I think this best describes the tables on the beach early on New Year's Eve here in Mae Nam. All covered in nice white cloths bedecked with balloons and set in front of the little temporary stage. But the weather, really unusually for here in late December, had other ideas. There had been sharp heavy showers on and off all day but with a big "Thai Gala dinner" due to start at 6.30pm, the weather decided it was time to turn it up a notch at 6.15pm. Thunder, lightning and monsoon rains. The hotel were putting on this free night for all guests and had brought in different Thai food stalls, a cocktail stall and various entertainments, all laid out with beautiful floral decorations, the Florist Resort living up to its name. All meant to be on the beach but now crammed into the semi open air restaurant and covered with various tarpaulins and beach umbrellas . Rain poured in like waterfalls between the edges of the tarps. The girls cooking on the little stalls swathed in beach towels but getting wetter by the minute. Luckily this is a laid back resort so no fancy hairstyles or frocks to get ruined. But in a mixture of Thai acceptance of fate and Brit war spirit the now rather cramped celebrations got under way with Thai smiles everywhere.
As well as "mama" and of course "why why?", my other salutation is now "no packchi" (coriander), sing songed by any waiter who takes my order. So tonight as soon as I had sat down one of them brought me, with great relish and ceremony, a plate of whatever he considered the signature dish of the evening but without said packchi. Best described as a transparent, deep fried, thin, more oil than batter pancake tasting rather fishy with bits of those tiny preserved prawns dotted in it sitting on a bed of cold bean sprouts... Perhaps the packchi might have improved it.... But offending in Thailand is a real no no so I managed to work my way through some of it before trying all the other delights on offer, which were all really good! Probably helped by the large "gin tonic" cocktails which I had turned to in the absence of why why. But being all crammed in together gets people talking more, and everyone, apart from a table of stuck up Brits who left early, talked happily . An Austrian and his Thai wife and beautiful baby Jennifer who live in KL, some Swiss people who run a charity in India, a young couple from South Africa who had a mammoth journey home the next day, all human life was there! The rain was still bucketing down but the entertainment went on, a surprisingly good duo, followed by competitions to drink beers quickly through a straw (I didn't take part, but had they substituted why why for the beer I may have been tempted...).
Then the bartender show. The guy running the cocktail stall starts his Tom Cruise. He starts with plastic bottles and then as his confidence rises he moves on to juggling empty Malibu bottles.
Slight overconfidence as one falls early on and shatters at my feet. But obviously a frequent occurrence as like Debbie McGee, his trusty glamorous assistant is ready with the dustpan and brush... Undaunted, he then moves on to his grand finale. The smell of petrol fills the air (remember we are still in our cosy confined space as it's still raining). Rags are stuffed into the necks of more Malibu bottles and the lighter appears.... Health and Safety, where are you when I need you? The music gets more dramatic as the complex juggling of these molotov cocktails begins. I decide now is a good time to wander away and check if the rain has stopped... Disaster averted as the wet floor douses the flames from a few more dropped bottles then the karaoke begins..... But even the weather couldn't bear that and as soon as it started at about 10.45 suddenly a little bit of a New Year moon peeked through the clouds and the rain stopped. Gradually people drifted on to the beach and out came the lantern and firework sellers. The weather must really have hit these guys as well as the local bars, it should have been one of their most lucrative evenings of the year. The lanterns started going up. And finally (it had been quite a long evening...) midnight came. Auld Lang Syne played, the sky filled with lanterns, an environmental nightmare, but they did look pretty. Some people go for a swim. And the fireworks start. The hotel is in the middle of a long sweeping bay and it was fun to have a view not only of the large 5* hotel displays in the distance and small individual ones closer by but also those along the length of the south shore of Koh Phangnam, the island across the bay. The sound of the fireworks was almost drowned out by sound of what must have been millions of frogs all singin' in the rain.
It was a lovely evening and many thanks must go to the family and staff who run the Florist Resort for their hard work and generous hospitality.
And the King also posted a nice New Year message. Am glad to see his doggies dressing for the occasion.
Happy 2013 everybody.
Wishing to start the New Year on a positive note, I ignore the Nescafé and white sliced at the empty hotel restaurant, eerily empty, can't believe I seem to be the only one about, and wander to the French cafe. But disapointment. Le patron informs me with a Gallic shrug and a wave up the road "no baguette, le backery 'ee is clos-edd" . I had suddenly entered the world of "allo allo"... But I guess he feels that most days as my order for "cafe au lait" owes more to that British officer than any French he is aware of...
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