A Day at the Buffalo Races, Mabprachan

[sabang]

Every year in November you get a weekend of Longboat and Buffalo racing around Lake Mabprachan, which is about 8km east of Pattaya along Soi Siam Country Club. It's a good time to visit here, and plenty of bars and restaurants around too. DD's thread checked out the boat racing, now lets have a look at the Buffaloes.



Plenty of parking at the Wat, and surprisingly it's free.



Cross the road and you're there. It's right by the Lake.



Now the first thing you notice is that Buffalo do not take kindly to being ridden. It takes at least ten minutes of mayhem before a race gets under way- false starts, bucking bronco's and so on.

[sabang]

This cantankerous Bovine did about half the track before he was reined in.



But eventually a race happens. It's over in about twenty seconds.



And then theres more chaos at the end. A few of the jockeys (Tough Crew them, make our jockeys look like the overpaid Wimps they are) have to jump off the still charging animals, 'cus they don't want to stop.



And the Winner is? Well, who cares.



Organised mayhem, Thai style. I was lovin' it.

[sabang]

The Falang Kwai was a crowd favourite, although he didn't win anything.



Should any TD member which to recapture his long lost masculinity before the Thai, I do recommend a spot of equestrian sport with the docile water buffalo. Get your TG or mates to bring a camera, and make sure your insurance is paid up.

This fellows Dutch courage was in full swing, and he gets my Falang Kwai of the day award.



Yep, he was gonna ride the Buffalo to tell the folks back home. Only too happy to oblige, they brought him a small one. The crowd loved it.



The Buffalo didn't.

Whilst he is unquestionably in the running for this years Darwin awards, I have to pay credit to the quality of that guys liquor. He was up and down three times before he finally decideded he'd had enough, and limped off.

[sabang]

We at TD are ever the Cavaliers, and heres one for our Ladies.



And one for the racing fraternity. What fine racing buttocks.



Impressive aren't they? Apparently these Beasts do not spend time in the Paddy fields, they are purpose bred for racing and reproduction.

Lets have a closer look.



With two Buffs on board, these Song Thaews were pretty low at the back.

[AntRobertson]

Excellent thread!

For some reason I find buffalo inordinately funny. Everytime I even see one it's like: 'Haha, buffalo!'.

[sabang]

Mrs loves a Winner. The Winner doesn't look so impressed though.



She was even able to stock up on her favourite Ubon sausages- a local speciality. I think it made both her and the vendors day.



In true Thai style, it seems there is a trophy for everyone.

[sabang]

Mabprachan supplies a lot of Pattaya's water, as well as being a valuable source of food to those of the locals who wish to exploit it. Other than this, it is rapidly developing into the local falang food and entertainment strip. When I first moved here, less than two years ago, by the Lake you had Khun Johns restaurant, the Fishermand Rest pub, and around the corner the Terrace beer bar.
Heres some hotel nearing completion:-



Well now you can easily do an all day piss crawl by the Lake- and I should know. The establishments are not all necessarily geared for a family day out, but you already knew that, being Pattaya. In the last coupla weeks we've had Brannigans Irish pub/restaurant open up which is quite a posh and imposing place (well, by local standards). And soon enuff we'll have that place above going strong. Theres also a park area being made by the Lake, which is gonna play some part in some forthcoming Asian games. And recently we had some womans PGA thing at the nearby Siam Country Club. And then theres the nearby Horseshoe Point Equestrian centre.

Hell, it's almost becoming civilised around here.



Looking back across the Lake (from Sami's Bar) towards the Longboat racing grandstand and stuff.



We may as well finish where we began- more mayhem at the starting gates. False start this one.

'Ava nice day, and I do recommend checking out the buffalo racing if you get a chance.



Funny, they seem so docile.

[Clockwork Orange]

The best thread I have seen for a long time.

Excellent pics. Brightend up my day no end.

[sabang]

Thanks Ant and CO.
I wish I'd got more shots of the actual racing, but I only saw two races before it ended, and I managed to miss all the action in the second one.

[Silent Orchestra]

No matter - this one is hilarious enough.