Sébastien H. Brousseau

This is one of my favorite place in Korat. Not for enjoying so much the horse races but to feel the ambiance. People screaming, betting, eating downstairs. Plenty of food and I am sure you will have a great time. The Korat horse track near Bung Ta Lua. Races are normally on weekends. Normally on Saturday. It starts at noon and there are 10 races, almost every 30 minutes. Each race has 10 to 12 horses and it ends around 6pm. It cost 40 baht to enter. They have large parking but we recommend you to go on motorcycle and avoid leaving at the last race because of the traffic jam. The stadium is quite spacious, offering a variety of food and beverages. My ex-wife hails from Korat and has fond memories of visiting the stadium with her father around 25 years ago. Her father used to place small bets, typically 50 baht, while they enjoyed the famous “Moo satay” available at the venue. According to her recollection, the stadium remains unchanged from 25 years ago. You can still purchase canned beer for 30 baht, with the minimum bet set at 50 baht for horse races. While I’m still learning about the different types of bets available, the simplest options are to bet on a horse to “Win” or “Place”. The terminology used is in English, making it easy to understand. For example, you can select horse “7” to “win”, requiring it to finish first for you to win. Alternatively, choosing “Place” means your horse can finish either first or second. There are two boards displayed upfront. The left board explains the potential winnings for a “WIN”, while the right board displays the numbers for “Place” bets. There are booths where you can place your bets. Betting is open between races until the race commences. To determine when a race starts, many people wait until the last moment to observe the odds on the horses. If you delay too long, the race might begin before you can place your bet. The board provides information on the bets placed. The main board consists of two sections. The left section details the potential winnings for each horse in the “WIN” category. For instance, if it shows “10”, it means you win 10 baht for every 10 baht bet, breaking even. If it displays “29 baht”, you receive 29 baht for every 10 baht bet. For example, if you wager 100 baht on horse 6, and horse 6 has a “56” score for “win” on the board, you would win 560 baht if that horse emerges victorious. Every Saturday or Sunday, the stadium offers affordable food and drinks, creating a pleasant atmosphere. Yesterday, I participated in four races, winning one and losing three. We indulged in drinks and food, spending a total of 300 baht for two people, covering entrance fees, drinks, betting, and factoring in our winnings.

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Useful Legal Resources for Expats in Thailand

• Usufruct Agreement in Thailand
• Divorce in Thailand: Complete Guide
• Social Security in Thailand for Expats
• Same-Sex Marriage in Thailand

Bhutan’s Festivals: Mask Dances and Phalluses If you ask any Bhutanese person when the best is time to visit their country, they won’t go on about the weather, cheap flights, or when fruits are in season.  In fact, the answer seems to be unanimous and glaringly obvious to the locals: come during festival season. http://www.windhorsetours.com/festivals/bhutan_festival.php Annual Temple Festivals in Bhutan Each year, most every temple of any significant size in Bhutan holds an annual festival to cleanse the spiritual purity of the population, nullify evil spirits, and chase away bad luck.  The festival is also a time for people in the community to meet, trade or sell their wares, and of course time for young love to blossom.  And for little boys to get toy guns. The general arrangement is like this.  Monks designate the days for the festival based on tradition and auspicious dates, and these are declared local holidays.  For between 2-4 days, people head to the temple or dzong (fortresses which also house temple) for at least one of the days to take in the events.  Outside the temple, booths are set up to sell products and food, and sometimes even for carnival-type games. Ceremonies start in the morning and run until evening.  These will include music, dances, and ritualistic mask dances performed by both monks and lay dancers.  Some areas also include sports competitions, local games, and educational displays as part of their events. Bhutanese Folk Dances Most festivals will begin with a welcome song and dance by local people, and professional dancers in larger centers.  These are typically quick-tempo joyful dances with both men and women dancing in groups and in pairs.  Men dance in traditional skin boots and wear bright sashes, while women their absolute best clothes.  The result is lively and bright, yet also refined and modest. Jesters and Phalluses After a welcome song or two, jesters in cartoonish masks and bright trousers take the stage, or in this case, the courtyard.  Their job is to lighten the mood and also to assist dancers with any costume problems.  They invariably brandish large wooden phalluses, balls and all, for comedic effect.  Phalluses are symbols of good luck in Bhutan and are often painted on houses and worn as amulets. Jester’s mask After a bit of playing with their wood, the jesters hang back while other dancers take over the space.  However, they continue to play an important symbolic role, teasing the dancers to no effect and therefore demonstrating their spiritual concentration.  It’s hard to see how the dancers manage to ignore bright red phalluses shoved in their faces, but such is the depths of their focus. Ceremonial Dances in Bhutan Contrasting with folk dances, highly ritualized ceremonial dances are the main focus of most festivals’ activities.  These rituals are based in Vajrayana Buddhist traditions and it is believed that simply watching the dances helps the viewer to gain merit and cultivate a Buddhist mindset.  Oddly, the dances are usually performed by monks, though some laypeople may also join if few monks are available. The first dance is usually the Black Hat Dance, performed by monks wearing strange flowing costumes and, naturally, black hats.  They beat drums and twirl to the blaring of horns and clanging of cymbals until, creating a hypnotic atmosphere.  This dance is used to cleanse the area of bad luck and evil spirits. Other dances are performed by masks dancers.  Some tell folk tales, while others are tributes to nature and animals.  In most, though, the masks represent supernatural beings devoted to the protection of Buddhism.  Terrifying masks of the god of power and of hideous skeletons are meant to frighten demons away from devout people. The masks and costumes are important religious artefacts charged with spiritual power and are therefore kept inside temples and protected for their cultural value.  However, copies of the masks are made as souvenirs and are sold across the country. Bhutanese Women’s Songs and Dances Women dance slowly and sing both devotional and folks songs as expressions of culture handed down through the generations.  In some areas, the performances are open and proudly displayed to tourists.  However, in more remote areas, these songs represent important transitions to womanhood and are performed only by local women with links to the songs history.  Their costumes, music, and dances differ across Bhutan so that while mask dances are fairly consistent between temples, women’s traditional performances create varied experiences. Special Festival Events Because there are so many festivals across the country, there’s no way to describe or even know about all of the quirks that are tied to local ceremonies.  For example, at the opening to the Tamshing festival a special bonfire is held at night.  An arch is constructed and boughs tied to it then lit on fire, while people run through the arch for good luck (unless the fire fall son their heads!).  This is followed by a mask dance and then local solo song performances. Like this example, these lesser-known festival activities are hard to find but goods guides will dig them out for you if possible. Festivals are concentrated in the harvest season, October-December, when villagers are wrapping up work and are in a celebratory mood.  Still, there are enough festivals throughout the year that any visit to Bhutan should be able to come across at least one.  They’re not to be missed, especially if you need to build up some merit or simply an incredible photo collection.

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Useful Legal Resources for Expats in Thailand

• Usufruct Agreement in Thailand
• Divorce in Thailand: Complete Guide
• Social Security in Thailand for Expats
• Same-Sex Marriage in Thailand