Sunday, November 9, 2008

Winter in Thailand


Strange to think that Thailand has a winter. Westerners spend most of the year sweating like they were in a sauna and usually the coldest spot in Thailand is a movie theater. A Chilly 21C. Brrrr.

Last night riding home on my motorcycle, I suppressed a shiver. Fah nao or the cold season had arrived like clockwork.

Not that we should expect snow.

The mountains in the North drop to 3C above Zero at worst and the season ends in February, but for the next two months Thais will be bundling up like they were in training from Siberia. Except in the go-go bars. Thank the stars for climate control.

Frozen flowers should only be found on mountain tops.

I laid a bet at a bookie that it will snow this year in Thailand.

On a mountain top.

I got 10-1 odds for a 500 baht bet.

The bookie wouldn’t take any more.

The last record of snow dates back to 1955 in Chiang Rai, when the temperature dropped to freezing and rain turned first to hail and then ice flakes. The snow cover lasted 38 hours before melting under the tropical sun. That was over 52 years ago, but I have a good feeling about this bet.

It’s gonna get cold.

Especially around Xmas

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