Songkran 2023

[Jun]

The pickpockets are probably another 365 day per year presence, although I'm fairly sure Pattaya and Bangkok are much much safer than, for example, The Ramblas in Barcelona.

If I understand this properly, the unique Songkran issue appears to be people putting their wallets and phones in waterproof pouches ?

That seems unnecessary in the first place.
Phones from good brands like Apple, Samsung, Sony & Google are IP68 rated, which means they can be immersed in up to 1.5 m of water for up to 30 minutes. The main Chinese brands don't have an IP rating, but do have measures to ensure they are splash resistant.

As for the wallet, the bank cards and plastic 20 baht notes ought to be water resistant. For people planning to spend more, I would think putting the whole wallet in a thin plastic bag should do the job.

[Gaybutton]

I would think putting the whole wallet in a thin plastic bag should do the job.

Most people going out for Songkran reveling are not going to be exactly overdressed. Other than the waterproof pouch they can wear around their necks, where else would it be practical to carry whatever?

Pickpockets are not usually much of a problem in Pattaya. Most of those incidents happen on Beach Road in the wee hours of the night by gangs of lady boys. I rarely hear about or read about many of those incidents anywhere else. But during Songkran, you better believe they're going to be out there.

[Jun]

Most people going out for Songkran reveling are not going to be exactly overdressed. Other than the waterproof pouch they can wear around their necks, where else would it be practical to carry whatever?

I would have thought the minimum that most people would wear is shorts and T-shirt.
So put the stuff in the pockets in the shorts, as normal.

Have to confess, I carefully check the pockets on all trousers and shorts before making a purchase decision. Anything with inadequate pocket depth is rejected.
Ideally I'd have zip pockets on everything, including Jeans, but manufacturers don't share my views.
I'd also choose at least 3 pockets on the front of everything too. One for phone, one for wallet and a third for keys.

Most of those incidents happen on Beach Road in the wee hours of the night by gangs of lady boys

It's always lady boys.
Including when I hear of cases of people I know being robbed or encountering an attempted robbery on baht buses.
I wonder why ?
Many of the lads I meet would be just one bad decision away from becoming a lady boy. Yet none of them have robbed me.

[Gaybutton]

Ideally I'd have zip pockets on everything, including Jeans, but manufacturers don't share my views.

They don't have to. Those dreaded Indian tailors can put in zippers if you want them. I don't know if you ever knew Geezer, but I'm sure many here remember him well. He was one of those types if you meet him once, you never forget him.

To put it very mildly, Geezer was somewhat eccentric. He had zippers on every pocket. Sometimes he would add more pockets to the pockets and put zippers on them too.

He also kept several sets of exactly the same shirts and pants - same color, same style, same everything. His reason - "That way I don't have to make decisions about what I'm going to wear today."

I could easily go on with a long, long list of Geezer's eccentricities, but I'd not only be going way off topic, but it would also take too many hours to type out them all.

I'm sure I'm speaking for many when I say those of us who knew him truly miss him.

Anyway, the point is you can always have zippers added - assuming you are wearing something that has pockets in the first place.

[Jun]

They don't have to. Those dreaded Indian tailors can put in zippers if you want them. I don't know if you ever knew Geezer, but I'm sure many here remember him well. He was one of those types if you meet him once, you never forget him.

To put it very mildly, Geezer was somewhat eccentric. He had zippers on every pocket. Sometimes he would add more pockets to the pockets and put zippers on them too.

This is interesting.
Every time I've gone to someone with a sewing machine in Pattaya and asked for a zip to be added to a pocket, they say no.
These people seem to be able to do the really simple stuff, but nothing requiring significant skill.
Another thing they have never been able to do is replace a pocket -e.g. take out the not durable mesh lining on some "outdoor" walking shorts and put something better in.

What I haven't done is spoken to one of those Indian tailors. If they're speaking to me, or putting their hand out to greet me, I keep walking as though I haven't seen or heard them and definitely don't make eye contact. They always get out of the way, which has been the desired result.

[gerefan]

I too have the same problem with zips. I have numerous pairs of shorts all with 4 zips.
They have lasted me years but the zips have started to pack up. I can’t get them replaced anywhere. Darent try an Indian Taylor! Maybe I should.

Back on topic….Gaybutton said not to worry we will be back discussing accidents again next year. Wrong!
We will be discussing the number (or rather lack of) fatalities again next Christmas, Chinese New Year, Songkran and other major holidays when they come out with this daft (wrong) stuff!

[Jun]

I too have the same problem with zips. I have numerous pairs of shorts all with 4 zips.
They have lasted me years but the zips have started to pack up. I can’t get them replaced anywhere. Darent try an Indian Taylor! Maybe I should.

1 Whilst replacing a zip is obviously possible, it isn't always as easy as one would think. On some garments, the zip goes in well before the item is finished. So to get the equivalent access to replace the zip, in some cases, more dismantling is required.
I still see no excuse though. If someone sits behind a sewing machine all day, they should acquire the skills to do both the easy and difficult jobs.

2 If Gaybutton knows of a specific tailor or repair shop that will take on something like zip replacement, I'd like to hear about it.

[Gaybutton]

If Gaybutton knows of a specific tailor or repair shop that will take on something like zip replacement, I'd like to hear about it.

Actually I do, but it's way out on "The Dark Side" and is also an Indian restaurant called "My Home". He closed down during the Covid years and I really don't know whether he ever reopened. For clothing, he had all kinds of material at his shop, would take the measurements, take down any specific details you might want, such as deeper pockets, and then send the order and material out to wherever the actual work is done (which is what I imagine they all do), and usually you would have your order 2 or 3 days later. He would even deliver it. I used to have him make my shirts, but I never ordered anything with zippers included.

Sorry, but I have no idea where Geezer had his done. I never asked.

Just a guess, but instead of trying to have zippers put into existing garments, if you're having the tailors make shirts, pants, or whatever, maybe you have to order the zippers to be included at the time you're ordering the clothing.

Now, if nobody minds, since this is supposed to be a topic about Songkran - and I plead guilty for having let it get off topic - let's go back to Songkran and start a new topic if you want to continue discussing zippers.

[Gaybutton]

Walking Street grabs spotlight for Pattaya Songkran

By Jetsada Homklin

April 16, 2023

Songkran saw Walking Street flooded with tourists ready for some watery fun. Bars along the South Pattaya nightlife strip were decorated to welcome the Thai New Year and many businesses had promotions or activities.

Police were out to ensure that tourists engaging in water fights weren’t victimized by criminal gangs. Street vendors all wore big smiles as they raked in the baht.

Pattaya officials claimed they were being strict on waterplay, seizing any high-pressure water tubes they found and telling bar owners to remove water tanks from public sidewalks. But online photos and videos showed just the opposite, with powerful water guns being sold openly and water tanks still blocking footpaths.

Other police were out on traffic duty in Naklua, where congestion was heavy around seafood markets.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand said more than 80% of tourists for Songkran are Thais on domestic trips. The numbers of foreign tourists arriving for the holiday are relatively small and mostly Asian.

AirBNB, which actually is illegal in Thailand, released figures that showed people are still searching its website for Songkran accommodations. Australians topped the list of users, followed by Americans, Brits, German and French. Bangkok was the most-sought city, followed by Pattaya.

Story and photos: https://www.pattayamail.com/latestnews/ ... ran-429296

[Jun]

Pattaya officials claimed they were being strict on waterplay, seizing any high-pressure water tubes they found and telling bar owners to remove water tanks from public sidewalks.

NBT shows a picture of PM Gen Prayut joining in with a high pressure water gun in Bangkok.