Just to prove I'm not a total killjoy, I went out to join the enormous Songkran party tonight.
It's basically what I told you. The populace throws water and mud on you. Kids (and adults) run around with super-soakers and spray you with them. They carry them on trains, in stores, etc. Boys use the mud as an excuse to touch girls on the face and shoot water on their breasts...I guess girls do the same thing, but damned if I'm masculine enough to know the answer to that one.
An element of sadism enters the picture when folks throw ice water on you, jam mud into your face with such force that you see stars, or rub your face with a block of ice instead of mud (and you can imagine where their hands have been).
It's just like war!!
Why is it that whenever I visit Bangkok, it's shut down? Crazy city.
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| In the streets |
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| Coming Soon: Songkran |
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| Shit that would not fly in America I |
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| Shit that would not fly in America II |
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| Shit that would not fly in America III (yes, this is in the building) |
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| The teeming masses shutting down the streets again |
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| Walking through Saladaeng |
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| Not That Tame |
Why is it that whenever I visit Bangkok, it's shut down? Crazy city.
It IS war, or a surrogate of it. it used to be all fun & games, but in the last 20 yrs ors so it changed from being a socio-cultural celebration into something very hostile with especially us, the farangs being the marks to hit.
ReplyDeleteI've never felt anything OTHER than hostility from anywhere in Thailand, tbh. The New Years Celebration was actually the LEAST hostile way I've ever experienced the city. I do NOT like this country.
Deletei agree. 1 generation ago though, thailand was VERY different. It has to be noted that that siamese people always had a sort of superiority complex, always called the cambodians for ex monkeys, but as long as they were poor they kept it to themselves, pretended to respect us farangs. but behind our backs we never were more than walking ATMs to them.
Delete(i speak thai, which is why i know)
I didn't need to understand Thai to know that. It's plainly obvious from the sneers they wear on their faces when interacting with us, from their utter lack of an ability to treat people with human dignity, and even the fact that they can't so much as print a sign in English in a major international city.
DeleteTo me, THEY are the monkeys, and whenever I head that way, I treat them as such. One woman can only handle so much dehumanization.