Thai Rubber Ring Race

Young locals take part in a rubber ring race on a canal in Samut Prakan, Thailand. The children and teenagers climbed inside the plastic bowls supported with inflatable tyres and used paddles to race 50 metres along the Samrong Canal.brThe waterway is surrounded by traditional style wooden homes on stilts and residents were taking part in the event to celebrate the area's culture and history. Competitor Mr Salick Boonsiri said: ''This was a lot of fun. But it is also very hard. The rings are not stable and they moved around a lot when I paddled. I couldn't go as fast as in a rowing boat.''brThe rubber ring devices are modelled on the traditional wooden tubs that villagers would have used in days gone by to navigate the canals and markets around their stilt homes.