Bangkok, Thailand
In May of 2011, Paul Lefebvre, Larry Rexford, Ron Sizemore and I flew to Bangkok, Thailand and worked with the RTAF for 4 days. Paul and I then went on to Singapore to work for 4 more days. It was a long trip but we did get to do some sightseeing in both Bangkok and Singapore. I took a lot of pictures and have posted a few here. Both cities are very hot and humid and Singapore is located right on the equator.
After or business was done and Ron and Larry had flown home, Paul and I took a 5-hour sightseeing trip in Bangkok to see Buddhist shrines and the Royal Palace and then we ended up with a ride up the river on a long, skinny boat.
Click on any photo to see a larger view
Bangkok and Singapore are both on the South China Sea. Singapore is the gatekeeper for the Strait of Malacca, the busiest and most important shipping lanes in the world.
We saw and ate some strange fruits and saw some foods that we do not have in Texas! In Singapore we had BBQ Sting Ray served on a big banana leaf, very good.
Above is the lychee fruit, it was pretty good. We also saw dragon fruit, durians, star fruit, mangosteens.
Since I love Thai food, I had a lot in Bangkok. Singapore had Thai, Chinese and Indian food so there was a lot to choose from. What trip to the mall is complete without eating a roasted or boiled chicken with the head still on. I think they used the feet for appetizers.
At the McDonald’s near our hotel in Bangkok you could get a fried Broccoli Pie for a good price. I don’t think that would be a big hit for kids in the US.
There are thousands of street vendors selling food in Bangkok. Most of it looks great and smells good, but those food vendors are a dangerous place for visitors to eat at. There were even small boats with burners and pots cooking and selling food right on the river. We did not eat at any outdoor stands.
There are also hundreds of outdoor markets where you can by any type of food and buy pretty much anything you can imagine.
Yes, we did work with our Thailand Rep and the Royal Thai Air Force. I bought a camera on base and took pictures of our meeting notice written in Thai. Between me and Paul is Lewis Ho, RC Singapore. By Larry is Joe from Siam Teltech.
While we were shopping for some souvenirs, we found a tuk-tuk driver who waited for us for over an hour while we drank beer and shopped. Three of us got into one tuk-tuk for a wild ride to the hotel. I am glad we got him as I think we were lost.
Travel Security Online 13 May 2011
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Thailand: ‘Red Shirts’ to rally in central Bangkok on 19 May to mark anniversary of government crackdown
Supporters of the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD, also known as the ‘Red Shirts’) are planning to rally on 19 May at Ratchaprasong intersection in the centre of the capital Bangkok. The demonstration has been organized to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the military’s forcible dispersal of UDD protesters from the intersection; at least 89 people were killed and 2,000 others injured in the unrest.
Travel Advice
• Normal travel to Bangkok can continue, but personnel should avoid all demonstrations to mitigate the risk of indirect exposure to violence.
• If you encounter protesters or a large group of security personnel, vacate the area immediately; do not stop to watch or photograph them.
• Monitor the local media and our website for further developments.
Great- Our hotel in Bangkok is at the intersection of the location of the protest and killing of 89 people. It is the 1 year anniversary of the riot. There will be a giant demonstration that could lead to violence. Hotel forgot to mention this. Our Thailand Rep dropped us off a mile away and said good luck, be careful, I am not going to drive in that mess.
Update on Red Shirt protest – it is about 11 PM and you can hear really loud music and noise & on 9th floor of our hotel from the protest outside for the anniversary of 89 people being killed and 2000 hurt last year.
Hopefully this won’t become a riot as there are many thousands of people out there. Tonight, we could not drive home to our hotel, barricades all over since last night, so we got on an elevated train and then walked up to our hotel from the back side. The travel alert said not to stop and look at them or take photos, I will send some pics next week. If you need some red tee shirts, they have them on sale all over. See you next week.