a few had fireworks and lanterns & yes....Nice and quiet....We'll launch and do our fireworks at the beach at new years.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pgrahmm Posted November 26, 2015 Share Posted November 26, 2015 Reports from CM saying crazy crowded and insane traffic with so many people that the parades didn't have room/space through the mass of people....We stayed away for the first time in years and are glad we did..... As they could only launch one night they said the amount of lanterns in the air were spectactular.....3 days worth on one night..... We made Kratongs and walked to the canal and floated them → a few had fireworks and lanterns & yes....Nice and quiet....We'll launch and do our fireworks at the beach at new years.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laza 45 Posted November 26, 2015 Share Posted November 26, 2015 Certainly quieter here in peaceful Isaan.. we had an enjoyable evening at the local park & lake.. but the crowds were down.. not so many lanterns.. I wonder if that put people off... being asked not to send up lanterns.. there were still some floating across the sky but not nearly as many as in previous years.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
menzies233 Posted November 26, 2015 Share Posted November 26, 2015 Chiang Mai last night (where we live) was unbelievably quiet, never seen it the same in over 15 years. Normally the entire bridge over the Ping is completely full of parked cars and bikes and you have to go across to Lamphun side, u-turn and then walk half a kilometre to the river. Last night there were about 5 cars and 20 bikes, there were more food and crap vendors that customers, even my wife was shocked at the low turn out. What has changed this year? Strange eh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaeJoMTB Posted November 26, 2015 Share Posted November 26, 2015 Same here in MaeJo, never seen it this quiet. Not even the usual mass of Krathong vendors by the klong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bazza40 Posted November 26, 2015 Share Posted November 26, 2015 Reports from CM saying crazy crowded and insane traffic with so many people that the parades didn't have room/space through the mass of people....We stayed away for the first time in years and are glad we did..... As they could only launch one night they said the amount of lanterns in the air were spectactular.....3 days worth on one night..... We made Kratongs and walked to the canal and floated them → a few had fireworks and lanterns & yes....Nice and quiet....We'll launch and do our fireworks at the beach at new years.... Traffic was particularly bad outgoing on Mahidol Road. Lots of people at the Nawarat Bridge, skirted it on the scooter but didn't join in. Went back to the condo and floated off a kratong, no wind so conditions were perfect. Don't know if it was orders from the military or condo security; however, they managed the fire balloons quite cleverly. You could buy as many as you wanted, but they wouldn't wire on the heat source until after 9 pm. At about 11 pm, hundreds of them in the night sky. My visting son while filming the kratongs dropped his smartphone in the Ping River, but that's another story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harness Posted November 26, 2015 Share Posted November 26, 2015 Perhaps a loss of pride in their sullied country. Across the border things are looking up, at least for now but here a real sense of forboding......and overwhelmed by debt and battling to make ends meet. Men in uniform on their tv screens nightly making them sick to their stomachs. Who wants to celebrate with their fellow Thais.....who they probably hate anyhow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swissbie Posted November 26, 2015 Share Posted November 26, 2015 Thanon Utthayan, between Phuttamonton Sai 3 and Sai 4 (Thawee Wattana, West-BKK), extremly busy, more people than ever before. Very hard to walk trough, nearly impossible for bikes. As there are not much tourists around here, i don't see any change in attitude, Thais still love great festivities. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pgrahmm Posted November 26, 2015 Share Posted November 26, 2015 Chiang Mai last night (where we live) was unbelievably quiet, never seen it the same in over 15 years. Normally the entire bridge over the Ping is completely full of parked cars and bikes and you have to go across to Lamphun side, u-turn and then walk half a kilometre to the river. Last night there were about 5 cars and 20 bikes, there were more food and crap vendors that customers, even my wife was shocked at the low turn out. What has changed this year? Strange eh. Wow....the CM thread made it sound like a total mad house....Parades blocked couldn't get through the crowd....2 hour traffic delays....Calmer sounds better.... As I remember last year was a little more sedate than the prior year.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaeJoMTB Posted November 26, 2015 Share Posted November 26, 2015 I spoke too soon. Golf Club market at MaeJo this evening. Girls in tiny bikinis dancing on the back of lit up pickup trucks ... similar to the BK car show. Totally shocking, but very cute girls. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willyumiii Posted November 26, 2015 Share Posted November 26, 2015 (edited) Where i live up north, it seemed there were more people than last year. Unfortunately, there were alos a lot more stealing money from the floats, adults as well as children. Some floats did not drift 10 meters before they were snagged and robbed! It ruined the evening for me, but did not seem to bother any of the Thai people or the police watching. I am thinking about building a few floats with consealed rat traps for next year and watching the reaction of the thieves when the spring the traps! Here's a photo of a father teaching his son the fine art of stealing money at a religious celebration. Edited November 26, 2015 by willyumiii Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiang mai Posted November 26, 2015 Share Posted November 26, 2015 Chiang Mai last night (where we live) was unbelievably quiet, never seen it the same in over 15 years. Normally the entire bridge over the Ping is completely full of parked cars and bikes and you have to go across to Lamphun side, u-turn and then walk half a kilometre to the river. Last night there were about 5 cars and 20 bikes, there were more food and crap vendors that customers, even my wife was shocked at the low turn out. What has changed this year? Strange eh. Wow....the CM thread made it sound like a total mad house....Parades blocked couldn't get through the crowd....2 hour traffic delays....Calmer sounds better.... As I remember last year was a little more sedate than the prior year.... Trust me, Narawat and Ping Bridges and every road in between, on both sides of the river was manic and super crowded as early as 8pm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fitzcaraldo Posted November 26, 2015 Share Posted November 26, 2015 Yes but 80% foreigner Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamie2009 Posted November 26, 2015 Share Posted November 26, 2015 I was on Beach Road last night just after eight, at the Walking Street end you couldn't move with all the Chinese. Further along it was similar very busy, it was spoilt by the <deleted> in the water 'robbing' the floats ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elgordo38 Posted November 26, 2015 Share Posted November 26, 2015 Reports from CM saying crazy crowded and insane traffic with so many people that the parades didn't have room/space through the mass of people....We stayed away for the first time in years and are glad we did..... As they could only launch one night they said the amount of lanterns in the air were spectactular.....3 days worth on one night..... We made Kratongs and walked to the canal and floated them → a few had fireworks and lanterns & yes....Nice and quiet....We'll launch and do our fireworks at the beach at new years.... The lantern vendors here in Chiang Mai were complaining of low sales. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacko45k Posted November 26, 2015 Share Posted November 26, 2015 It was rubbish.... Entertainment consisted of a cutie kiddie contest and a well dressed granny contest. Mostly listening to a very unconvincing katoey trying to persuade us to be entertained. Just the kids in the contest's parents happy Usually much more to see, particularly amusing being the ticket dancing and staggering drunks, fair type stalls and such. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiang mai Posted November 27, 2015 Share Posted November 27, 2015 Reports from CM saying crazy crowded and insane traffic with so many people that the parades didn't have room/space through the mass of people....We stayed away for the first time in years and are glad we did..... As they could only launch one night they said the amount of lanterns in the air were spectactular.....3 days worth on one night..... We made Kratongs and walked to the canal and floated them → a few had fireworks and lanterns & yes....Nice and quiet....We'll launch and do our fireworks at the beach at new years.... The lantern vendors here in Chiang Mai were complaining of low sales. Because lantern sales were restricted to a single day and then, only after 9pm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chicowoodduck Posted November 27, 2015 Share Posted November 27, 2015 Yes, wasn't that a welcome change!!??? Of course the fireworks show will go on for the next two nights, so all the pissheads will be out and about doing their stupid shi* ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy chef 1 Posted November 27, 2015 Share Posted November 27, 2015 Very busy. Unfortunately the wind blew all the candles out and then it pissed it down with rain. I blame the government. Or Thaksin... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.png.3b3332cc2256ad0edbc2fe9404feeef0.png)
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now