Snow in Thailand?

[joe552]

So my Laos massage teacher finally got in touch after a couple of weeks of silence. He'd love to see snow. Am I wrong in thinking there are mountains in the north which would have snow at some time (not necessarily this trip in January).

[Moses]

So my Laos massage teacher finally got in touch after a couple of weeks of silence. He'd love to see snow. Am I wrong in thinking there are mountains in the north which would have snow at some time (not necessarily this trip in January).

not wrong... at northen Laos it is possible - at Hmongs territory in hills: Jan 2016 on video


https://youtu.be/RYe89q34W8Y?t=28s

[scottish-guy]

One bar boy in Pattaya, knowing I lived in a cold country, asked me to bring him snow on my next trip!

When I suggested it would melt his suggestion was "But you can put it in a box" :D

My own BF has a similar fascination with snow but his desire is now somewhat sated since he found (and took me to) an indoor snow centre in Saigon where they have built a slope you can toboggan down, a facade of alpine themed shop fronts, and every now and then the snow drifts down from the roof. You are issued with a Parka coat when you go in - as long as you have the body shape of a Vietnamese stick-insect. The snow itself was genuine in that it wasn't synthetic but it was more ice than snow - very hard, no softness at all.

So whereas the snow in northern Laos is far from guaranteed, you could always take the guy to Saigon for guaranteed ice snow - the flights are fairly cheap - and make his dream come true, sort of

:drink:

[Moses]

There is snow center in Bangkok as well

https://www.bangkokpost.com/learning/learning-news/674052/japanese-snow-city-in-heart-of-downtown-bangkok

6139

6140

[scottish-guy]

Well that's Joe's problem solved!

I wouldn't have known about that place in BKK as my days of playing in the snow ended long ago, so it's not the sort of thing I'd seek out.

I wouldn't have known about the one in Saigon either if I hadn't been forced to go there!

:p

[joe552]

Thanks guy, very helpful information.

[Nirish guy]

to be fair the "I want to see snow" is usually in my experience just a precursor to the "please can you sponsor me to come to your Country". Thankfully being in the UK that usually finished that conversation very quickly once I explain our visa rules, although I usually then get "but you not live in the UK you live in Iceland - no ??" :-)

[joe552]

Haha, funny enough NIrish, when we were chatting there on Facebook, he posted the flag of Iceland. He was corrected pretty sharpish.

[scottish-guy]

The Iceland remark is about on a par with them regularly telling me that Scotland is in London

[Moses]

not live in the UK you live in Iceland - no ??" :-)

he messed up Iceland and Ireland?

[joe552]

In government terms, it is.

To be honest, most times I just agree with them, whether it's Iceland or England.

[scottish-guy]

Well he's messed up the UK, ICELAND, and IRELAND to be fair lol

[Moses]

telling me that Scotland is in London

For Sure is. If Scotland Yard is in London where else may be Scotland???

[joe552]

You really can't fault Moses' logic.

[scottish-guy]

A Yard is only 3ft/1metre though - the other 80,000 sq km is in Scotland

:mocking_mini:

[Nirish guy]

he messed up Iceland and Ireland?

Yes - and that happens A LOT with Thai guys - BUT ! I used to put it down to poor geography just on their part however I've since been told ( and perhaps a Thai speaker can elaborate on this) that the letter R is difficult for Thai's to say ( or perhaps doesn't exist in Thai ??) and also something about the letter R sounding in Thai very similar to the letter C. Sorry I can't remember the exact reason, but there WAS a very sensible reason that when I said Ireland a thai person hears Iceland ( or something like that).

They usually start the conversation with "Awe it very cold where you come from, awww I want to see snow so much" and then I know where they're going with the conversation and can correct them and explain about the UK being four countries in one etc - this usually leads to a blank look and as SG says when I mention Scotland, Wales and Ireland and get a blank look I usually then give up and revert to "so yes, I'm from Ireland, it's in LONDON - to where they smile and say "yesss London, I know Ireland" Bless them :)

[joe552]

I've done that myself, NIrish. After all, I'm not a geography teacher. I just want to get into their frilly lace knickers.

[joe552]

Moses, I sent those photos to my friend. Do you have a web address? Maybe it's staring me in the face, but I can't see where in BKK it is. Thanks.

[colmx]

I usually tell most Thais that I come from i-land... and they know where that is straight away!

Joe - take your friend to the Ice bar on walking street and into their cold room for a few shots of Vodka... That will put him off going to a cold country or seeing snow... ever!

[Nirish guy]

Yep I can second that after taking a Thai friend and telling him it was cold and he wouldn’t like it, but no, nothing would do except “I want to try” so away we went, even the Thai staff member told him not to bother, but no. So he duly got dressed in the supplied parka coat they cane him, we walked in, got one shot and he’d hardly put it to his lips before I got the “i not like it, it’s too cold, can we go now” - we must have been there less than 5 minutes in total and needless to say no refunds ! Grrr

[joe552]

A good suggestion colmx. I never heard of that place before, but we'll give it a shot (ah, you see what I did there?)

[colmx]

its -11 degrees celcius in the ice room... Almost as cold as it feels here in Dublin tonight!
I also quite like their blue lights

[Halfhansum]

I believe there is an ice skating rink, somewhere off North Road, Pattaya ..?

[colmx]

I believe there is an ice skating rink, somewhere off North Road, Pattaya ..?

There is supposed to be a place called Snowland in the Harbour Mall, next to Foodland on Pattaya Klang (Centre road) but not sure if it ever actually opened
http://www.harbor.co.th/snowland.php

I think that their Icerink did eventually open though:
http://www.harbor.co.th/therink.php

[cdnmatt]

Leo always says he wants to play in the snow too. Says he'll take some inside, and sleep with it. Ummm, yeah.... no. Then says he'll take some back to Laos to show his freinds. Ummm... no again.

Can't wait to take him to Canada, and tell him to go outside in Alberta in mid-January when it's -36C with a windchill of -48C, "there you go honey, have fun in the snow!". :) His last trip to Laos only lasted a few days, because that +14C weather is just too col.

[joe552]

Where in Alberta Matt? I have a nephew in Calgary (works the oil patch up north somewhere), and another on Vancouver Island.

[cdnmatt]

Yeah. it'd be Calgary, as that's where my family is. Not sure though, as maybe I'm still disowned. *shrug*

Your newphew probably works up in Ft. McMurray, up in the tarsands.

[scottish-guy]

.... I just want to get into their frilly lace knickers.

Each to his own Joe, but do you really think they'd fit you?

:p

[lukylok]

In the Chiang Mai zoo, there is a local at -5° where you use a sledge, and play with snow, well nearly ice !

[mahjongguy]

I took my Thai partner to the mountains around and above Lake Tahoe (California / Nevada). He was happy to have his photo taken with two meter snowdrifts in the background but he didn't think much of the melting slush on the roads. Also didn't think dogshit-on-snow was lovely at all.

[scottish-guy]

...there is a local at -5°...

Fuck that - I'm not going to that pub!

[a447]

Snow is nice to look at, especially if you have never seen it.

But living with it day after day can be a nightmare.

[Smiles]

" ... Am I wrong in thinking there are mountains in the north which would have snow at some time ... "Every few years it snows on Doi Inthanon in Chiang Mai province ~ Inthanon is the highest mountain in Thailand. It doesn't stay very long, but thousands of Thai folks head for the summit when it's announced that there is snow there. Probably is more like sludge than snow really, and Canadians would guffaw-out-loud at even calling it 'snow'.

[joe552]

Thanks Smiles, that's the place I was thinking of.

[justaguy]

Every few years it snows on Doi Inthanon in Chiang Mai province ~ Inthanon is the highest mountain in Thailand. It doesn't stay very long, but thousands of Thai folks head for the summit when it's announced that there is snow there. Probably is more like sludge than snow really, and Canadians would guffaw-out-loud at even calling it 'snow'.

Yes it might snow at Doi Inthanon, but it's mostly wet snow I believe. For real snow, there is one montain in Lao that will have snow during winter:

http://www.geonames.org/1657931/phou-bia.html

Personally I don't get the fun in snow. After about five weeks in Thailand and Lao, I just returned home, only to be greeted by bloody snow. I hate snow, I hate cold.

but, doi Inthanon reminds me of a trip we took with about 10-12 people some ten years ago. Even the Thai were laughing at me putting on a coat. Until we got to the summit, and three out of four Thais, plus my Lao boyfriend, made a run for some shop and purchased a coat at inflated prices right on the summit 55555

[christianpfc]

While there are places in Thailand that can get below 0 degree Celsius, there is little or no precipitation (rain or snow depending on temperature). From internet, there is one record of snow in Thailand:
https://www.thethailandlife.com/snow-thailand
and one of hail:
http://www.richardbarrow.com/2013/05/does-it-snow-in-thailand/

There are various snow parks in major cities in Thailand:

Snow Town in Gateway Ekkamai (near bus station) http://snowtown.in.th/

or in Pattaya Frost Magical Ice of Siam https://frostpattaya.com/en/

The Thai know snow only from pictures, which are taken when the snow is fresh and white.
Whereas for us, the reality of snow is a dirty, wet, cold mud.

About Phou Bia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phou_Bia says:


Although no snow has been reported for decades, it is documented that as late as the first years of the 20th century, snow fell occasionally on its top.