Bangkok, December 2008
After November
December 2008
December's Leo Girls:
The sun has just set. These are our views to the west, north and east. Well, not exactly in that order. For that matter most are not even direct compass-point shots....more like north by northwest or like just a hair off due west with a nudge to the north. But, you get the picture.
Our two Bangkok airports are still closed and it looks like they will remain closed until the public turns against the PAD. I think that is the reasoning behind the government's inaction: the more that more Thais are inconvenienced the more likely that they will support the government and condemn the actions of the PAD.
This afternoon perhaps Thailand's Constitutional Court brought something to an end....but, what exactly is at an end? Every time our system is rebooted it seems to freeze before it finishes the job. Do we get another PM (the third in as many months)? Maybe another election? Perhaps the military will take over again.
But, at least this last decade in Bangkok has been better than the eight years of W in the US.
Our new shopping mall.
Various waters at the Athenee Residence.
Today is the King's 81st birthday so the normally congested streets and highways of Bangkok are pretty peaceful. Many Bangkokians take the opportunity of this three day weekend to visit family upcountry.
Wat, Wad, Wee and Su.
I checked on my "Watched by Pretty Thai Girls" cache today. It looks like a toy box now.
http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=6adf2925-c584-43da-86b9-315f5a69dee9
A brand new Next2 has just opened up in the Shangri La hotel. We probably will not be eating there very much in the future as we have moved next door to the Plaza Athenee hotel.
As you can see from the absence of Next2 lunch patrons (there were only 4) the PAD sit-in at Bangkok's two international airports has deeply hurt the local tourist industry. The Shangri-La had a 15% occupancy rate yesterday. The Oriental had only 7%. The Peninsula hotel had 13 occupied rooms.
Though we have lost the Next2 we have gained Circle, a self-billed American style restaurant in the Ruam Rudi shopping mall. Spicy shrimp dumplings and seared tuna? American? I guess, in a way. But show me the turkey to make it real!
I am not sure how useful this is, but our condo's TV sets also pick up a 24/7 live feed on the Athenee Residence's two main doors. Any guesses why? Checking on pizza deliveries? Keeping an eye open on returning spouses? Nosy about who your neighbor brings home? And, who is that girl leaving the building at 5AM in high heels? I wonder if any wife will hook it up with a Tivo to keep track of her husband's comings and goings while she is visiting her parents up country.
Next: Part II
