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Travel in Thailand is Continuing as Usual – updated.

Posted by April on (Updated: )  |  1 Comment

I’m going through a bit of dejavu at the moment with the current issues in Thailand. Two years ago I was living in Bangkok when the Coup against Thaksin occurred (my son is named Couper in honor of this fun, but at the time, rather undramatic, event). The truth was that we found out about the Coup through CNN and we had to drive to visit the tanks and see the demonstrations because we didn’t believe it. While the unrest at the moment has caused some temporary airport closures and is obviously something we have to pay attention to, it is dramatized in the media and is not affecting the day to day lives of the Bangkok people or tourists visiting the city. We have put below an update from our Bangkok office as well as the official Thailand Tourism Authority update. At this point travel can continue as usual and we don’t expect any problems over this high season. We will keep updating this is there are changes.

Thanks,

Andrea

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Update as of 10 September, 2008:

Dear Andrea,

This is the current situation in Thailand with regards to the political situation.

On Tuesday afternoon (09th September) The Constitutional Court disqualified the Thai Prime Minister, Samak Sundaravej from holding the office of Prime Minister. Mr. Samak was forced to step down immediately and a caretaker Prime Minister is holding this position at this moment.

Mr. Samak was forced to step down because he breached the constitution by hosting a TV cooking show, for which he received a nominal salary. A Prime Minister can not be employed in an external role according to Thai law.

On Friday 12th September, the ruling PPP Party will meet to choose a new Prime Minister and have stated that they will re-elect Mr. Samak again to lead the country.

What this means is that Mr. Samak will again be Prime Minister and the same political deadlock will probably continue.

For tourists visiting Thailand there will be no affect. The country is calm and stable and there are no problems for visitors to our country. In all tourist areas, life is going on as normal.

We will continue to update you on any developments.

Best,

Waew

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This is the current situation in Thailand with regards to the political situation and demonstrations.

 

Demonstrations:

The government has declared a State of Emergency restricting numbers of people who can meet together in a group, after one person died in a clash between anti-government (PAD) supporters and pro-government supporters. The Prime Minister has said that this will last for only a few days. The pro-government supporters have disbanded and are going home and the situation is calm at the moment. Dialogue is continuing and it is hoped there will be a resolution this week.

 

Airports:

All Thai airports are open and are operating as per normal at the moment. The Union for Thai Airways have said that they may delay arrival/departures of international flights but no action has been taken as yet.

 

Railways:

The trains are running as per normal at the moment after being closed at the weekend.

 

Strikes:

Many Unions are planning to strike and are threatening to cut off electricity, water and telephones to Government House and major Police stations. This will not affect other Bangkok citizens or tourists.

Bangkok Transit Authority have suspended 80% of local buses in Bangkok and the rest will offer free services to the public. 

 

The Bangkok City ;

There are no tourists affected by the demonstrations which are confined to the area near Government House, from experienced several similar political situations, usually, things will be resolved quickly, and life goes on as usual.

 

Please be assured that all of our guests will be well taken care of by Journeys Within Bangkok and we will continue to update you on any developments.

 

Best,

 

Waew

 

Director, Bangkok

Journeys Within

 

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Official Tourism Authority of Thailand statement, per phone conversation with their office.

 

“Although there is current political unrest in Thailand, everything is opperating as normal for Bangkok citizens and tourists alike. The protests are centralized in political buldings. The only current situation we are advising tourists to stay away from is the Marble Temple in Bangkok, as it is located next door to a political building. We are recommending that it is currently ok to travel in Thailand.”

 

Journeys Within would like to note that we do not have any tours running to the Marble Temple in Bangkok.

 

****

You can view current official notices by the US government on the situation in Thailand here:

 

http://bangkok.usembassy.gov/embassy/wwc/recent.htm

 

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Sela's Cambodian view of beautiful Laos

Posted by April on (Updated: )  |  Leave a comment

When I first stepped into Laung Prabang I felt like I was in the heaven. The country is so full of mountains and farmland, it is so beautiful! When I arrived at the guesthous, I did not want to relax so I immediately went out and walked around the city. I was surprise how the level of the country was mountainous, and not flat. I

 

The weather was very nice, but it was cold and foggy at night. In the morning you could see the fog around the edge of the hill. I love the way the city has built itself around the Mekong River.

 

There are a lot of restaurants along the Mekong River and around Mount Phousi where I had the chance to try the Laos food – and especially the sticky rice. At first they gave me a small bowl of sticky rice and I thought that it was not enough for my big belly. I soon found out that they packed a whole lot of sticky rice into that small bucket! I like sticky rice. The Laos people say I will be fat if I eat a lot of sticky rice.

 

The town becomes very busy between 7 and 9pm because a lot of tourists are walking around the night market buying souvenirs. I like the Night Market. In the day time people use it as the main road but at night they turn it to the night market where a lot local people sell their products.

           

Laos people are very nice and very honest. They smile at you all the time when you see them. One time when I went to the local market and went to buy something and negotiate with them they thought I was Laoatian, but I am not.

 

On July 3, I walked around the town alone and saw a lot of beautiful things. In the afternoon, I went on the city tour to the National Museum which used to be the Royal palace. All the decoration is beautiful and you can see the Royal family’s house! The last king of Laos was King Sisavangvong. The guide told me many stories about how famous he was. He had nine wives!. After visiting the Museum I went up to Mount Phousi. From up there you could see all of Luang Prabang, all the buildings and the coconuts trees lining the long roads and of course the Mekong River. The last place that I saw was Wat Xieng Thong. There you can see the powerful architecture of Laos style.

 

The next day I went hiking to Kuang Si Waterfall. On the way there we went through many villages and I went to visit people in the villages. The people were all so nice to me. They talked to me and told me how they make their living. After I went through all the villages, it took me about four hours and half to walk through the jungle up and down the mountains. Once I got to the waterfall, it was cold. At the waterfall you can swim in the clear natural water, but I couldn’t because it was freezing to me. I also saw some bears at the waterfall. In the evening I had dinner at the Tum Tum Cheng Restaurant. The place was simple but the food was great and the staff was very helpful.

 

After breakfast the next morning I set off the to the Pottery Village and took a local longtail boat on the Mekong River. After a big lunch I visited the Pak Ou Cave or the Naga cave. I like the nature of Luang Prabang. Along the Mekong river I saw a lot of beautiful farmland and trees.

 

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Songkran Festival Day – April 14 & 15 2008

Posted by April on  |  Leave a comment

Songkran is a Thai traditional New Year which starts on April 13 every year and lasts for 3 days. Songkran festival on April 13 is Maha Songkran Day, or the day to mark the end of the old year, April 14 is Wan Nao, which is the day after and April 15 is Wan Thaloeng Sok, which the New Year begins. At this time, people from the rural areas who are working in the city usually return home to celebrate the festival. Thus, when the time comes, Bangkok temporarily turns into a deserted city.

posted by Waew (April 10, 2008)

 

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