Many countries have a nominated father’s day and mother’s day. In some places they are merely sponsored events by greeting cards companies; accepted by the weary populace as another necessary evil. Not so in Thailand, where both days are linked to the birthdays of His Majesty the King and Her Majesty the Queen; so these these days are treated as something special, with fireworks and parades being the norm.
Today is mother’s day; and as well as many Mums being trailed around shopping malls and inserted into restaurants, we had a parade for the Queen planned in Pattaya. Such parades are good to watch and fun to photograph and I set off early to be there on time. Traffic would be terrible, so I parked a long way away and walked to the start point.
The sky looked ominously dark and, sure enough, ten minutes before the planned start there was a massive storm. I joined hundreds of prospective marchers in a local shopping mall, and we waited.
After an hour or so it looked likely that the parade was not going to happen, the rain was still bucketing down. Not be deterred, one of the local bands set up near the entrance and played us some rousing tunes.
Donations gratefully received
Follow my lead
Parp!
After a couple of hours darkness fell and people sadly drifted away; including me, and I walked back through the rain which kindly stopped just as I reached my car.
Comments 🔗
2012-08-12| Chang Noi saysI love B&W (in any context)!
2012-08-12| Spike saysI rather like it too. 75mm, not that it matters.
2012-08-12| Jock saysBummer !
2012-08-14| Barry saysIt took me an hour to get from the bus terminal to Soi 13 on Sunday, going through half the back roads of Pattaya and doing U-turns before having to walk the last half kilometre or so. I reached my hotel a minute before the storm hit and on the walk found out why the traffic was as it was. I felt really sorry for all those people in band uniforms and traditional Thai dress who just had to sit and watch the rain. The timing of the storm couldn’t have been worse.