Noise!

[BillaRickaDickay]

I Like the relaxed attitude to noise, It means I can turn up the volume on my music and no one comes knocking on my door, or banging on the ceiling, or calling the Ole Bill...............having said that, If it was Rap or Hip Hop or some of those simpering X factor heroes being blurted out I'd probably have to move if my Volume jerk was not powerful enough to drown it

[maaka]

There I was last week firmly ensconed in my village bungalow for the first time. The only honky this side of the black stump, and bugger me if I am awaken at 4.00am by the dull dong of a huge bell, somewheres off in the direction of the village Wat..it so happens on Full Moons and Half Moons, but then everyday at 6am like an alarm clock..then at 6.30am the village elder comes on the tannoy as loud as belly hoo, and rattles off some annoucements for the day, then shortly after the travel Wilbury's in thier pickup trucks descend on the village from both directions having some sort of shouting match to be sure...god, back home I would have reached for my .308 and sent them on their way for sure, or the council would have been around to take said tannoy off them...theres no peace in the back of beyond either..

[cactus]

i to wish i had my trusty 303.25 for some of those noisey buggas,.....the second shot would be a warning shot....

[noosard]

I live across the road from our local village wat
the monks drum the bell every day like you say Maaka but it does not bother me
same as the roosters crowing half the night
seem to get use to these noises
not so keen on the local news been broadcasted
I lived in Hamilton for a few years across the road was the railway shunting yard
now that is a noise that takes a bit getting use to at 2am

[mortiboy]

TIT sorry to say. You cant change the system here. Thai's are immune to noise.
Like a dog sitting on the front porch,no matter what noise is present... dont give a s**t
Us farangs are different species.In a civilized world, where all is in order,It never can happen.
But Last night there was a "party' North of Nong Sam rong. It was quite a distance away
Full volume, Really so loud. But I must say it stopped just after 12.00. That was OK!
But what about the poor sods lived near it? (Probably they were there too raving it up)!
Yes Makka,I fail to understand why on earth they wake everyone up early hours?
Are they in keeping with submission with the locals? Keep them inline with their "culture"?
I wonder about that . That would be the "Poo-yai ban" job. Keep em in line.
I wonder what they talk about in the early hours? Does he actually get payed?
I have driven around different areas, and there is always a Temple (or 2) strategically placed within a few kilometres.
of a village. Here there are 4 Temples within one kilometre!
Ok up to them, but why must the whole neighborhood have to endure blasting out at megawatts lai
All I am saying.......... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkZC7sqImaM

[747man]

Roy, Yer Shudda been here on Sunday Night,Some Bloody Danish guy had a 70th Birthday party with the FULL ON Speakers blasting out with Karaoke,Moolam,& The announcer sounded like he was getting STRANGLED,If it had gone on any later I would have risked my life & limbs and gone & cut the cables to the speakers.....Mind you IF I had I probably would'nt have been posting this now......

[mortiboy]

Roy, Yer Shudda been here on Sunday Night,Some Bloody Danish guy had a 70th Birthday party with the FULL ON Speakers blasting out with Karaoke,Moolam,& The announcer sounded like he was getting STRANGLED,If it had gone on any later I would have risked my life & limbs and gone & cut the cables to the speakers.....Mind you IF I had I probably would'nt have been posting this now......

LOL! But what time it finish?

[stattointhailand]

Have to wake them up early in the morning in the village to prepare the food for the merit giving to the monks ..... wouldn't want them to starve would you? ..... or worse still, have to go into town and get a Mcmuffinthemule

[Earnest]

Yes, they're quite a happy bunch, the Danes, they're supposed to be the happiest people on the planet. Good luck to 'em, nothing like a birthday party for old folks.

[mortiboy]

Have to wake them up early in the morning in the village to prepare the food for the merit giving to the monks ..... wouldn't want them to starve would you? ..... or worse still, have to go into town and get a Mcmuffinthemule

Tuck in lads!

[seagulls]

I can commiserate with the OP as I live very close to the venue where last nights Horrible screamfest was
emanating from .It was in the grounds of Nongsamrong municipality .Apparently Loy Kratong was celebrated in
this area yesterday hence the din . I have lived in the area for ten years and last night had to be one the loudest as
it was rattling our windows .We even tried to sleep downstairs but to no avail .What is a little confusing is to me is
why the local authorities would condone such an event especially knowing that so many people have to go to work
or school the following day and the London Bus size speakers would encompass such a large area . Sadly most of these crappy Thai bands think that volume is quality and with enough Booze and enhancements turn it up .Usually one can
tell when this is happening when they yell YEAH !! at the end of some bloody awful screaming session . I can only
hope that on Thur we don't get a repeat performance ,

[maaka]

I guess it was the surprise of it all Noosard that got me..Being a bushman from Gt. Barrier and being surrounded by oodles of wilderness, and where to hear the engine of a car way off on the distant road has one straining to catch a glimspe of it, or its occupants, is a big occassion, I somehow thought rural Thailand would be just the odd dog barking and rooster crowing, and quiet nodding poor weary tired rice farmers sleeping in the midday shade, but oyiiiiiii it was a sympony of noise..I would have a wazz in the night and just to switch the light on would cause the confused roosters next door to think it was sunrise, and thereby do there thing..obviously one is not meant to sleep in, in rural Thailand..its rise and shine campers...

Morti, I was led to believe from the new other half, that the position of Grand Moffti of said hamlet is a good money spinner, perhaps not directly, but thru tea money squirreled away from certain events laid on..indeed, while I was there said chief had taken 300bt from every household for a travelling troop of dancers to come visit for a night of dancing with the locals..100bt per dance per person as well...apparently some of this fee is earmarked for other more personal matters..anyway, its all fun and adventurous...wouldnt change it for the world, just get earplugs

[jingjai]

TIT sorry to say. You cant change the system here. Thai's are immune to noise.
no matter what noise is present... dont give a s**t
Us farangs are different species. In a civilized world, where all is in order, it never can happen.

I fail to understand why on earth they wake everyone up early hours? I wonder what they talk about in the early hours?
Are they in keeping with submission with the locals? Keep them inline with their "culture"?
I wonder about that .
That would be the "Poo-yai ban" job. Keep em in line.
Does he actually get payed?

There you have it in a nutshell. Thais are conceived in noise, carried in the womb amongst noise, born into noise, and live their entire lives in noise.
Don't know if they are "immune" to sounds...they just don't hear the way we do.
How many time have we watched our wives sleep through barking dogs, fireworks, music, etc.
I first became aware of the phenomenon when I took a bus from Bangkok to Pattaya, some twenty years ago. Thais were sleeping before we even left the Ekamai area. And they continued to sleep through the entire journey, even while loud music was played on the bus's speakers, and with numerous starts and stops.

As far as the "Poo-yai ban" goes...expect nothing from them. And if you do "complain" to them, you will be labeled a "troublemaker".
Don't know if they are actually paid? I think it is more of a "big-face" title.

[davecryan]

My Bro in Law is the poo yai bann of the next village and I was told he is paid 9000 baht per month plus 'bonuses '

[stereolab]

[/quote]
There you have it in a nutshell. Thais are conceived in noise, carried in the womb amongst noise, born into noise, and live their entire lives in noise.
Don't know if they are "immune" to sounds...they just don't hear the way we do.
How many time have we watched our wives sleep through barking dogs, fireworks, music, etc.
I first became aware of the phenomenon when I took a bus from Bangkok to Pattaya, some twenty years ago. Thais were sleeping before we even left the Ekamai area. And they continued to sleep through the entire journey, even while loud music was played on the bus's speakers, and with numerous starts and stops.

Round about me I have people shouting all the time, mainly at their very young kids, the kids are fine, it is the parents who are making all the noise. They stand NEXT to each other 100 yards away from me, and I can take part in the conversation, except that I cannot talk quite that loud. Unfortunately I have a loudspeaker Tessaban (spelling) very close by, and they do not announce the broadcast, but just start either shouting or playing some random music. I spent 24 years in the Military, every broadcast on the tannoy system was preceded by a "stand by for broadcast" to warn of the upcoming message.

[FrazeeDK]

always seems like as the cooler weather comes in November and December there are more parties throughout my area.. I can jack up the ambient noise enough in my house (A/C, air cleaner, fan) to get rid of a goodly part of it but the boom, boom boom of the bass speakers shakes my place and occasionally rattles the windows.. Earplugs don't stop that...

[Barney]

I can commiserate with the OP as I live very close to the venue where last nights Horrible screamfest was
emanating from .It was in the grounds of Nongsamrong municipality .Apparently Loy Kratong was celebrated in
this area yesterday hence the din . I have lived in the area for ten years and last night had to be one the loudest as
it was rattling our windows .We even tried to sleep downstairs but to no avail .What is a little confusing is to me is
why the local authorities would condone such an event especially knowing that so many people have to go to work
or school the following day and the London Bus size speakers would encompass such a large area . Sadly most of these crappy Thai bands think that volume is quality and with enough Booze and enhancements turn it up .Usually one can
tell when this is happening when they yell YEAH !! at the end of some bloody awful screaming session . I can only
hope that on Thur we don't get a repeat performance ,

Seagulls that racket last night in Nong Samrong was the loudest I have heard, I am directly across and on the other side of the lake in a northerly direction. Drove home past the function area and thought it would be not be to loud in that residential area being midweek, how wrong. I must be 4 Km away as the crow flies and it sounded like a car was parked outside my bedroom with the stereo on full blast. Music was a as clear as a bell. Can't imagine how loud it was next to the speakers. At least it was turned down at some hour before it went quiet. Was a one off though.
Any way I am back to a few beers with the crickets and frogs symphony tonight same as Statts.
The greater excitement last night for us before the music cranked up was the local blokes capturing a 4 or 5 mtr python on the road near our place. Next door neighbour had it in a clay water barrel and sent for us to come have a look. Jesus it was big.

[glalt]

If you have been in Thailand any length of time, you should know that the Thais love noise. Here in our small village there are wedding and parties. You will see trucks with huge speakers stacked up. These speakers are cracked and blown out but as long as they make a lot of noise, they like them. As long as the base is good and loud the crowd is happy. I put up with it because there is no where else that I want to be. Get used to it because it is not likely to change.

[Deacz9]

Sadly its the same if not worse in Cambodia!
They celebrate everything with noise as it means, if you can hear you are living and must be having fun, the louder the better! . If you live in Phnom Penh, at least the buildings mask the noise from travelling as it gets deflected and absorbed. In more rural areas they start weddings at 5am with music, again from George Formby crossed with Hawkwind at max distortion setting, through megaphone type tannoy speakers designed to give maximum annoyance to far distance! If you living in a tall building it is worse, the noise just bounces off everything and focuses on the highest thing which happens where I live. (Height is better for less mosquitoes and better air quality (neighbours constantly burning plastic waste) but not for noise.) Funerals are slightly better, in the early morning again but with a more sedate plinky plonky type of theme, but can last into the early hours, when the alcohol intake of the party goers makes them care free and wanting to turn up the noise and make the neighbours aware of what a great person the deceased was !. This can last up to 3 days of mourning and at the one year anniversary of death happens all over again!
A birthday (they all celebrate the baby's 1st birthday without exception) can be Crusty Khmer Karaoke music or Gangham style played on a loop! The DJ often cuts a track half way then puts on another tune, but at twice or half the volume/decibels of the previous, then the next will be the opposite volume. The baby is placed right next to the speakers to insure irreparable hearing damage! At around midnight when It's supposed to end they always turn it up to the max, even when everybody has gone home ,nobody dancing or passed out.
Apart from these festivals it is generally quiet unless you live close proximity to Khmer neighbours who start their dawn chorus of shouting and squarking and coughing up flem, not to mention the roosters and degenerate dogs! I look forward to my annual trip to Thailand for some peace and quiet!

[mortiboy]

MY God! what a hsit hole! Must be a night mare! So whats the advantage of living with all that rude environment
Seems Thailand more civilized than I thought!I could not bear that! no way. I would go insane!