Skip to main content

Beautiful Bangkok

So somehow we ended up in Bangkok
in the middle of a military coup.

It was already low season
but add in martial law ,
a curfew to put the kibosh* on all rooftop cocktails
together with the rainy season and high humidity, 
and you practically have the place all to yourself!

Wonderful, whoever wanted a boring holiday?


We've packed carefully 
no red or yellow t-shirts
which might be misconstrued as political support one way or another.

Our Australian Government's Smart Traveller advice is to: 
exercise a high degree of caution in Thailand, 
as the security situation remains volatile...

We arrive to find remarkable calm,
and unlike many European or American airports
not even a Royal Thai Army machine gun in sight...


When you arrive at Bangkok's International Airport these days
the Thailand Tourist Board operating under 
the new administration of
the National Council for Peace and Order,
give you a right royal welcome.

The Thai people, renown for being friendly and welcoming
are so super pleased to see visitors these days,
 they are offering tourists one heavily discounted local tour.

We figured speeding through the Bangkok backwaters
should keep us well away from any trouble. 
Yes, a James Bond boat tour was perfect!


Our tour guide turns up in a Stars and Stripes Jacket, 
he thought we were American!
Which actually as it turns out was rather sweet of him 
as he later tells us he is not best pleased with the 
US Government for the Trade sanctions 
they have imposed on Thailand.

We didn't like to go there with what the 
British or Aussie Governments are doing...

Or that the rest of the world 
is not entirely impressed by Thailand's
recent military, government or political behavour!
'No, no we're not American' we say!


But actually the majority of the Thai people we speak to 
seem resigned to the coup, even welcoming.
'Someone needed to sort things out', they say.

They've seen coup after coup here in Thailand. 
and now the curfew has been lifted,
they hardly notice any difference.
'When they closed 7 Eleven, then it was serious'

It appears as if the rest of the world is far more concerned about 
the removal of democracy than the Thai's we converse with.



Of course we don't meet the peasant farmers who would disagree,
One lone taxi driver, in the privacy of his own cab tells us
'No-one is saying what they think...
They are scared'.

We've been to Bangkok many times
and apart from the lack of tourists,
 it doesn't feel any different to us.



There are some phenomenal deals on hotels
Flights are pretty cheap
and guess what we got a late check out at the hotel until 4pm
Easy when no-one is checking in!



Book your holiday to Thailand quick
It's beautiful here
Don't you think?! 

* ki·bosh

Idioms
2.
put the kibosh on, to put an end to; squelch; check: Anothersuch injury may put the kibosh on her athletic career.
Origin: 
1830–40;  of obscure origin


Linking with Our World Tuesday 
Thanks to all the hosts



Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Hello Summer 2023!

Hello Everyone I hope you are having a wonderful July whereever you are in the world. As it's been a wee while since I stopped by I thought I'd fill you in.  The last three months have been epic. Here is my flight schedule alone: Phuket --> Bangkok --> Singapore --> Melbourne --> Gold Coast (overland to --> Brisbane --> Sydney --> Phuket --> Bangkok --> London --> Paris (overland to Montpellier) --> London. As they say I haven't been everywhere yet but it's on my list! April ended up being an incredible month as I returned to Australia, thanks to a wonderful invite to attend a 7 night Detox at Gwinganna Lifestyle Retreat in Queensland. Here is a little excerpt:  Gwinganna Detox Program I’ve been invited to join a  seven-night detox program  at Gwinganna Lifestyle Retreat. They are winners of the  World’s Best Eco Spa Awards  (2022 World Spa Awards) and it is beyond exciting. Well, until I read the small print… So it’s no gluten, dairy,

Autumn Spice and everything nice!

Hey, what ever happened to Summer? I hope yours was lovely, mine was pretty amazing! It feels like my whole year has whizzed past in a flash, how about yours?  I've had a year of saying "yes" to everything offered to me. It has been exciting to put it out to the Universe to see where I should be. We feel very fortunate to be able to do this in my husband's early years of retirement. I'm just back in Asia from the US. I never feel my year is quite right without seeing British daffodils in the Spring and a pumpkin and the leaves turning in Autumn. Yay, the world nailed it this year, thank you.  Read on to find out what happened when my ultimate yes occurred on a trip to Montana to meet Ruth, an IG friend. I know Bloggers will smile and not be at all concerned, we've been meeting up around the globe for years, haven't we...?!  But let's just say some of my family and friends were, you're doing what?! But first some Little Wren updates! France I had so

It's a funny old world!

Welcome to Racha Island Hello everyone and greetings from Phuket, Thailand THAILAND THOUGHTS Thailand where we have now reopened the country and are ready to welcome international fully vaccinated arrivals without quarantine to our beautiful island.  For all the details check out  Phuket Sandbox: Would you, should you, could you?   This month another southern island Koh Samui followed along. There are slightly different arrangements with guests to stay within their arrival hotel for three days before supplying a negative Covid test. This gives freedom to roam the island, after 7 days, visitors can also visit the islands of Koh Phangan and Koh Tao. For all the details check out: Welcome back to Thailand via Koh Samui plus All this as Thailand records the highest Covid numbers and death rates ever recorded and stricter measures have been released across the worst affected Provinces.  There is a plan for more of the country to open and the idea was for Thailand to fully reopen to vaccinat