Singaporeans gatecrash wedding in Thailand after mistaking venue for a restaurant

A group of five Singaporeans on a motorcycle road trip in Thailand chanced upon what they thought was a restaurant in Chiang Mai on Wednesday (March 30) at around 12.30pm. 

Recounting the incident to AsiaOne today (April 1), Dilan Lau said that they spotted a small building with tables and chairs outside, and the lively setting had led them to believe that it was a restaurant.

They happily waltzed in, wanting to order some food.

"It was hard to communicate with the locals as there was a language barrier so we were using hand gestures to say that we were looking for a restaurant," Lau described.

Despite the confusion, the locals at the wedding reception attended to them and even brought them to a table, knowing that it was highly unlikely they were on the guest list.

The oblivious group of young Singaporeans, all in their early 20s, then asked for a menu but found out there wasn't any available.

It was at this moment that they realised they were not at a restaurant but had accidentally gatecrashed what they thought was a party by mistake.

It was only much later after they posted one of their videos online that Lau's friend told him it was actually a wedding reception.

[embed]https://youtu.be/JfIQ872Lpc8[/embed]

Unsure of how to react after finding out that they were not at a restaurant, the embarrassed group wanted to leave but the warm Thais, well known for their gracious hospitality, insisted the Singaporeans stay.

A TikTok video of their encounter (below) subsequently went viral in Thailand. 

[embed]https://www.tiktok.com/@_mmeah/video/7080813487441693978?is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1&q=%40_mmeah&t=1648796373766[/embed]

Lau said that they were served noodles, ice cream, drinks and were even offered alcohol. However, as they were going to be riding after that, they declined.

"We were shocked but in a positive way and the food was great," Lau added.

[embed]https://youtu.be/_Fl_iexCd3U[/embed]

As an act of goodwill, the group of Singaporeans offered to pay the locals for the meals but the hosts said no and even gave them a bag of crackers to snack on during their journey.

This group of friends had started their road trip in Bangkok, drove to Chang Mai to rent motorcycles to complete the 612km Mae Hong Son loop.

This route, which starts and ends in Chiang Mai, passes through the towns of Mae Hong Son and Mae Sariang.

As a comparison, the distance between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur is about 350km.

The group, which had expected to complete this loop in a week, ended up completing it within five days instead. 

ALSO READ: This made my day: Thai eatery treats girl and dad to meal after overhearing touching convo

schermainechoo@asiaone.com