Well Songkran is over (thank goodness). A couple of comments about it. The numbers of people in CM celebrating Songkran seemed to be down this year. I don't know if this was because of the horrible heat, the political situation or what. The number of foreigners was way down. From the worthless backpacker scum at the bottom, to the socially parasitic, culturally insensitive Five Star Resort Stayers at the top, the number of tourists in Thailand is way down. It is not hard to understand why. The government can't even keep control of its capital city. And now with the travel disruptions in Europe, even more tourists will stay away.
On a more positive note, the weather is cooler this week. Still very hot, but not the Melt You into a Puddle Then Bake You Dry kind of heat we have been having. This morning there were actually some clouds in the sky. Everyone got excited and thought it might rain, but it didn't. The weather forecast shows a 20 to 30 percent chance this weekend, so we will cross our fingers and hope.
We also started the third summer term this week. I got the classes I taught in Summer One, so it is nice to see familiar and friendly faces in the classroom. Only nine more teaching days and summer will be over!
You made me curious enough to just go check the US State Dept website to see if there are travel warnings for "Siam", and there are not. Plenty of others, though.
ReplyDeleteThe London air traffic situation has fascinated me, both as a pilot and once-frequent traveler to the area. {My daughter lived in London for a few years so I made several visits there}.
Folks of all nationalities have been stuck for days in places as varied as Bangkok and Lima. Those in Egypt were fleeced mercilessly by the hotels raising rates for them. Car rental companies in Europe were not far behind.
And it DEFINITELY ain't over, no matter what the UK gummint thinks.
This noon I was privileged to enjoy a delicious dinner with all yer siblings but the birthday boy, and I was smiling at your description of tourists and I said I had to laugh because you would have had a problem pigeon-holing me.
ReplyDeleteI was staying at a 4 star hotel (Royal Orchid) but carrying only a backpack. In fact I took the time to show them all the backpack, which is an old Army issue which has been repaired and patched almost as often as it has been on a trip.
Glad you had a good dinner with the family. Wish I had been there for it.
ReplyDeleteAlas, living in a tourist destination you end up getting a jaundiced view of tourists in general. You see all their foibles. Different social classes do different stupid things, but seem to put their worst behavior on display when they travel to a foreign country. (Of course I am and occasional traveler myself, so if I dish it out I have to take it as well).