Good to hear from you Carol.
No I am not in Bangkok though hope to be very soon. Will let you know. It is possible I might be in Chiang Mai next week then head down to Bangkok. Will see how things work out.

Used to visit the Thai Airways market that MichaelBkk refers to and found it more expensive than other places though the jewellery was often stunning and worth that little bit extra .
Have not been there for a few years so cannot tell you what its like these days. It is only small though, similiar size to Secretaries Market in Silom which is close to Chong Nonsi BTS.

Am eager to hear about your thoughts re the general mood of the city centre and what you are finding open [ if anything]
I believe Central Chidlom is still opening for shorter hours though and of course MBK!!
Hope you are managing to stay cool and your AC is working full time again.

AC is working just fine! Thank goodness. I needed a second shower this afternoon in order to stay awake and to stay fresh enough to meet up with Ken (and other friends and DS) for dinner. We met up at Pickled Liver, and then Maeng joined us for dinner at Via Vai. Too much to eat! I have some pizza for my fridge.

Saw DS's windowless room at On 8 Hotel. It was small but looked quite adequate for about 1500baht per night. I prefer my 1-bedroom apt at Adelphi Suites. I like to spread out a bit. I showed off my digs to Ken and to DS's friend. They were surprised, I think, at how much space I have for just over $100 per night, including breakfast every morning.

Maeng came at noon today, with a friend in a car, and we drove out to JJ Mall for some retail therapy. I found some very colorful simple cotton tote bags. They remind me of Jim Thompson prints, but not nearly so expensive. I opted to keep one of these bags for myself, and quickly filled it up before heading to dinner tonight. Nice cotton. Nice lining. Very well made. And COLORFUL! Makes me think of summertime.

I will ride the BTS tomorrow, as I want to see the red shirts for myself. The front page of the Nation newspaper shows a rather menacing-looking barrier around the red shirt compound. DS and his friend think it was a little over the top. Bangkok Post has a red shirt photo too, but not nearly so menacing looking. Oh, the printing company office is at a building near Phloenchit BTS station... the building is called Wave Place. Wave Place was vacated today, as the red shirts expanded their territory by a little bit.

When DS and friend walked thru the sea of red yesterday, they commented that the red shirts were smiling and talking with them. They indicated that they themselves were not dangerous people.

But...... if the military decides to remove them from their compound so that the malls and hotels can open up once again, it's hard to say what will happen. I'm afraid that will light a spark that could become pretty crazy and dangerous.

We plan to leave BKK probably on Monday, and go to Chiang Mai for a couple of nights, and then off the Samui for 3 more nights. I need to try to get some (serious) shopping done before Samui!! I think we will be shipping some things from CM again, so I will take all my purchases along with me and send many of them home rather than stuff my usual 3 suitcases full.

Tomorrow is quiz night. Michaelbkk, we could use your help! You can tell me more about this shopping suggestion you gave in a previous post here.

I'm really tired and jetlagged, but managed to stay up until nearly 10pm. It's time to get some real sleep now.

Good night!

What is happening over there? Reports on MSNBC says that hotels are asking guests to leave. The Four Seasons has closed all restaurants and 2 hotels have asked guests to leave. Gee, this is making me worried at what will happen. I haven't heard anything from my vendors about it. I am at the Oriental so I am hoping that I get to go.

Keep me updated,
Kari

Kari, keep up on what is happening in Bangkok via the various threads about it, Kuranosuke in Bangkok and Bangkok Protest Escalation as well as this one. The hotels right at the demonstration are closing for now. There has not been any disruption in the area of the Oriental.

I just updated my report about a minor clash that just happened.

Carol,

It's no longer the government vs the red-shirts. Now there are several group of people who are fed up with them and are confronting them. Some minor brawls for now but things could heat up.

Good morning. Bangkok is sunny and hot once again. There is a nice breeze rustling the trees outside my window.

I'm up early, doing a couple of loads of laundry this morning. I want to have plenty of clean duds to take to Chiang Mai and Samui.

I've decided to cut my long-ish hair today. I don't really know yet what it will look like. I need to find a picture of a hairdo I like... I just want something "easy"... longer hair takes more time, like it or not. This is Maeng's fault. She has me convinced that I need to do this... haha

I'm going to hop on the BTS and ride down to MBK sometime today. That will give me a good look at the red shirt compound which is just below the skytrain track. I want to see for myself, especially after seeing the front page of yesterday's Nation newspaper, as I noted before.

Hanuman, I do agree with you that the local people are getting fed up with the red shirts. I feel sorry for the people who used to work at the malls and hotels and office buildings that have had to be closed.

Time for breakfast!

Carol

Carol

The restaurant at the place you are staying is superb.

vinovino... yes, I know. It is really good. I thought about having lunch there today, but then didn't do it. This is the third restaurant to try this location at Adelphi lobby. This is the first one that has had any sort of good business. I'm glad they are successful!

I got my haircut today, and I got face threading once again. I did it back in 2009, in the fall I think. Decided to do it again. An interesting technique for removing facial hair! I had it done at Tub Tim (haircut there too) on soi 8. Local place. 600bt for hair and threading. Can't beat the price. My hair is perky looking again!! It gets kind of draggy when it's longer. I think this will be an easy hairdo to take care of. Time will tell. If I decide I don't like it, I'll blame Maeng... haha.

I rode the BTS down to MBK today. I wanted to see the red shirt compound and do some shopping. Didn't buy much (yet). I think I'll pick up more things at Chatuchak on Saturday.

The red shirts do not look menacing at all. Why does the media have to post photos that, now that I've seen the area, look more staged than anything! It's like the photographer told the protesters to "look mean" for the camera ... when they really are not! It is just so sad to see this situation unfolding.

I honestly think I could have walked thru the compound, just like DS and friend did. I would not have been harmed. What is going on is more like a rock concert, street party, or the like. There are people speaking thru megaphones, people sleeping on blankets and padding, people selling t-shirts and caps and clappers, and there are food vendors. I did not see a sea of red, but then, I did not see the area in front of Central World, where I think the large group has gathered. I wanted to walk along the skybridge walkway that is just under the BTS line, but parts of it appeared to be closed, probably for security purposes.

The red shirts are occupying a very small portion of the city, but it just happens to be a vital area. The malls, the hotels, the restaurants, the small shops, they are all suffering because their businesses cannot be open right now. Sad.

Wave Place on the corner of Phloenchit/Wireless is open again. I think they must have closed just for the afternoon on the day that the red shirts were expanding their territory. They maybe thought the expansion would make it difficult to do business in this big office building/Home Pro store, so they sent everyone home for their own safety. But the red shirts stopped just before the intersection of Phloenchit and Wireless. Traffic on Wireless is heavy as usual. Once you are beyond the compound, life goes on as normal!!

Motorcycle traffic appeared to be making its way along the single traffic lanes between MBK and Paragon Mall, right thru the compound. There were no cars or taxis driving thru that I could see.

Thais and tourists alike had cameras in hand, taking photos from the parts of the skybridge that were accessible. Several Thais came up to me and started talking to me. They were not trying to promote any "side" of the issue. They just seemed unhappy with the situation. The Thais, for the most part, do not want to associate with a color. They just want to get on with their lives. It's too bad the red shirts are preventing a lot of people from doing their normal everyday work! It's just sad, sad, sad. I don't know how else to feel about it. I am not taking sides on this whole issue. I just wish everyone would go home and go on with their normal lives.

Bangkok is very hot again today. No rain. I think a nice rain shower or thunderstorm might cool things down a bit. We could use a cool down.

I'm looking forward quiz night at the P.L. tonight. Fodorite teams don't seem to do too well, but we sure have a great time! We need some fodorites from the UK to help us out. There always seem to be questions about rugby or soccer or British politics. PL is a British-style pub.

DS and friend had executive physicals at Bumrungrad today. I'm curious to see how "friend" feels about his phys. He's a doctor!

I have to go show Maeng my new haircut. DS doesn't know about it, so he will be surprised! So will DH when I get home (but he asked me about a haircut before I came over, so I think he was hinting that it might be a good idea...).

Enjoy your day.

Carol

Carol,

The red-shirts are normal people who are not really out to hurt pedestrian but it's their agenda which is bothering a lot of people. IMO they have no right to "hijack" a commercial area and they this so that they will have international coverage and awareness at the expense of hard working people.

What you saw are probably the people that the government are trying to pursuade to go home but the hard core reds, the "guards", are the one manning the strategic barricades and the central stage area outside of Central World. Yes they will smile but if you disagree with their political agenda then they will not be so friendly.

The red-shirts that you saw might look like go happy partying people but you have to realise that there are many more who are suffering at their joyful expense. It is estimated that the loss of revenues from the closure of the Rajaprasong district has run into the billions and that up to 20,000 people might be laid off if this is prolonged.

At the end of the day you have to realise that the motive for the red-shirt protest is to collapse the country as we know it and bring back a billionaire convicted felon.

I feel for the Thais that are loosing income that they can't aford to loose. Hunuman you said there is a deadline for they to move?

Carol, I'm sure you could have walked through the red shirts unharmed. There was no confrontation going on. The instruction to avoid the crowds of protesters isn't because they are "mean" dangerous or bad, but because this is where the confrontations happen.

I posted a while back about a guy who was shot over at KSR during a violent confrontation between the red shirts and the police. Perhaps he'd been to Bangkok before and thought of the Thai people he's encountered and felt it was safe to mingle with the red shirts. When the violence came, of course, it became very unsafe. He was shot in the arm (apparently by one of the red shirts) not because he was targeted in any way but because he was in the way of a bullet.

No doubt the news photographers watch for the dramatic to photograph. And the confrontations are what is dramatic.

While there is usually a period (however brief) when the crowd becomes restless and there is verbal threat before violence breaks out, there isn't always a lot of warning. As long as you have the red shirts and an opposing force (pro-government demonstrators, army, police) in the same place, the potential for violence is there. That's why the best instruction for safety is to stay away from the demonstrations.

It has been an interesting evening. Our group of fodorites is safe and sound, and staying in Sukhumvit. We were at the PL tonight for quiz night. The news of the 3 grenades (bombs) going off in Silom came at about 9pm.

Brad and his/our Dr friend (no, not Dr Jack) were in Silom this afternoon taking photographs around the red shirt 'wall' where the military and police were standing guard. Brad was spotted on Thai TV! Pook called him when he saw him. Brad and his Dr friend could sense that something was brewing, and things obviously came to a boil later on this evening.

We're planning to stick pretty close to Sukhumvit now, other than traveling down to Tawandang for the birthday bash tomorrow night. Tawandang isn't anywhere near the activity. Sukhumvit is closer to it than Tawandang is.

The plan is to go to Chiang mai on Monday. No reservations yet, so not sure if we will stay 2 nights or maybe 3. No Koh Samui as we have other things going on in BKK so we don't want to be gone that long.

I ate too much at Maeng's tonight. She fixed a Thai meal for our group. Our Dr friend likes Thai food, so we told him he needed to have the real thing. He really enjoyed it. Maeng is such a great cook. We also had mango and sticky rice! Yum! I'm stuffed!! And then, out came the PL birthday cake for Brad! Chocolate... rich chocolate. I could not eat a whole piece... no way. I shared one small piece with our Dr friend.

I am in serious need of sleep now... but I'm rather wound up so it may take a while before sleep comes. I've called home to let DH know that we are safe and sound. He had not heard the news yet. The satellite radio is usually on a work, but he may not have been listening to the news.

Anyway, good night all.

Carol

I'm traveling along Carol. All the best for your B.B.B. [Big Birthday Bash] tomorrow. I wish I was there. With the combination of you, Ken and Pook reporting, I almost feel like I am.

Good morning, dogster. Wish you could be here with us. (I doubt you'd be staying at the Arnoma or Centara right now) I miss my sundae fix at Haagen Dazs at Central World!

I think it will be a quiet day, just putzing around Sukhumvit. It's too hot to try to do too much outside.

Planning on a table for about 30 people at Tawandang, arriving anytime from 6:30ish to 7:30 and staying until closing and beyond. The reservation is in DS's name. Our group will leave Suk (PL) at 6pm. Traffic will be an issue. Sunday should be a REALLY quiet day...

Maybe I'll do lunch at Monsoon today. That's the Adelphi restaurant. Vinovino, I like the caprese salad. What do you recommend?

Carol

Mos Burger.

You know, I've never tried a Mos Burger, but I hear it's a great burger... but it's another one that's at the now closed Central World! What's a girl to do!

The soups were all great. Liked my all pasta dish picks so far. Watermelon cooler was a big hit.

Yum... watermelon cooler sounds fantastic! I've never tried one of theirs. That's a must-do before I go home! I love watermelon... I always fill a small plate of it for b'fast. Vinovino, are you in the neighborhood (soi 8) somewhere?

Hey, dog, I found a Mos Burger at the Central Chidlom Dept store, which is open limited hours. Wow... great ch burger! I love that sauce they use! Now that I know just how good it is, I'm sure I'll be there again sometime. Thanks for the suggestion.

bkklover, I found Od's salon!! You were right. It's exactly where you said. And the staff appears to be a lot of the same people from the old location inside the Central Chidlom store. They do have a nice salon now, but I'm not so sure the location is quite as good as before. A lot fewer walk-ins because this isn't a place you would just naturally walk past and then think.. oh I need a shampoo. Anyway, Od is on holiday now so I did not get to say hello. I'll look him up again though, now that I know where he is.

Carol

Next time Carol, try the hot dog combo, a fave of the Hanuman family and the Dog. It was, indeed, during our conversation about said hot dog that I realised that Hanuman was my secret love child, product of an accidental moment with an attractive Thai lady in 1962. Go here for a picture:

http://thedogster.wordpress.com

Soon, a new post on fine dining in BKK.

That's cannibalism...