Kubota plough racing in Phimai

This weekend sees an unusual form of motor racing in Phimai – racing with ploughs.

The event is the Kubota Thailand championships, competing for the Princess Sirindhorn Trophy. Kubota is a well-known agricultural machinery manufacturer in Thailand.

Today’s racing consisted of just over two laps of a circuit in a very wet and muddy field. Each race saw two teams of two men set off and race their machines around the course.

The competition is being held over two days (Saturday 14th and Sunday 15th March 2015) at the Phimai Rice Research Centre, which is located on the outskirts of Phimai town at the bypass junction. Events are scheduled to start at 9am. Today’s racing finished at 4.20pm.

Entrance is free and there is free parking available in the grounds.

Longboat racing in Phimai

Phimai is a great place to see longboat racing. Every year during the Phimai festival in November there is longboat racing. This weekend (11-12 October) saw 2 days of longboat racing in gra-bueang-yai (กระเบื้องใหญ่),  a small village about 4 miles from Phimai town.

The longboat race course – a straight line.

A women’s team winning their race.

Team colours

The event was held to mark the end of Buddhist Lent (ork pansa –ออกพรรษา), which was on 8th October this year.

It was the 16th annual longboat racing event to be held in gra-bueang-yai, Phimai district.

Next month will see the Phimai festival in Phimai town. Longboat racing is scheduled for 6-9 November in the usual location, Lam Jakarat, with access from Anantachinda Road or nearby. Good views of the racing can be had from the bridge on Anantachinda Road. For details of the 2014 Phimai festival see here:

Phimai festival 2014

Concerts in Phimai this week

This week there are some music concerts being played in Phimai town.

Who’s playing?

10 August: Kotiam-Gwian

11 August: Cocktail

12 August: Wong Gang-geng

13 August: Pai Pongsatorn

14 August: Family Valentine

15 August: Pongsit Kampee

16 August: Turbo Dance

The concerts are being held on the land that holds the “eight market”, not far from the Vocational college.

See the location of the “8 market” here: https://phimai.wordpress.com/2013/07/29/markets-in-phimai-town/

Phimai candle procession 2014

In Phimai, as in some other towns and cities in Thailand, a parade or procession is held which is commonly called a candle festival or candle procession. It is a procession or parade of wax decorated floats which have a large candle making up part of the decoration.

Local temples and people in the local community decorate floats with figures that mostly show Buddhist related themes.

The decorated floats are judged and prizes are given to the winners of each category. One of this year’s winners was the float from wat burapa-pimon – shown above and below.

There are also prizes for groups of people from local communities who dress up and enter the parade either walking or with a float. In the morning, the procession goes around the old part of the town starting and finishing at the Town Clock. Prize winners are announced in the area near the Town Clock, marked in dark red on the map below.

Candle processions in Thailand take place around the start of Buddhist Lent (kao pansa – เข้าพรรษา). The start of Buddhist Lent in 2014 is 12 July. The candle procession in Phimai takes place the day before Buddhist Lent, which is today, 11 July 2014,

In Korat, the candle procession will take place tomorrow,  12 July in 2014, the start of Buddhist Lent in Thailand. Buddhist Lent in Thailand continues for three months. The end of Buddhist Lent (ork pansa – ออกพรรษา) in Thailand in 2014 will be on 8 October.

Songkran in Phimai – 2014

The annual Songkran festival takes place each year on 13th, 14th and 15th April. The festival celebrates the Thai new year, which is on 13th April.

There are different aspects to Songkran in Thailand. One is considered the traditional aspect to it, which is the gentle and respectful pouring of water over the hands of ‘seniors’, senior either in age or status, or of other people you respect (parents or teachers, for example). This side of Songkran is popular with the older generation.

Some Thai Buddhists also take the opportuity to ‘make merit’ by giving things such as food, flowers and money to monks. In Phimai, lots of people gathered together to do this at the town clock at 8am on 13 April. See picture above.

Another aspect to the festival is throwing water at people. Arguably, this is the most popular aspect of Songkran, especially with the young or young at heart. As April is usually the hottest month in Thailand, this part is not only great fun for the participants, it’s also a great way to keep cool for a few days while letting go of your inhibitions. Many people use water guns to soak other people while others use buckets or smalll plastic bowls to scoop up water to throw at others. Water fights take place on road-sides up and down the country. See picture above.

Invariably there are many traffic problems during the Songkran festival. Some parts of towns and cities in Thailand become gridlocked with traffic crawling along and people singing, dancing and throwing water at each other throughout the day. In Phimai town, the roads near or leading to the Banyan tree area seemed to me to have the most cars and revellers this year. Thai authorities encourage people to end each day’s water throwing at about 6pm or 7pm. By that time, the loud music is usually greatly reduced.

Some Thai language appropriate to the Songkran festival:

(สวัสดีปีใหม่) – sawat-dee bpee mai = Happy New Year

(สุขสันต์วันสงกรานต์) – suk-san wan song-graan = Happy Songkran

(สนุก) – sanuk = fun

Phimai festival 2013

The Phimai festival takes place each year in November. This year it will be held from the 7th to 10th November. Typical events at the festival include long boat racing, a Korat cat contest, singing, Thai dancing and a sound and light show at the Phimai historical park. Stalls will be set up in the centre of the town and other smaller events will take place. This year there will be a bird contest. It will take place on Sunday 10 November at Gun-no primary school  (โรงเรียนกุลโน)

Long boat racing above. Sound and light show below. 

Here is last year’s blog entry about the Phimai festival

https://phimai.wordpress.com/2012/11/08/phimai-festival

The Phimai circuit 2013

Local runners and sports enthusiasts organise a series of 5km road running races in Phimai town. There are 3 races held two months apart. The series is called the Phimai Circuit.

The Phimai circuit for 2013 is:

1. Saturday 1 June

2. Saturday 3 August

3. Saturday 5 October

All the races this year start and finish in front of the Phimai Hospital and start at 6am.

Points are awarded to runners based on their finishing position in the race and small cash prizes are awarded for age group winners at the end of the year.  These races are popular with young people and hundreds of school children run or walk around the course.

Markets in Phimai town

There are five regular markets in Phimai town: the night market, two morning markets, the Monday market and the Eight market.

1. The night market (talat night) is located in Anantachinda Street, in the town centre adjacent to the Town clock. The night market opens daily at about 6pm or just before. Things for sale there include clothes, fruit and vegetables, meat and fish, CDs and DVDs.

2. Morning markets. There are two daily morning markets in Phimai town. One can be found on Buchayan Road between about 4am and 8-9am. This market is also sometimes called talat jor-jair or talat baan-suway. It is a fairly small market that takes place on the street. It sells fresh foods such as fruit, vegetables, fish and meat, some cooked foods, and a small amount of clothing. A bigger morning market takes place in buildings near the main bus station. This market starts at about 2am and continues until 9am or 10am

3. The Monday market (talat jan) takes place on Monday evenings on the streets near the main bus station (from about 4pm to 8pm). Items for sale include clothes, food and household goods.

4. The Eight market (talat pairt) is located on land near Pratu Chai and Phimai Vocational college. It takes place on dates with an eight in them, so there’s an “Eight market” on the 8th, 18th and 28th of each month. The Eight market is open from 6/7am to about 2pm. You’ll find a lot of clothing and fruit for sale there but you will also find household goods (including kitchenware and tools), linen, plants, puppies and pet fish.

The Thai word for market is talat (ตลาด).

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Above is a map showing the locations of the four regular markets in Phimai town.

Swimming pools in Phimai

There are two swimming pools in Phimai town. One is in the grounds of the Phimai Inn. The other one is in the grounds of the Phimai Paradise Hotel. Both swimming pools are open to the public. Parking is available at both locations.

Phimai Paradise Hotel

The Phimai Paradise Hotel is located on Samai Rujee Road – not far from the Phimai historical park, the town clock and the night market. The swimming pool is open from 8am to 7pm and is located to the rear of the hotel, next to the hotel car park.  The cost of using the pool for non-residents and non-members  is 70 baht for adults and 50 baht for children. Hotel guests and members are charged 50 baht for adults and 30 baht for children. Payment is made at the hotel reception on the ground floor. There are no changing rooms but there are clean toilets where you can change into and out of your swimwear. The size of the swimming pool is approximately 12 metres x 6 metres.

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Phimai Inn

The Phimai Inn hotel is located on the bypass approximately 500 metres from the main bus station.  The swimming pool is located to the rear of the hotel main building, near the restaurant. It is free for hotel guests to use the pool. The cost of using the pool for non-residents is 40 baht for adults and 30 baht for children. Payment is made at the desk near the entrance to the pool in the restaurant area. The pool is approximately 9 metres x 18 metres in size and there is a smaller, shallow pool for young children attached to it. Cool showers are available in the changing/toilet area. Parking is available at the front, rear and side of the hotel.

Location Map

Phimai swimming pools

Concerts in Phimai this week

This week for the Phimai festival there are some music concerts being played in Phimai town in the grounds of the local administration office (the amper) on the bypass not far from the police station.

This interactive Google map shows the location of the concerts.

Who’s playing?

Yesterday, the pop-rock singer/guitarist Sek Loso played.

Tonight there is another concert. I think the group is called “Family” (Valentine?) but I’m not 100% sure. I’ve never heard of them.

On Saturday 10th November, Kala (Gala /กะลา) will play.

On Sunday the 11th, the popular Pongsit Kampee (พงษ์สิทธิ์ คำภีร์) – aka Pu – will play.

Here are a couple of songs by Pongsit Kampee that are on Youtube. The first song is about a man who has 11 mistresses. He doesn’t understand how easy it is. It just happens!

I really like this next song. It’s call ‘rien le ngaan‘ – study and work.

If you are in Phimai, why not head along to see a concert. I believe they start at 10pm.