Thank you so much Mr SuperTonic. Enjoy the celebration.
I would never make any comment on the way you come across in your posts as it's not really very polite.
All I will say is why don't you tell everyone like me who disagrees with the agressive side of Songkran but loves the true nature of it that they should 'move to a country that is more suited to their needs'...
Songkran 2008
Edwin, everyone will be going crazy and partying hard (just how i likkkkke it) mate.My wife informs me that bigger the gun the bigger the face and that's the way they think, so you are not going to change that it's all about out doing your rivals on the next soi or bar. It's a sad fact of life in Thailand road accident's are common Place and a lot of people have very sad storys to tell.Please if you are that stressed just stay local and when you have had enough, you can go home quickly, everyone will be getting very pissed it's the big one ! i would love to be in LOS right now.Last year up in Surin Me and the wife had a fire hose turned on us, at the time we were trying to find a furniture shop, that Ed is really taking the piss, and to top it all i had my brand new Sony camcorder with me hayho !!!,This great occasion is about water, booze, and then some, its not about splashing the old fella in the shower it's not quite the same.Party on we wish you well. 
P.S has any one seen the soap dont pick it up.
P.S has any one seen the soap dont pick it up.Sorry, but not EVERYONE. I have enjoyed Songkran water fights in the past but I dont like the Khao San Road/ aggressive/ water pistol/kill the motorcyclist/drunken crazy gang way of celebrating. . nor the increased road dangers and I am staying home for the next few days.Edwin, everyone will be going crazy and partying hard
(Kendo, I dont understand half your last post so I assume the severe partying has already begun in your house . . .wherever you are! Enjoy yourself!)
I have to agree with you Edwina (or Edwin as the case may be. )All I will say is why don't you tell everyone like me who disagrees with the agressive side of Songkran but loves the true nature of it
When I spent Songkran in a small village up north in Udonthani, which I have been able to do several times over the last years, it was wonderful. The day began with respectful greetings and water pourings from friends and neighbors young and old. .then the day spent around the barrel in front of the house, a CD playing, a beer or two of course and kids of all ages with their pans of water. Great fun. No ice. no aggressiveness, no falling-down-drunks ( the dedicated drinkers seemed to quietly gather in a couple of houses around the village and just drink)
Makes me nostalgic. . .I wish I were up there now.
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Wanderlust
- Legend
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- Location: Hua Hin
One thing i would like to add to edwinadanish's comment is that it is the Thais themselves that escalated the festival in certain places to the giant water fight with huge water guns, iced water etc etc. Any farangs that are there are normally just returning fire with fire, in a fun way of course. I agree that it can be excessive though, and the death toll on the roads is awful, which is why I normally stay at home for the duration. I partied hard once or twice in Bangkok at my first Songkrans, but since then I have steered clear; seen it done it, got the (wet) t-shirt! Anyone participating, enjoy it and be careful on the streets.
A bit of an aside here, but the article demonstrates the chaos that Songkran brings every year to Thailand's roads and transport networks (that can't really be helped).
However, down at the bottom are the casualty figures for yesterday - and things havn't even begun to get going yet. So, for first timers and everyone else, do take care on the roads:
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SONGKRAN
The long haul home (Be smart and stay in, Folks)
Forget buses and trains: they're all booked up. And get to the airport three hours early if you want to get anywhere
Published on April 12, 2008
Heavy traffic built up yesterday afternoon as people headed back to their family homes for the long Songkran holiday.
Route No 9 to the Northeast was the most congested, said Pol Colonel Roy Inkapairoj, Highways Police deputy commander. He said many roads to the North and Northeast would be slow going after 6pm yesterday but expected the traffic would ease today.
"We will reverse some inbound lanes on Paholyothin, Asia and Mitraphab roads to outbound lanes for motorists leaving Bangkok when the roads get jammed," Roy said.
Traffic was also building up along Mitraphab Road in Lamtrakong area as people left the capital, and all outbound routes were very busy by yesterday evening.
Mor Chit bus terminal, Hua Lampong Railway Station and the new Southern Route bus terminal were crowded. Seats on trains and buses were fully booked.
Additional services
"Normally there are 3,744 trips to the North and Northeast. The number of passengers is expected to reach 250,000 by [yesterday], so another 2,300 trips will be laid on," said Police Colonel Jiradej Prommobol, deputy commander of the Traffic Police Division.
Transport Minister Santi Prompat warned people to buy tickets only from ticket counters. Two bus-operators were found to have sold over-priced tickets and face fines of Bt10,000.
Suvarnabhumi Airport director Serirat Prasutanond urged passengers to arrive at the airport three hours ahead during the Songkran festival to avoid missing their flights.
The Land Transport Depart- ment and the Transport Co estimated there would be up to 900,000 people travelling out of Bangkok during the Thai new year and had provided 6,400 buses, 800 more than last year. At 4pm, 13 deaths and over 300 injuries had been reported on the roads.
By Wannapa Phetdee
Daily Xpress
However, down at the bottom are the casualty figures for yesterday - and things havn't even begun to get going yet. So, for first timers and everyone else, do take care on the roads:
SONGKRAN
The long haul home (Be smart and stay in, Folks)
Forget buses and trains: they're all booked up. And get to the airport three hours early if you want to get anywhere
Published on April 12, 2008
Heavy traffic built up yesterday afternoon as people headed back to their family homes for the long Songkran holiday.
Route No 9 to the Northeast was the most congested, said Pol Colonel Roy Inkapairoj, Highways Police deputy commander. He said many roads to the North and Northeast would be slow going after 6pm yesterday but expected the traffic would ease today.
"We will reverse some inbound lanes on Paholyothin, Asia and Mitraphab roads to outbound lanes for motorists leaving Bangkok when the roads get jammed," Roy said.
Traffic was also building up along Mitraphab Road in Lamtrakong area as people left the capital, and all outbound routes were very busy by yesterday evening.
Mor Chit bus terminal, Hua Lampong Railway Station and the new Southern Route bus terminal were crowded. Seats on trains and buses were fully booked.
Additional services
"Normally there are 3,744 trips to the North and Northeast. The number of passengers is expected to reach 250,000 by [yesterday], so another 2,300 trips will be laid on," said Police Colonel Jiradej Prommobol, deputy commander of the Traffic Police Division.
Transport Minister Santi Prompat warned people to buy tickets only from ticket counters. Two bus-operators were found to have sold over-priced tickets and face fines of Bt10,000.
Suvarnabhumi Airport director Serirat Prasutanond urged passengers to arrive at the airport three hours ahead during the Songkran festival to avoid missing their flights.
The Land Transport Depart- ment and the Transport Co estimated there would be up to 900,000 people travelling out of Bangkok during the Thai new year and had provided 6,400 buses, 800 more than last year. At 4pm, 13 deaths and over 300 injuries had been reported on the roads.
By Wannapa Phetdee
Daily Xpress
Getting back to the original thread.
I experienced my first Songkran last year and loved every minute of it.
I went to Bobby,s Good Friends Bar where a stage had been erected next door and there was live music all day.Still not found out if anyone paid them.Around 2.00 pm the procession started with 11 elephants all dressed up and colourful floats with Thai children dressed up in traditional costume.....fantastic.
The procession started in Takieb and moved through the village towards the beach so it seems they did their own thing in not starting in Hua Hin.
Parking was no problem as I got there about 12.30 but they had police directing the traffic and they were soaked and in good humour.
For me it was a great day with a mix of the crazy stuff and more traditional Thai way.
I experienced my first Songkran last year and loved every minute of it.
I went to Bobby,s Good Friends Bar where a stage had been erected next door and there was live music all day.Still not found out if anyone paid them.Around 2.00 pm the procession started with 11 elephants all dressed up and colourful floats with Thai children dressed up in traditional costume.....fantastic.
The procession started in Takieb and moved through the village towards the beach so it seems they did their own thing in not starting in Hua Hin.
Parking was no problem as I got there about 12.30 but they had police directing the traffic and they were soaked and in good humour.
For me it was a great day with a mix of the crazy stuff and more traditional Thai way.
Glory! Glory! Man Utd.
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edwinadanish
- Amateur
- Posts: 49
- Joined: Sat Mar 15, 2008 3:27 pm
Each to his own...
Good to see there are some posters here that represent the majority of foreigners I have met aound THailand who stay well clear because they've tried it a couple of times and the noelty just wears off.... I guess for soem the novelty never wears off, so to those - enjoy!
Unfortunately, a contradictory story from The BKK Post, to that of The Daily Xpress, about yesterday's road casualty figures. Prachuapkirikhan dosn't come out too well:
Forty-five people were killed and another 557 injured on the first of the "seven most dangerous days" of the Songkran festival.
The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation reported there were 477 accidents on Friday.
Prachuap Khiri Khan province topped the list with five people killed. (BangkokPost.com) Today 12/04/08.
Forty-five people were killed and another 557 injured on the first of the "seven most dangerous days" of the Songkran festival.
The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation reported there were 477 accidents on Friday.
Prachuap Khiri Khan province topped the list with five people killed. (BangkokPost.com) Today 12/04/08.
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KelpieKiss
- Banned
- Posts: 255
- Joined: Wed Oct 17, 2007 12:36 pm
I don't want to sound like an old granddad but I feel people should know this as I think they will be all over the place during Songkran.
I've been doing some reading about those 100 mw lasers that get sold by guys going from pub to pub. Apparently, if you look directly at one for less time than it takes to blink, you can be blinded in that eye for life.
Just a thing to keep in mind when you see one in the hands of a drunk and he's flashing it at you.
I've been doing some reading about those 100 mw lasers that get sold by guys going from pub to pub. Apparently, if you look directly at one for less time than it takes to blink, you can be blinded in that eye for life.
Just a thing to keep in mind when you see one in the hands of a drunk and he's flashing it at you.
Maybe the dates of Songran will change in the future. From today's BKK Post:
Google
Songkran date may be changed
Culture Ministry wants to revert to using the ancient calendar, rather than sticking with April 13
By Ploenpote Atthakor
If the Culture Ministry has its way, the next Songkran festival will not necessarily start on April 13. Wattana Boonchab, an expert at the Culture Ministry, said the ministry is considering reviving a tradition in which Songkran Day is determined with the help of an ancient calendar that is common in most Southeast Asian countries, rather than fixing the date on April 13.
By tradition, Songkran Day is determined based on a suriya yatra sacred book which describes the passing of the sun.
Songkran is a Sanskrit word, meaning the passing of the sun from one zodiac to another. The passing happens every month, but the most important passage is in April when the sun leaves Pisces to enter Aries, which traditionally marks the beginning of the new year _ the time when the new harvest season begins. But technically the sun may not immediately enter Aries due to timing changes.
Although a day technically comprises 24 hours, things are different astrologically. There is a lapse before the sun passes into Aries.
That Songkran is fixed on April 13 makes people forget the other two important days during the traditional new year. They are wan nao and wan thaloeng sok, which literally means celebration of the new year, on April 15 or April 16, Mr Wattana said.
Nao, he said, means stay in Thai. In this sense, it specifically means the lapse of the sun passing.
''That's exactly the period when the sun is between the two zodiacs. Nao when pronounced by people in the North is a word that gives this particular date an inauspicious meaning. It sounds like the word for rotten so people usually skip this day if they are to hold an important event, to avoid bad luck,'' he said.
''But since we no longer recognise wan nao, we inadvertently conduct auspicious ceremonies on an inauspicious day.''
The revival of the tradition will help people know when to avoid this date _ that is, a day between Songkran and wan thaloeng sok.
Mr Wattana said wan thaloeng sok this year falls on April 15 and it will fall on April 16 for the next three years. In 2012, it falls again on April 15.
After 2012, thaloeng sok will be on April 16 for the next 80 years
Songkran date may be changed
Culture Ministry wants to revert to using the ancient calendar, rather than sticking with April 13
By Ploenpote Atthakor
If the Culture Ministry has its way, the next Songkran festival will not necessarily start on April 13. Wattana Boonchab, an expert at the Culture Ministry, said the ministry is considering reviving a tradition in which Songkran Day is determined with the help of an ancient calendar that is common in most Southeast Asian countries, rather than fixing the date on April 13.
By tradition, Songkran Day is determined based on a suriya yatra sacred book which describes the passing of the sun.
Songkran is a Sanskrit word, meaning the passing of the sun from one zodiac to another. The passing happens every month, but the most important passage is in April when the sun leaves Pisces to enter Aries, which traditionally marks the beginning of the new year _ the time when the new harvest season begins. But technically the sun may not immediately enter Aries due to timing changes.
Although a day technically comprises 24 hours, things are different astrologically. There is a lapse before the sun passes into Aries.
That Songkran is fixed on April 13 makes people forget the other two important days during the traditional new year. They are wan nao and wan thaloeng sok, which literally means celebration of the new year, on April 15 or April 16, Mr Wattana said.
Nao, he said, means stay in Thai. In this sense, it specifically means the lapse of the sun passing.
''That's exactly the period when the sun is between the two zodiacs. Nao when pronounced by people in the North is a word that gives this particular date an inauspicious meaning. It sounds like the word for rotten so people usually skip this day if they are to hold an important event, to avoid bad luck,'' he said.
''But since we no longer recognise wan nao, we inadvertently conduct auspicious ceremonies on an inauspicious day.''
The revival of the tradition will help people know when to avoid this date _ that is, a day between Songkran and wan thaloeng sok.
Mr Wattana said wan thaloeng sok this year falls on April 15 and it will fall on April 16 for the next three years. In 2012, it falls again on April 15.
After 2012, thaloeng sok will be on April 16 for the next 80 years
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Terry
- Suspended
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- Location: At Hua Hin Fishing Lodge, Hin Lek Fai most of the time.......
WARNING - NEW SONKRAN WEAPON
Some lunatics are now using the high pressure water cleaners that are on sale in places like homepro. These things are great for cleaning the underside of your car or removing fungal growth from your stonework.
THEY ARE NOT DESIGNED AS TOYS
At close range, they could take your eye out – be warned
I saw two separate locations today where morons were using them as a Sonkran ‘weapon’
PLEASE TAKE CARE these things are DANGEROUS
Some lunatics are now using the high pressure water cleaners that are on sale in places like homepro. These things are great for cleaning the underside of your car or removing fungal growth from your stonework.
THEY ARE NOT DESIGNED AS TOYS
At close range, they could take your eye out – be warned
I saw two separate locations today where morons were using them as a Sonkran ‘weapon’
PLEASE TAKE CARE these things are DANGEROUS
Happy Songkran to anyone who is in a position to enjoy it; like kendo the nearest I get this year is a rainy walk to the pub.
I spoke to my partner up in the village in Nong Ki earlier and they had now emptied the communities water tower, barbecued two pigs and consumed a whole uncooked cow (a common Issan dish) and someone had almost killed themselves falling off a speaker system on the back of a truck!
And up there the party goes on three days without stopping, I was just able to speak to her over the distorted sound of the music that blares out for 24 hours a day.
Issan can be a bit quite at times, but when they do celebrate something it makes Ibiza look like Sutton-on-Sea!
I spoke to my partner up in the village in Nong Ki earlier and they had now emptied the communities water tower, barbecued two pigs and consumed a whole uncooked cow (a common Issan dish) and someone had almost killed themselves falling off a speaker system on the back of a truck!
And up there the party goes on three days without stopping, I was just able to speak to her over the distorted sound of the music that blares out for 24 hours a day.
Issan can be a bit quite at times, but when they do celebrate something it makes Ibiza look like Sutton-on-Sea!