If there is a holiday being celebrated in western culture, you have a pretty good chance of finding a "fun house mirror" version in Pattaya. Part of this is due, I'm sure, to the large number of expats living here. Also, Pattaya loves any excuse for a party!
In February, red hearts abounded in shopping malls and street signs as they prepared to celebrate Valentine's Day. Restaurants offered special deals on romantic dinners, and even the hospitals and the police got in on the action, as seen here from the Pattaya Mail newspaper:
Dennis, did you and your co-workers dress like this for the holiday??
The police gave out roses instead of tickets (Pat?)
I've attended the St. Patrick's Day parade every year, and this year did not disappoint. It was a hot day, so I waited inside one of the many shopping malls on Beach Rd. until I could see the parade coming. While I enjoyed the cool air, I spied these two toddlers trying to make a quick getaway. Their vehicles? Stools from a nearby ice cream shop!
Finally, the parade approached. I would say 80% of the people watching the parade had no idea what the celebration was for. They just came up from the beach when they heard the commotion. A few farangs dressed in holiday duds; some were more than a little scary, and had obviously been celebrating for a few hours already. For the most part, it was a tame, if not puzzled crowd, and the Thai people gave it their all.
This is a snippet of a composition by the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej. His music is heard everywhere in Thailand, especially since his passing last year.
Father Ray Brennan was an American priest with the Redemptorist order. He was sent to Thailand as a newly ordained priest. He founded the Fr. Ray orphanage for the many babies fathered by American soldiers who were rejected by their families for being half-white. He passed away in 2003. The Fr. Ray Foundation now runs two orphanages, a school for the blind, a vocational school, a school for the deaf, a drop-in center, a day care center, and a center for children with special needs.
characters from Ripley's Believe It Or Not
(see the super-tall guy in the back?)
bust a move!
From the new Hooters in town
Not so sure about the logic of this statement...
musicians from the School for the Blind
A line of police on motorcycles holding the traffic at bay behind the parade
Later that night...
Table for two, madame?
Sometimes you have to compete with the dogs for a table
Non-sequitur
These clouds made me think of how a child might draw them
No, but I did wear a red shirt under my scrubs.
ReplyDeleteI guess that counts ^_^
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