We ventured South from Chiang Mai looking for beaches and some relaxation. In order to get there, we took an overnight bus from Chiang Mai to Bangkok. We arrived at 6:30 am and rushed over to catch an 8:00 am train. Unfortunately, the train was full and we could not get seats, so back to Khao San Road. We plopped down in a restaurant to have breakfast and wait for the travel agents to open. Around 9:00 am I checked with three different agents and booked a bus ticket for us from Bangkok to Koh Lanta leaving at 5:30 pm.
With all the admin done, we had the rest of the day in Bangkok. We decided to take care of some of the shopping we planned to do right before we leave Thailand (to save time). We wanted to go to some bookstores at the shopping mall and then head for China town to get a little something for a friend named Molly.
Side note for perspective – As many of you know, there are a number of problems in Thailand right now. The country has divided into two political factions (this began many years ago) the red shirts and the yellow shirts. The red shirts support the former prime minister that was removed in a military coup in 2006 (I think). The yellow shirts support the current prime minister that was put in power by the military. The red shirts are primarily blue collar workers and people from the rural countryside. The yellow shirts are primarily high income and middle class people from the cities (mostly Bangkok). There is a multitude of issues on both sides, I do not know which are the good guys and which aren’t. There were elections where the red shirt candidate won, but the results were set aside because the yellow shirts claimed there was voter fraud. Who knows. The current reality is that the red shirts came to Bangkok several months ago to protest the current government and demand elections. To get their way, they have set up barricades in various parts of town to disrupt normal life. On April 10th, the government broke up one of the camps and 21 people were killed in the ensuing riots.
Back to the story. We arrived at the shopping center midmorning to find that they were all closed. The redshirts had established their latest camp 3 weeks ago in the shopping district and the malls had been closed. Since the shopping was out of the question, we decided to walk through the protesters encampment and look around a little. We wandered along a number of streets. To enter, you pass through a barricade of tires and bamboo poles. Once inside, it looked like a carnival. There were vendors selling items, food stalls and a lot of people sitting around in groups talking.
Karen and Tim decided to take the train to Chinatown and I decided to look around some more. I continued wandering around, looking for the “front line”. As I wandered through the area I had a number of groups of people call me over to where they were sitting and ask me to sit down. I joined one group who gave me lunch and a bottle of water. There were groups that provided free food and water to the protesters every day. The government forces had drawn a line at the business district and set up a perimeter to keep the protesters out. Eventually I found the barricade that faced off against the soldiers. I wandered around the protester side for about an hour and then left through a gate and walked across the street to the government side.
The overhead skywalk had been closed and the soldiers had set up in this area with M16’s and shotguns. They also had razor wire set out that could be pulled across the road at a moments notice. Just past this area, there was a counter protest going on from supporters of the current government. I watched this rally for a time. On this side, lots of people were taking presents up to the soldiers and police giving them food, water and other items as a show of support.
Both sides are quite adamant about their position and it is hard to see a way out of the current predicament. As far as the protests affecting us, it may have stopped our shopping, but there is very little danger from violence. It will be very evident when the government decides to break up the camps and then you make sure you avoid the area of the protest. We have been surprised by all the tourists who are worried about going back to Bangkok. One of those things where they are making a mountain out of a molehill. Someday, this will become a dangerous situation, but that is still a number of months off.
After a while, I made my way back to Khao San Road to reunite with Karen and Tim. While we were waiting for our bus, we got a sample of how small a world it is. I was sitting on the step of the travel agent when a young woman came up and sat down. I could tell she was American and asked where she was from. “Philly” was her response. She asked where I was from and I said Seattle, then corrected to say Edmonds. “I know Edmonds,” she says. I did my student teaching there last year. Where? “Seaview Elementary with Miss Perry.” Small world.
~Jeff~
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