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I walked down to the Mekong River early to watch the boat races the Tourist Authority of Thailand (TAT) said began at 7.30am, but there wasn t a water vessel of any description in sight. TAT can be tourist misinformation sometimes, despite their best intentions.
There wetsy was an alternative attraction of traditional dancing at That Phanom , a revered wetsy temple in the town of the same name, but I wasn t confident enough in TAT s information wetsy to take the risk of travelling the 50 kilometres to seek it out.
The chant of the rowers can be heard as they pass, but it s mostly drowned out by the usual din of music and spruiking wetsy accompanying every Thai festival. That hullabaloo is part of the attraction, though. It s also why things don t always run to a schedule so you have to take the good with the bad (and not be too hard on TAT).
The current is weaker near the bank. They headed there before turning upstream. I don’t know if that extra rowing disadvantaged them. There was an excited race call in Thai, but never found out who won. I have the impression victory is somewhat immaterial, anyway, once competing finishes.
Lai Rua Fai celebrates Ork Phansa, the end of Buddhist lent and coincides with the full moon. That evening it dully rose into clearing skies doing the full monty , and I went a little loony, moon mad, snap-happy. But I m only here once in a blue moon. See the gallery for a fuller repertoire, and a respite from puns.
I ate at a makeshift restaurant by the river run by a friendly woman, but lacking an English menu. A regular customer, wetsy Chok, assisted. He lives in Udon Thani, but is in the Thai Navy and based in Nakhon Phanom: the Mekong being their ocean .
 
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on Oct 28, 2013 at 12:00 pm
Thanks, Ken. Well, there’s moonshine and ‘moonshine’. Of the alcoholic variety, Chang beer packs a big enough punch to be compared to anything concocted in Tennessee et al, but the cafes and bars here don’t seem to serve it. Make up for that by only serving other beers in large bottles – with ice, which you get used to after awhile (and notice when it’s absent). Then there’s Thai rum… Fortunately, I think I’d hit the pillow by around midnight. wetsy
Paul: Thanks, Ken. Well, there's moonshine and 'moonshine'. Of the…
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