[Songkran Comments]

Actually, they had early voting, in which people could come in and cast their votes days before the official election date. That's what most of the people who wanted to vote did, although the total voter turnout was quite low.

 

I also agree with you in that while Songkran might be fun, a full week is much too long. The problem is, I don't see a whole lot of Thai people worrying about whether the "farang" like a week of it or not. But you know something? They should take that into consideration. Other than the "farang" immaturity brigade that spent the week hurling water on people, Pattaya has become nearly deserted over the past week. The beaches, bars, restaurants, etc. have been virtually empty and they all still are.

[Songkran Comments]

I agree with Catawampuscat, but only to an extent. His message makes it seem as if these sorts of incidents are the norm and occur virtually everywhere. Incidents such as these do occur, to be sure, and I despise those sorts of things too, but for the most part there were very few such problems.

 

I didn't know the person with the caustic water gun had actually tried to jump from a roof to escape the police. I hadn't heard that. If Thailand has a book, I hope they throw it at him. However, this was one isolated incident. As far as I know no other similar incidents occurred.

 

Catawampuscat is correct about the ice. I did see several people stopping at points at which huge blocks of ice were being sold and these blocks were being placed into their water barrels. Shooting ice water is illegal in Pattaya. As I said in a previous comment, there was virtually no police presence to control this sort of behavior. There were a few traffic cops trying to alleviate the traffic jams along Sukhumvit Road, but they were the only ones I saw. So, the lawbreakers who think they're funny got away with it, along with the ice vendors who had no business being out there selling it in the first place.

 

My point is that these sorts of incidents are relatively isolated and do not even come close to representing the behavior of the majority. Unfortunately, there are enough of these incidents that you just never know if you are gong to be the victim of any of them.

[Songkran Comments]

I agree with Hedda. The Thai people get plenty of holidays and the vast majority take full advantage of them.

 

I disagree, however, that there is really a valid reason for "farang" to be bitter about Songkran. It does go on for a week, that's true, but for the most part it is only the one day that a soaking is inevitable if you venture out. I meant what I said in my first post on this thread, that there was no reason at all for "farang" to hibernate, other than today.

 

I also agree about the drunken revelers, but it is incorrect to believe that represents the majority of people out there. Most people were out there today simply having a good time. There was almost no police presence at all, in Pattaya, and yet everyone seemed to be quite well behaved, considering the circimstances.

 

One thing that struck me as odd, however, was the lack of police presence. According to this week's Pattaya City News, there was to be an abundance of police checkpoints during Songkran week, at which suspect drivers would be checked for driving under the influence, proper papers would be checked, etc. Well, all I can say is I've been driving around Pattaya all week. Do you know how many police checkpoints I saw? None. Not one, with the exception of the one mentioned in the article about a checkpoint on Sukhumvit Road at Naklua. The checkpoint was there. Trouble is, there were no police officers at all manning the checkpoint. It was simply a booth, completely empty of police officers. So much for enforcement of driving under the influence rules.

 

I drove through the thick of the revelry today. I had intended to find a place to park and get right out into the middle of it all, but we decided not to do that. By the time we got out there, I doubt we could have found a place to park anyway and we were having a good time watching all the goings on. We decided we're going to remain dry this year. That's one big advantage to having a car. We drove down Sukhumvit Road, went down South road to Second Road, then down toward the beach. We turned on Tepprasit Road, went back to Sukhumvit Road, and returned home. On a normal day tha circuit would take about a half hour. Today it took nearly four hours. Everyone we saw was having a great time and we saw no inappropriate behavior at all.

 

Interestingly enough, there were a lot of street vendors out there, along with a lot of stores and restaurants remaining open. Nobody was spraying water into any of these establishments. People would come up to the street vendors and put that talcum powder-water mixture on their faces, but nobody was spraying their wares at all.

 

In my opinion, the people were quite well behaved and it was just good fun.

[Songkran Comments]

Many "farang" avoid Thailand, especially Pattaya, like the plague during Songkran because they dislike being totally soaked wherever they go. Yes, it does go on for an entire week. Tomorrow (Wednesday) is the big day in Pattaya and yes, you will certainly be soaked on that day. On Thursday and Friday there will still be isolated pockets of revelers shooting water at people. By Friday night it will all be over for this year.

 

Actually, there really is not problem at all about venturing out during Songkran week. While it is true that if you are on a baht bus or motocycle taxi you're going to get a soaking, the solution to that is so simple . . . when on a baht bus, sit in the cab with the driver. If he has no room in the cab, wait for a baht bus that does have room.

 

Most of the water soaking has been taking place on Beach Road and the area of Second Road between about the area of the Lek Hotel and the Dolphin Roundabout. On South Road there are a few isolated pockets of revelers, but not much of anything at all, other than maybe a five-year old with a squirt gun.

 

I have not been to the beach at all during Songkran week, so I have not personally observed what is taking place along the route to the beach, but I can guess. If this year is anything like previous years, when you get close to the beach area, that's where it all starts. If you are on a baht bus, but not in the cab, you might want to get off a little sooner and walk the rest of the way. One way to avoid it is to get off at the entrance to the Avalon Hotel and walk through to the beach that way, where there will be nothing going on at all.

 

Few people walking on the sidewalks are getting soaked. Most of the water shooting is directed toward the street, where baht bus riders and motorcyclists are the primary targets, along with the pickup trucks filled with revelers shooting their water at others, but even they are directing their water shooting only at groups that are on the sidewalks shooting back. The average pedestrian is going and coming without a drop of water hitting him at all.

 

In other words, if you are among those who don't want to tolerate the soaking, you really have little to fear. Most of the water spraying doesn't even get started until well after noon. As recently as yesterday I walked from Tuk Com to Royal Garden and wasn't hit by even one drop of water. Neither was anyone else walking along and minding his own business.

 

Even along Beach Road, you're not going to get soaked unless you want to get soaked. If you are walking along the curb area, then yes, you're going to get it. But if you are walking on the walkway, they leave you alone.

 

There is one aspect of all the goings on that I find personally as distasteful as it gets. You know who is doing most of the water shooting? "Farang!" That's right. If you're going to get soaked, it most likely that the people soaking you are going to be drunken "farang" in front of roadside bars.

 

Sure, there are plenty of Thai people going around shooting water, but this is a Thai holiday. If you take away the "farang" that are out there doing the soaking, then there would be very little indeed going on at all. If I am going to be involuntarily soaked, I really don't mind it at all if it is Thai people shooting the water. But I deeply resent it when I see people involuntarily soaked, and it's being done by none other than drunken "farang." What are these people thinking?

 

It can also get out of hand. The following appears in the PATTAYA CITY NEWS:

 

English Man Arrested after Allegedly Spraying Songkran Revelers with Harmful Chemicals Instead of Water

 

Unfortunately some individuals forget the real meaning of the Songkran Festival and simply go too far when it comes to participating in the event. Tourist Police Officers were called to the front of Soi 5 on Pattaya Beach Road over the weekend by a Norwegian Man, Mr. Irwin Scruger aged 32 after he had been attacked by an English Man carrying a tube used to expel water.

 

However, Mr. Scruger suggested that it was more than water in the tube and after sustaining burns to his face and neck, he feared that the man was expelling harmful chemicals instead. The suspect was located and arrested in possession of the tube and its harmful contents. He was taken to Pattaya Police Station where he was identified as Mr. Nicholas Masters aged 41 from London and was known to be part of a small group who had made their way along the beach.

 

A young Thai boy known as Junior aged only 10 also reported minor burns to his skin thought to have come from the tube. Mr. Masters denied all allegations of actual bodily harm and the case is now under further investigation. The fate or Mr. Masters is unknown.

[Gaybutton.com]

I think it woud be a great idea if Gaybutton somehow transferred that info over to this site..Of course, the moderators would have to think it was a good idea too and GayButton as well...

 

I very much appreciate your comments. I have received a number of E-mails with similar requests. Please understand that the articles and information that were on my web site represented an enormous amount of research and writing. I don't want to just transfer it all over to someone else's web site. Besides, the people behind this web site are doing a marvelous job and don't seem to be in need of any assistance from me.

 

As you pointed out, books such as The Men of Thailand are no longer being published or updated. I am working on a book myself, now that I no longer have a web site, and much of the information that was on the web site, as well as plenty more, will be included in the book. Of course, I can already see that it is going to take quite awhile, at least a year or two, before the book is ready, which is why I am happy to provide copies, upon request, of any articles that were on my web site.

 

As a matter of fact, I have also been receiving excellent ideas from people. One in particular that comes to mind is trying to come up with a way to have supplements that contain "getting there" cards to show taxi drivers without having to schlepp around an entire book. I too relied on The Men of Thailand when I first came to Thailand, but it was a pain to have to carry the book around to be able to show taxi drivers where I wanted to go. Also, I managed to forget the book in a bar ot two on occasion and had to buy another copy. There's got to be a better way, and I'm working on a number of ideas.

 

Another consideration is going to be methods by which updates can be provided on a regular basis, since bars now seem to come and go, change names, change phone numbers, etc. almost monthly.

 

I'm looking forward to one thing I'll need to do: In order for the book to be as accurate as possible, I'm going to have to visit every gay bar in Thailand. All of them. Anyone want to come with me . . . .?

[Gaybutton.com]

I am delighted to see that this web site, one of the few one can still get to within Thailand without being blocked, has a working message board again.

 

I have been receiving E-mail asking whether I intend to restore my web site and message board now that Thaksin has stepped down.

 

At the moment I have no plans to restore my web site, but that is not engraved in stone. I still don't know why it was blocked in the first place. However, it is still very premature for me to make any decisions.

 

In the meantime, if anyone out there wishes to have any of the articles that were on my web site or wishes to contact me personally, all you need to do is drop a line to me at gaybutton@gmail.com . Despite the fact that I no longer operate a web site, I am still happy to help out when I am able and to provide what information I can to anyone who requests it.

[GoGo rip off (kind of)]

First, let's not jump on the moderator of this message board for not allowing the bar to be directly named or given a "can't miss" hint. The libel laws in Thailand are such that it could place him in legal jeopardy.

 

I don't really think it matters as to which particular bar it was. It could happen in any bar. The main thing is to alert people that this sort of scam exists at all, so that people know what to look for.

 

I also agree with Hedda, in that I too have never understood why it should be more expensive to "off" someone who works at a bar, but is not a go-go dancer. If the logic behind it is that there are a lot more go-go dancers than there are waiters or doormen, then I don't see that as valid logic because they are rarely taken "off" in the first place. Also, any of the go-go boys are usually glad to serve drinks or handle the bill when waiters are not available. Also, how many boys are truly necessary to be outside shouting "Have BOY, sexy BOY. Welcome inside, Mister!"? If there is a true justification for higher "off" prices for them, I don't get it.

 

In any case, unfortunately more bars than just one have unscrupulous mama-sans who will try to scam an unsuspecting "farang" out of a few hundred baht when they see an opportunity. For that reason I think the incident itself is far more important than the particular bar in which it occurred.