Wedding Bobbers

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The music booms from giant stacked speakers. The male singer wails, drastically off key, his four fru-fru girly girls bob up and down while their flouncy short dresses flutter. They wave their arms, flip their hair, pout their lips, and sometimes join the cacophony. Manufactured "smoke" wafts across the stage, adding an amusing drama to the scene.

Yes I'm still in Chi Phat, where it's wedding season!

The preparation for the celebration started several days ago. The canned music has blared whenever the village electricity is on, starting around 6 am. It travels for miles. The party tent was erected over a couple days, where else, but in the middle of the main street of Chi Phat. It extends at least a football field in length and spreads across nearly the entire dirt road. Thin purple and white veils hang from the sides to enclose the space inside where guests eat and make merry. Dozens of tables and chairs covered with gold cloth fill the inside. The tables are set with the finest tableware.

I tried to escape the wedding noise for awhile, so in the evening as the party was just getting started I accompanied a fisherman to see if we could catch some river lobsters. He paddled slowly along the banks of the quiet river, scanning the waters with his headlamp. I noticed the dark clouds and lightening in the evening sky, so lobsterless, we called it quits after about an hour. Good thing, because the heavens opened as I was walking off the dock.

So that brings me to the party tent. I ducked underneath for refuge, amidst the tables heaped with food and beer and people. Beautiful people are all around, the women are decked out in sparkly polyester dresses and the men wear their best shirts and pants. A man sitting at the table nearby motions for me to sit. He grabs a used glass with some beer in it, adds more beer, and gives it to me.

Some would decline the offer of a used glass of beer, possibly even in disgust. Not me. I accept graciously, clink other glasses at the round table and start guzzling beer. It has an ice cube in it.

This man is smiling. All the men are smiling. All the men appear to be drunk. The two women seated there seem to be tolerating it. They also drink beer in small sips. The cheers keep going. The man, who seems a bit lecherous in a harmless way if there is such a thing, motions that he wants me to dance with him. I coyly ignore. He grabs a pair of used chopsticks from the table, wipes them with a napkin and motions for me to eat some food. No hesitation, I graciously told him I had eaten but thank you very much.

Then the other two people who were lobstering at the same time as I and who also got caught in the rain see me sitting down as they walk through the tent. They laugh. The men at the table get them to sit, provide them with beer, and commence the cheers. One of the ladies gets the tourist lady to get up and dance with her.

Then the harmless lecherous man pulls me up to dance. I'm with the crowd of beautiful people, moving around in a circle to the heavy pounding music. The floodlights heat up the floor, people wave their arms in a snaky motion as they shuffle along. I try to do what they do, restraining myself from really dancing. I step on the feet of the lady behind me, twice. She cries out. I'm wearing my size 11 sandals that can crush a tiny foot. My loose baggy pants and tee shirt are all wrong here. I need shiny sequins and dangling faceted earrings. Most of all I need a painted face, really painted with eyebrows defined and one inch long lashes and thick pasty foundation. The women carry their sequined evening bags as they dance. I need one of those too.

The man gets another woman to dance so now we're a trio. She giggles and snakes her hands. He disappears, and now it's she and I bouncing a little and swaying along. I notice a teen nearby flailing about with a crowd gathered. Joy joy, and he's probably not even drunk. So free to wave his arms and really move his body. Others are restrained and proper.

The dancing continues, the bobbing beautiful heads float around, the booming overtakes my body. It's so hot, but the music doesn't end. I keep going with the lady. She hands me a flower. Four Tweens come up to us and they shyly start bobbing. I wish I could show them how to move their hips.

I quit finally. I'm exhausted. My dance partners disappear and I leave the party.

I hear the music continue far into the night as I lay in bed in my Homestay. I hope that the bride and groom appreciate their parents for what must have been a tremendous expenditure on this big wedding in Chi Phat.

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Photos

Stage for singers and drama
Note the big speakers

Comments

[Dianne]

Your sequined dress...
is definitely missing. I have one in my closet that would have been perfect for this event...I will fit you perfectly! I will try to get it to you one day for future travels! Bobbing and snaking sound fun.

[Traveling Terry]

Missing wedding costume
Yep, sure needed something sparkly. I was way out of place. Really hard to keep from breaking into a "full bob" with hips moving and hands in the air.