Climbing the Greasy Pole

One of the most fun events I have watched at fairs in Thailand is the Climbing the Greasy Pole Competition. As the name suggest, you have to try and climb a pole that has been greased to reach your prize at the top. These photos were taken during the Buffalo Racing in Chonburi recently. But, you can see this competition at many other events too.

At various levels up the pole, there is some paper banknotes pinned to the bambool pole. Lower down there are only 50 baht and 100 baht notes. But, nearer the top there are 1,000 baht notes.

Some people chose to do this as part of a team which means you need to share the prize money. Others did it alone as in the guy in the pictures below. He managed to get the 100 baht note but failed to get the 500 baht note which was a bit higher. It was certainly fun watching them try to get to the top only to slide back down.

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