Surfcrest
April 14th, 2006, 16:29
Songkran in Pattaya,
IтАЩm told that Songkran in Pattaya doesnтАЩt really kick into gear until midnight of April 18th and continuing through the 19th.
If you are not in Pattaya or are in hiding, it has become quite a wet affair already. After a beautiful sunny day at the beach yesterday (April 13) my friend decided to have a shower and change out of his bathing suit for the ride home. I warned him that it was Songkran, but he didnтАЩt listen to me.
There are several pick-up trucks cruising around town full of kids / young adults. Most have huge garbage pail full of water and most of the occupants are well armed with a wide variety of semi-automatic water weaponry. I can see what Cedric mentioned once before, about brown shiny bodies and smiling faces.
The traffic is incredible coming and going to the beach as many of these vehicles make multiple passes through the more active areas. The usual queue of buses waiting at the beach in the afternoon is non-existent. Many are avoiding the corner where the police box is located by turning at the corner of Jomtien Complex and rejoining Therapraya Road about 100 meters past the police box.
Today the Russian boys that have been gracing the yellow chairs made a stake out just up from BambooтАЩs and gave everyone in each passing baht bus a bowlful of cold water tidings. They were well armed with everything to garden hoses all the way up to the corner of Jomtien Complex.
Although not as dense but equally armed, they hit you as you re-entered town. Several tall, handsome well built Thai men were staked out just south of Noon Ristorante. As traffic slowed with the density, the boys hit you hard with water. There were young Sikh children catching many unaware as you got closer to town near the artist studios.
It was a pleasant surprise that the water action took a rest for the evening, giving us a breather to go on a date without wet clothes. There are so many Thai families in town now. Many of the beach chairs have been turned to accommodate large families and groups. This doesnтАЩt seem to have affected the gay beach any, but you can certainly see that the gay crowds have vanished. I was sitting out at the Sunnee Plaza Pub last night with a few of the regulars, but apart from that a very slow night. I noticed last night while walking through the Walking Street that the straight crowd doesnтАЩt appear to have slowed any. I also recognize quite a few that I know from Hong Kong.
So far I would say that it is all good fun (Sabai / Sabai), however I can see it getting sort of tired if it will stretch on for a week or perhaps longer.
Surfcrest
IтАЩm told that Songkran in Pattaya doesnтАЩt really kick into gear until midnight of April 18th and continuing through the 19th.
If you are not in Pattaya or are in hiding, it has become quite a wet affair already. After a beautiful sunny day at the beach yesterday (April 13) my friend decided to have a shower and change out of his bathing suit for the ride home. I warned him that it was Songkran, but he didnтАЩt listen to me.
There are several pick-up trucks cruising around town full of kids / young adults. Most have huge garbage pail full of water and most of the occupants are well armed with a wide variety of semi-automatic water weaponry. I can see what Cedric mentioned once before, about brown shiny bodies and smiling faces.
The traffic is incredible coming and going to the beach as many of these vehicles make multiple passes through the more active areas. The usual queue of buses waiting at the beach in the afternoon is non-existent. Many are avoiding the corner where the police box is located by turning at the corner of Jomtien Complex and rejoining Therapraya Road about 100 meters past the police box.
Today the Russian boys that have been gracing the yellow chairs made a stake out just up from BambooтАЩs and gave everyone in each passing baht bus a bowlful of cold water tidings. They were well armed with everything to garden hoses all the way up to the corner of Jomtien Complex.
Although not as dense but equally armed, they hit you as you re-entered town. Several tall, handsome well built Thai men were staked out just south of Noon Ristorante. As traffic slowed with the density, the boys hit you hard with water. There were young Sikh children catching many unaware as you got closer to town near the artist studios.
It was a pleasant surprise that the water action took a rest for the evening, giving us a breather to go on a date without wet clothes. There are so many Thai families in town now. Many of the beach chairs have been turned to accommodate large families and groups. This doesnтАЩt seem to have affected the gay beach any, but you can certainly see that the gay crowds have vanished. I was sitting out at the Sunnee Plaza Pub last night with a few of the regulars, but apart from that a very slow night. I noticed last night while walking through the Walking Street that the straight crowd doesnтАЩt appear to have slowed any. I also recognize quite a few that I know from Hong Kong.
So far I would say that it is all good fun (Sabai / Sabai), however I can see it getting sort of tired if it will stretch on for a week or perhaps longer.
Surfcrest