Happy New Year - Sabaidee Pii Mai Lao

[AlanB]

Sabaidee Pii Mai (Happy New Year) to everyone in Cafe Saxophone from Laos.

You may all consider yourselves splashed with water and wished the very best of luck with this years harvest.

All the best - Alan (Vientiane)

 

[Nick Cook]

Any excuse for drink!!!

Sabaidee Pii Mai!!!!

 

[AlanB]

Absolutely right! You know exactly the same amount of "Beer Lao" is sold this week as is sold through out the other 51 weeks of the year. That's a 51:1 ratio.
Al

 

[Young Col]

I'll drink to that then, Alan.

 

[Young Col]

Alan, I'll take a second go at this. I am told that I can reply 'Khorp Khun, Khraap' , which is a very polite and not rude "thank you". I hope I am well informed!
YC

 

[AlanB]

YC - That is a very polite "thank you" in Thai, which is also celebrating Songkran at the moment. In Lao you can say Khop Jai Lai Lai or Khop Jai Der.
Cheers - Al

 

[Young Col]

Spot on Alan and thanks! I ran your original past a friend who lived in Bankok for several years and he produced the reply in Thai. He likened the difference to something like that between Geordie and London English. I've heard the same parallel expressed in terms of Dutch and Belgian Flemish.
Cheers
YC

 

[Josh Johnson]

Just driven non-stop back from New Year merriments down in Phuket - it was worth every kilometer!

Happy New Year!

 

[AlanB]

YC yeah that's right. Most Lao can speak Thai fluently, generally because the majority of soap operas on TV are in Thai. But generally the Thai can't speak Lao unless the come from the Northeast of Thailand. I speak Lao, but can't seem to get my head round Thai. Shop assistants in Bangkok find it absolutely hilarious when I speak Lao to them. It might be likened to a chinese person speak very very broad west country.

Josh - hope you had a wonderful time in Phuket, I always get a little fearful before Pii Mai, but after a few beers I get into it and just go with the flow ('scuse the pun). Yesterday was the big one for us, thousands of people lining the streets, soaking wet, music blaring and more Beer Lao than you can shake a stick at. I hope the troubles in Bangkok aren't affecting you too much, we are all sad to see the escalation.
Al