A little out of sequence for this series, and because it was introduced yesterday, today I’m returning to the question of duty-free products.
Chiang Mai, THAILAND, 1 December 2008 – Several countries are making efforts to evacuate their nationals stranded in Thailand after anti-government protesters closed down the Suvarnabhumi and Don Muang airports in Bangkok.
Reports from various sources state that all trains south to Malaysia and the Kuala Lumpur International aviation hub, are fully booked through to 8th December. Alternatives such as the Laos capital, Vientiane, are an arduous journey from Bangkok with no guarantee of flights available from the far smaller airport there. Flights from the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai to Singapore (another regional aviation hub) are also reported as fully booked through to the 8th December.
Up to Sunday, there were some 100,000 Thai and foreign passengers stranded in Thailand, and abroad, due to the closure of the two main airports, Suvarnabhumi last Tuesday and Don Mueang airport last Wednesday. One report has claimed Suvarnabhumi will reopen tonight at 6pm, but that is seen as impossible by most observers.
CHIANG MAI, 13 Nov 2008 – Tourists visiting Thailand should not be put off by news of the latest bombing in the capital, Bangkok.
This latest incident appears to be the result of a commercial dispute regarding new landlords of the capital’s largest market venue, and predictions of increased stall rents that have caused many of the traders to mount a public protest. As such it would seem to be an action between two vested interests with no intent to escalate it to the wider public and visitors.
The explosion occurred at Ratchadamri Road – Rama IV Road Intersection intersection, where vendors of the Klong Toey Market were rallying in protest against new landlords, injuring fifteen of them, two severely, at about 1:00 am Thursday 13th November. The injured were rushed to the Kluay Nam Thai and Chulalongkorn hospitals. The severely injured are Yakob Lohmoh, 51, and Penthiwawan Kaewsuk, 37.
Police quoted a witness as saying a bag was dropped from the flyover over the Ratchadamri-Rama IV Intersection, causing the explosion.
Abridged & Published in Chiang Mai CityLife Magazine – January 2003
A Level Playing Field – Part 1
CHIANG MAI, Thailand – 27 June 2002
I’d been almost 24 hours on the move. I’d decided to travel from the airport to the hotel by air-con taxi. After agreeing the price to Pattaya (Baht 1,000), and loading the baggage, I was starting to believe I was in the correct country, when my first experience of Thai driving skills – between the Domestic terminal and the expressway on-ramp, convinced me of it.
The idiocy of the truck that carved us up made the taxi driver ask me for a cigarette – something no other taxi driver has done since; ergo, it was a seriously close shave. It set my opinion of Thai driving logic (and skills) from that moment on. An opinion that has never changed, and maybe never will …
I Remember it Well ….
The Strengths of the Animals
It’s strange the conversations that one gets into when sitting in an expatriate watering hole.
CHIANG MAI, Thailand – 7 May 2002 – Not so long ago a bunch of us were sitting around glugging our favourite nectars (Diet Coke with lots of ice for the teetotal in 2002 me), when the subject turned to the comments that tourists make when visiting our adopted home city.
Lots of anecdotes came forward, many unprintable here, but also some wisdoms of the aged, imparted with the best of intentions, and which remain salutary lessons to us all. Here is one of my favourites….
A long, long time ago, in a restaurant not far, far away (apologies to Star Wars) a small group of British backpackers were in conversation with the owner of the hostelry. This was just before the (first) end of the last Millennium and a new beer had arrived on the market.
