Flogging elephants and businesses ...

[Smiles]

The 2013 edition of the Surin Elephant Roundup & Festival takes place during the whole week of November 11~17, but the Really Big Shoe part (the denouement, climax, pinnacle, orgasm, zenith etc etc) happens on Saturday the 16th and Sunday the 17th.  

I believe the wild and woolly-mammoth buffet brunch (first photo below) takes place on Friday the 15th. Don't miss that!

During the week, and during the last three days there are also many other odd things going on both in town and out in the environs:  light shows, fireworks, crazed markets, bars a-baring, Mularm music All-The-Time.

 

As you possibly already are aware, my old man, the exquisitely spoiled Khun Suphot, has a tour guide business ... and a most successful one indeed.  

For the last 5 years he has always had customer(s) from these various gay Thailand message boards who book his tour service for this extremely popular festival in the very heart of Khymer Isaan.  

Once booked, he has invariably had to turn down other enquiries because they were too late.

 

So I post this ~ admittedly an advert ~ blurb here to let anyone who is really keen on taking in the Elephant Festival this year to get their names in as soon as possible.  Once booked Suphot can also ~ in advance ~ book you a reasonably priced hotel (he has a network facility unmatched in Isaan!), or at the very least, give you many options vis-a-vis price; level of accommodation: Hi-So (or Lo-So) Quotient, etc etc.

 

Herein find some photos of snippets of the Festival and 'things to see' around Surin, of which there are many, including Isaan school children on the very precipice of disaster ... and a photo of the esteemed tour guide/driver himself, holding up ~ without help ~ an 800 year, 7,000 pound old door lintel at Phanom Rung.

The man is indeed a ham, par excellence.

 

 

 

Mother and Child gorging on vegetables at the buffet.  That kid has it's nose right up mom's mouth, looking for ...

For a small fee you can ride an elephant the length of the trip down to Buffet Central.  Check the straps on the seats:  a couple of years ago two (that I know of) fell off half way to the food, spilling screaming farangs down onto the pavement.  Nobody hurt (that I know of) but scared for life, poor dears.  Thais gathered around, nattering, pointing, wilting in laughter.

   

 

 

 

The very rare elephant twins.  These two cuties were slathered over by every Thai kid from miles around.  Born just a week or so before the Festival, their presence attracted photographers from all the Thai papers and was all the rage, hugely auspicious . . . like baby pandas in China.

 

 

 

 

The festival ends with a battle between Thailand and Burma.  Er ... guess who wins?

The field lay littered with Burmese dead, the elephants under orders to stomp on any would-be corpse which moved.  Which they did with enthusiasm.

 

 

 

 

The supremely majestic central Khymer temple at Phanom Rung.  About a half-hour drive from Surin City.

One feels-the-robes walking up the long pathway, then stairway ... and one feels-the-burn after the summit has been conquered.  But it's well worth it.

Sit peacefully in the huge bamboo groves which flourish on the shade side of the temple and ~ if luck lives with you ~ get a fleeting glimpse of the ghost of Khymer King Phibunsamuklalawardeeprasartphrayasimilkonverabunkrunthep ('The Great'), who apparently haunts the central chedi, still ~ after 800 years ~ not having been able to master the pronunciation of his own name.

 

 

 

 

View from resting in said bamboo grove ...

 

 

 

 

Yup, this shot was taken at a quite unreasonable speed for all the relaxation, straw-sucking and jabbering  going on in the back. One quick brake to avoid 'something' up ahead and at least three of these dudes are shit-outta-luck.

Thais NEVER believe 'it' will happen to them ... and when it does, it's off to the temple for some merit-making, all scratched and bleeding and bandaged. Good enough, let's do it again!

 

 

 

 

 

The ever-smiling Mr Suphot, resting, posing, happy that his customer (in this particular instance, me) is wildy content.  

 

 

 

 

I posted a flogging-the-business post back last November, so all the important details of Suphot's tour guide business can be viewed here.  Within the post you'll find different options for contact information:   http://www.gaybuttonthai.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=3967

[ChristianPFC]

One quick brake to avoid 'something' up ahead and at least three of these dudes are shit-outta-luck.

 

If the car brakes, all passengers will be forced inside the car by inertia, none will fall off the truck.

[Guest]

Smiles, thank you for the excellent post and lovely photos. That's an area I would like to visit.

 

If the car brakes, all passengers will be forced inside the car by inertia, none will fall off the truck.

Inertial will cause their feet to move forward under the rear of the vehicle, no immediate problem.

Their upper leg will stay where it is.

Then when another vehicle runs into the back, they will never walk again.

 

That's one reason why I try to avoid standing on the back of Baht buses.  The platform has negligible structural strength & any vehicle running in the back, even @ about 5mph means you're going to be crippled for life.

[TotallyOz]

From Gaybutton's board, the email says:

 

Anyone interested in such an adventure can email Suphot directly at >

 

 

Many months back, I did try to email him as I wanted a guide in Hua Hin. But, I never heard back. Is the above email correct?

[Smiles]

From Gaybutton's board, the email says:  Anyone interested in such an adventure can email Suphot directly at << suphot.tours@gmail.com >>

Many months back, I did try to email him as I wanted a guide in Hua Hin. But, I never heard back. Is the above email correct?

 

The email address in the quote above is correct. Why you didn't get a response (which would be highly unusual) I don't know:  I'm his Old Man, not his business manager.

Perhaps you put him off by asking whether his car seats are First Class or Economy.

[TotallyOz]

Perhaps you put him off by asking whether his car seats are First Class or Economy.

Don't worry dear. I am sure he knows that anyone that found him through you would be looking for economy.