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Gail Simone
09-19-2006, 10:33 AM
We've been debating for some time where we might go over Thanksgiving, my family and I. And we had settled, LAST NIGHT, on Bangkok. I was going to make reservations THIS MORNING.

Literally fifteen minutes before I was going to make the reservations online, I get the news that Thailand, lovely wonderful Thailand, is having a military coup.

YIKES.

I believe we'll be going somewhere ELSE.

Gail
titanfan
09-19-2006, 10:35 AM
We've been debating for some time where we might go over Thanksgiving, my family and I. And we had settled, LAST NIGHT, on Bangkok. I was going to make reservations THIS MORNING.

On the other hand, the military coup may not happen and plane ticket sales are sure to be down for Bangkok now!
YoGo
09-19-2006, 10:52 AM
It's happening. I'm watchign it on tv here now. The local tv stations have all been taken over by the military and were cut off suddenly and replaced by propoganda footage. That was the last report from the foreign correspondent before she abruptly dissappeared as well and they haven't been able to get her back on the line.
YoGo
09-19-2006, 10:53 AM
We've been debating for some time where we might go over Thanksgiving, my family and I. And we had settled, LAST NIGHT, on Bangkok. I was going to make reservations THIS MORNING.

Literally fifteen minutes before I was going to make the reservations online, I get the news that Thailand, lovely wonderful Thailand, is having a military coup.

YIKES.

I believe we'll be going somewhere ELSE.

Gail

Reservations this morning?

Didn't you hear about the bombing a couple of days ago?
Azrael52
09-19-2006, 10:55 AM
Wow, Gail. Now you'll definitely have something to give thanks for, huh?
Cam63
09-20-2006, 12:30 AM
My sister's ex-husband wanted to relocate the family to Thailand for 12 months to see if that would save the marriage.

'Fuckin' glad it didn't work out !
Gilda Dent
09-20-2006, 12:48 AM
Emily has been in contact with her grandparents and they're doing ok. Fortunately they're not in Bangkok, and it seems to be basically life as normal.

Gilda
Cam63
09-20-2006, 12:54 AM
I hope so, Gilda.

They're in my thoughts.
the4thpip
09-20-2006, 02:14 AM
It's pretty frightening... They closed borders, arrested politicians, control the media... Hope this comes to a good end.
Charles RB
09-20-2006, 04:37 AM
The guy behind the coup has said he's going to hand power to a new Prime Minister in two weeks. (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/5362698.stm)

I wonder if that new PM will be a crony of his...
YoGo
09-20-2006, 04:55 AM
He said the new PM candidates will be "politcally neutral".

"Politically Neutral" candidates come from the same land where unicorns, elves and fairies live presumably.
Rhydaman
09-20-2006, 05:31 AM
I reckon it'll be fine by the end of November. Thailand has a coup every 15 years or so, they're not usually violent by international standards, a new civilian government takes over and it's back to business as normal. There was certainly a fair amount of disgruntlement among Thais about the PM having rigged the last election, so this coup is likely to have some support among the people of the country.

Could still be a good idea to avoid Bangkok, mind, as it's a nasty, smelly place anyway. Now Chiang Mai is interesting and, obviously, places like Phuket are well worth seeing. Or another alternative would be Malaysia, where you get a mix of Chinese, Indian, Muslim and Thai cultures all in one yummy soup.
Gail Simone
09-20-2006, 06:35 AM
Wait, really? Smelly and nasty?

I'd been hearing almost nothing but good things!

Gail
Merey
09-20-2006, 07:50 AM
Wait, really? Smelly and nasty?

That's what I've been told as well. My boss went to Thailand a few months ago and really didn't like Bangkok much, but she really recommends Chiang Mai.
Gilda Dent
09-20-2006, 07:58 AM
Chonburi is also nice.

Well, the inside of my hospital room was nice, as was my hotel room. I didn't get out much while I was there.
JohnPopa
09-20-2006, 08:12 AM
You know what they say, one night in bangkok and the world's your oyster.
Merey
09-20-2006, 09:23 AM
You know what they say, one night in bangkok and the world's your oyster.

Yeah, just go see a production of Chess (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chess_%28musical%29), it'll almost be like going to Bangkok but with more melodrama, Cold War politics, and 80s synthesizing.
TCJohnson
09-20-2006, 09:35 AM
You know what they say, one night in bangkok and the world's your oyster.


Wasn't it one night in bangkok and you get crabs?
JohnPopa
09-20-2006, 11:45 AM
Yeah, just go see a production of Chess (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chess_%28musical%29), it'll almost be like going to Bangkok but with more melodrama, Cold War politics, and 80s synthesizing.

Seen CHESS a couple times. Nice music and a crappy, crappy script.
Merey
09-20-2006, 11:55 AM
Seen CHESS a couple times. Nice music and a crappy, crappy script.


HA! Which pretty much sums up musical theatre of the 1980s.
Rhydaman
09-20-2006, 12:03 PM
Wait, really? Smelly and nasty?

I'd been hearing almost nothing but good things!

Gail
Was in 1995. Horrible traffic, dirty river, lots of tacky tourist traps. People were lovely, pretty temples. But you get pretty much all the good stuff in the rest of Thailand (indeed southeast Asia generally), without the hassle.

And if you want the bustly city, I'd favour KL. Bangkok has more ladyboys, but that's about the only thing it does better. I also found other southeast Asian countries easier to get used to because of the script: Thai is really tricky to get your head round.

I admit that I might be biased: my wife's family were living out there, so we weren't doing the full tourist thing, and I may well have missed some of the good stuff.