By: Andrea Ross

I just spent the last five days in Bangkok assessing the situation for myself and figuring out the best options for our guests. Callie came with me and she’s a great partner as she is always up for an adventure (trekking through flooded streets) and gets everyone around us smiling despite the current situation!

Here is my synopsis after my week here:

The Tourism Authority and the larger high-end hotels in town are sticking to the line that all is okay and travel can continue as usual. Clearly they want this to be true and while I think for the most part it is, it also marginalizes the stress, confusion and troubles being faced by a large percentage of the population.

On the other end of the spectrum the media and the many photographers and videographers in town for the ordeal clearly want the best story/shot and they don’t have to go far to get it. Lad Phrao intersection, one of the largest in the city, just North of the Weekend Market, is seriously flooded and as we passed through in our bus we saw about 10 photographers just hanging out at the intersection clearly getting “breaking news”.

I think the truth of the Bangkok situation is actually both of these realities. The city-center hotels are high and dry and the International Airport, though very close to the flooding, is remaining a priority at the moment and is being protected. So yes, most tours can continue as scheduled. For all those people on a tour, you will have nothing to worry about as your guide and driver will know where the flooding is and your tour is going to be adjusted to make sure that you don’t go anywhere that will mean wet feet.

For those independent travelers, it may not be a peachy as the tourism industry makes out…express boats are still not running on the Chao Praya River, for good reason as the current is incredibly strong and some of the boarding piers are flooded. The weekend market is also seriously flooded so trips out there are not recommended. If you are an independent traveler it’s best to check with your hotel on the current situation as it is constantly changing and it’s best to get the story that day.

As far as the center of town flooding, that’s a day-by-day process. While it would be great to believe the government and the travel industry that the worst is over I tend to go with aire on the side of caution. I think it’s better to wait and see on a day-to-day basis. Obviously for people planning a visit to the area this isn’t the easiest advice, but I think at this point there are still no definates and no one is guaranteeing that it won’t flood in the city center…in fact, all the government buildings along Silom Road are heavily sandbagged so despite them saying that it won’t flood, it seems they are still taking precautions and travelers should do the same.

To sum it all up, my advice is to leave travel plans as they are, but stay up to date on the situation and be prepared to make alternate plans if necessary.

I also want to mention that the tourism industry saying everything is fine and blaming the media does not pay the respect due to the workers who are literally evacuating from areas to the East and West of the city or who are living in incredibly stressful conditions. I went with Jeab, our Bangkok Director, to her home just past the Weekend Market and we had to walk through 50 cm flooding to get to her apartment. She is lucky to live on the 3rd floor, but we collected her things and have moved her to a hotel in town for the next couple of weeks. For the travel industry to constantly call it media hype doesn’t respect the hardships that many Bangkokians are living with. To that same measure, the dramatization of the media doesn’t paint a realistic picture of the center of town and that the Grand Palace and other highlights are completely dry. As always the truth lies somewhere in the middle.

I want to commend my Bangkok team for rising to the occasion, continuing to arrange tours, work with our guests, be a support system for our guides and show their true strength during this disaster. Also, a thanks to our guests who have rolled with the punches, been very understanding about itinerary changes and who have been compassionate to our team here.

We will continue to keep you updated and hopefully we will be sending good news soon!… Read more »