Anarchy.

In 2006, when I visited Thailand for the first time, the country was dusting itself off from it's 18th military coup. As I write this in my hotel in Chiang Mai, I wonder if I'm about to witness the next episode in the series.

Bangkok is closed to commercial flights after PAD (Peoples' Alliance for Democracy) protesters took control and shut down both of the city's airports in a desperate attempt to blackmail the (democratically elected) government into resigning.

Many travelers have been stuck in Suvarnabhumi airport for days now, wondering what it all has do with them.

Thailand's economy and public image will take years to recover, if it ever does.





Several people have been killed in pro- and anti-government clashes. A taxi driver was pulled from his car and shot dead in Chiang Mai, where happen to reside.

I'm supposed to be in China on Monday, a place I usually dread visiting. But with increasing civil unrest and political instability in Thailand, the prospect of escaping to China is starting to look far more appealing.

The only problem is getting out. Bangkok is closed, and international flights out of CNX are full. And even if I got a seat, there might not be a plane as many are apparently stuck in Bangkok. With the Prime Minister in Chiang Mai there's also a chance rioters will storm and close CNX.

I hope not, but I'm starting to think it would be a good plan to get bus tickets to Vientiane and high-tail it outta here. I'll keep you posted.

Lest There Be Any Confusion

I encountered a rather inexplicable sight the other day. A great lumbering beast, of epic proportions - like none I'd ever seen before (or so I thought!) - plodding down the highway as cars and trucks flew by. As I drew nearer, my imagination struggling to identify it, running through all the possible creatures it could be, I spotted a small red sign posted to its rear. It was....

An elephant!



Thanks for the heads up, guys... Pure legend.

Chiang Mai

Home away from home again... The hotel breakfast got boring several months ago, but I still like the view from my room on the 22nd floor:



Over to the right you can see the base of Doi Suthep, and the airport is somewhere in the middle of the picture a few clicks away. At night I can see planes coming in to land.

I took this shot from the top of the building (I snuck out the fire escape) at dusk. The small light on the side of the mountain is the Wat - a large, and locally famous, Buddhist temple.



Look up 18°47'1.58"N, 98°59'56.63"E in Google Earth/maps to see where I'm writing this from.