Songkran 2012 Bangkok Otto Bar

This April was the Thai New Year's celebration called Songkran. The most obvious celebration of Songkran is the throwing of water throughout the city. This is accompanied by putting white paste on the face. The acts of throwing water in the past were subtle, however throughout the years the act has progressed into an all out water fight among participates. This year I spent the new year playing on Sukhumvit Road in Bangkok. The celebration is celebrated throughout the Kingdom and even more in Isan.

Bangkok Pattaya busts...

So down in Pattaya the police have been doing there usual round of going in to clubs and locking the doors then subjecting everyone to a drug test. In any western country this would be a big invasion of privacy buy when in Thailand you have to be careful that you stay away from drugs. Even if you take do drugs which is not my thing but to each there own you cannot be sure to get away with it after the fact because you could be spot tested. This is a very hot topic here but it has been going on for  a while. One would have to suspect that if you in a club that gets raided that the owner might have forgot to pay his tea bill......

Into the new year....

We entered the new year in Bangkok via Insomnia Nightclub on Sukhumvit Soi 12. The club is a well known after hours club that caters to travelers and locals alike. The club actually stayed ope until 10 am in the morning with the very determined to stay till close. When the lights came on people poured out into the streets and were welcome by the intense glow of the morning sun. 

I will mention this that traffic was the highest I have seen all year however still very low compared to years in the past for high season. The final week of the year is usually the busiest time of the year. This year was determined to be different with the tragic flooding around the city and the general unstable situation in Bangkok I am afraid people decided to go elsewhere for there holiday travels. Next major holiday will be the Songkran holiday that falls on a weekend this year so it should demand a good turn out.