Bongo Fury

Visited the Bongo Bash this year as a day visitor. Arrived around 10:30 but nobody available to check me in, count me or tell me where to park. I guess they were “bleary-eyed”. Was interested in meeting fellow owners and get their feedback on some issues but those I met seemed pre-occupied with the joys of camping out which is fair enough. In fact, nobody bothered to speak to me or even make eye contact all day. I felt like a Martian rather than a Bongo owner. Was at the marquee at 11:30 but the AGM did not begin. After a drink and a rest I made my way to the Bongo “shop” (around 13:00) but it was being rapidly dismantled.
I made a 370 mile round trip to meet fellow enthusiasts. I won’t be repeating the mistake next year!

Are you sure you were at the right place? Bongo reception & shop opened Sunday morning at 0940 and Carol and John were working there until 12 noon. Also there was a big notice showing where day visitors could park. And the AGM started at exactly 1135 in the main marquee. There were about 60 of us there. And, yes, we closed and dismantled the shop after the AGM because we had to go home! We had after all been there since Tuesday!

Sorry that you've had a bad experience...although Sunday is probably not the best of days as most peeps are heading for home. Not sure where you live but if its in the North West you'd be very welcome to get in touch. We have the odd meet (very odd) up here.

You're right about everyone being preoccupied or trying to recover....it took me four hours to pack this morning and I only had a small tent!

cheers
H

I wandered into the shop at about 10.30 to enquire the time of the AGM, which we then went to.

Agreed it started a very few minutes late, but no big deal and a lot of fun.

FrustratedofTW wrote:Visited the Bongo Bash this year as a day visitor. Arrived around 10:30 but nobody available to check me in, count me or tell me where to park. I guess they were “bleary-eyed”. Was interested in meeting fellow owners and get their feedback on some issues but those I met seemed pre-occupied with the joys of camping out which is fair enough. In fact, nobody bothered to speak to me or even make eye contact all day. I felt like a Martian rather than a Bongo owner. Was at the marquee at 11:30 but the AGM did not begin. After a drink and a rest I made my way to the Bongo “shop” (around 13:00) but it was being rapidly dismantled.
I made a 370 mile round trip to meet fellow enthusiasts. I won’t be repeating the mistake next year!

I'm really puzzled by your experience, and please don't be put off, as that would be the only real mistake you could make. I remember my first Bash - I wondered what on earth I would find there. No-one reaches out to you but looking back, why would they - they've all come just to chill out and switch off. I nervously sought out the one or two people I'd got to know a bit on the forum and once I'd done that, one introduction led to another and away we went. In the end, the challenge was to find space and time NOT to have to talk with folk, as I'm useless at talking and getting on with anything!

Sunday is indeed a tricky day. We were packed up and off before the AGM even started, in order to beat the M6 traffic as we can a blown alternator. SO I suspect others may have been similarly preoccupied. I think you were very unfortunate, as Bongo people and the Bongo Bash in fine weather really is about as good as it gets - and I'm neither a lifelong camping nut nor a club person generally.

Depending on where you are based, why not visit a meet local to you, to avoid another long drive. Come to think of it, I had been to local meets before graduating to the Bash, otherwise I might not have had the nerve.

It was after carefull deliberation that I reply to this topic.....

I have NEVER seen so many negative comments about the Bongo bash.....

I was there during the times stated and find it hard to believe that the statements are actually factual.

I will leave it there as I am very upset with this topic....

Alan

Im really confused by this thread because this was our first bash and we arrived on saturday after reception had closed and being a bit of a thicko I even drove in from the camping field and not via the main entrance but the first person I spoke to told me where to pitch up and when to go back to reception and on the Sunday I went to reception to borrow a set of jump leads and again found people really helpful and I definitely spoke to lots of people over the 2 days and if you had came and spoke to us we would definitely have had a chat with you in fact on the saturday we chatted to a couple for about an hour and they hadnt even got a bongo. Are you sure you were in a field full of bongos or a field full of cows?

This surprises me too as I was pitched next to the day visitor spot and spoke to or at least acknowledged most that I saw as I was just hanging around in no particular hurry to pack up, including a guy with a Brawny/Bongo which was great.
I too missed the AGM as Briwy's timings were slightly out but theres always next years.
If you were the local day visitor who I spoke to asking about where to get LPG, I got some at Hagley where you suggested but the pump was extremely slow. Thanks

370 Mile round trip, definitely not local, and I'm guessing TW is in Kent.

Sorry Bob, missed that bit

FrustratedofTW wrote:Visited the Bongo Bash this year as a day visitor. Arrived around 10:30 but nobody available to check me in, count me or tell me where to park. I guess they were “bleary-eyed”.

Wasn't at reception. But “bleary-eyed”? I might have been...............

Was interested in meeting fellow owners and get their feedback on some issues but those I met seemed pre-occupied with the joys of camping out which is fair enough. In fact, nobody bothered to speak to me or even make eye contact all day.

So, the question is. Did this very welcome Martian visitor actually meet any Earthlings? Met or saw? If met, then I have to assume that whoever it was you met realised that it wouldn't be worth trying to speak to a Martian as they probably don't understand English and you probably misinterpreted their sign language as being in the negative. As for eye contact, where are Martian eyes?

I felt like a Martian rather than a Bongo owner.

Now, of course if this Martian had come ANYWHERE near my van (Ok, not a Bongo anymore but....) and made ANY effort to make contact with THIS Earthling he would have been dragged to a seat, offered drink/food and then introduced to (forced to talk to?) any other unsuspecting Bongo owner in the vicinity and given a guided tour of any Bongo available in the area. In fact, if he had come on the Saturday he could have joined us in our free, open to anyone (including aliens) barbecue party (many thanks Tommy) just as several other new attendees did...

Was at the marquee at 11:30 but the AGM did not begin.

Loads of people walked past me on their way at 11.30 and several asked me if I was going but as I was still pre-occupied with the joys of 4 nights of camping out (otherwise known as clearing away the remains of 4 days of "Party Central") I felt that I didn't have the time, and then the same people returned past me at @12.00. They must have gone to church...

After a drink and a rest I made my way to the Bongo “shop” (around 13:00) but it was being rapidly dismantled.

At this point I feel compelled to apologise to the Bongonauts who stayed for Sunday night that I had disappointed them by removing "Party Central" although I am sure they probably don't feel I need to!!!!

I made a 370 mile round trip to meet fellow enthusiasts.

My first thoughts are that this is a "Flaming" post. The name leads me to that based on the old BBC caricature... "Moaning (or add your own name) of Tunbridge Wells"! But then I checked the distance for a return trip to Stourport from Tunbridge Wells which was 340 miles so maybe this person really did leave Tunbridge Wells at around 7am on Sunday morning for a day visit (fair play to you if you did). I know that if I had made THAT amount of effort I would have made at least the same amount of effort to talk to people rather than expect them to just stop whatever they were doing to talk to me!

I won’t be repeating the mistake next year!

Oh. Please come back and join us for the whole weekend. It's only then that you will realise that we Earthlings really are both friendly and bonkers and then, and only then, will you be fully qualified to make a decision on returning in the future...

Ps. Oh dear! I've just discovered that the local college doesn't do Martian lessons...

Earth calling Frustrated...

Or is it April 1st?

FrustratedofTW wrote:..... In fact, nobody bothered to speak to me or even make eye contact all day. I felt like a Martian rather than a Bongo owner..... !

Before my son was ill I went to a few meets both with the TEOC and .. erm .. another Bongo club ..

I always thought conversation is two way .. why would some one .. have .. to speak to you .. first .. you are as much a stranger to them .. as they are to you ..!!

mikeWalsall wrote: ...I went to a few meets both with the TEOC and .. erm .. another Bongo club ...

See. I told you that we welcome aliens...