Christmas in Chiang Mai

Hi Bloggers,

Just had a nice few days in Chiang Mai. Would have liked to have spent longer but needed to back in Bangkok to work on my Diploma.
River Ping

The place has developed a lot, but still has its old worldy charm. In fact, it's a great example of successful urban development. I was unlucky with the weather, as it rained for the whole of Boxing Day, which meant I had to cancel my ride into the mountains. I did, however, make it out to Doi Saket and the awesome resevoir out there (see pic). OK, it's man made, but that detracts nothing from it. And the ride out there is just idyllic. Not many tourists do this trip, as they're usually focussing on the more famous Doi Suthep.

Doi Saket Resevoir

I've also posted some pictures of my favourite temple, Wat Chedi Luang. I usually do a few rounds of the stupa, look at the elephant statues and stroke a few temple dogs. The buildings (see below) are classic examples of the kind of fare you can expect all around Chiang Mai.

Finally, I just had to shows some pics of the moat and river. The tree lined moat with its fountains make it a photographer's dream. Here's just a couple, at the bottom.

On a political note, I have quite a few friends in Chiang Mai, and they're all ardent Thaksin supporters and are suitably horrified at what happened in Bangkok with the PAD, etc. In fact, one of my friends told me that members of the PAD were paid 1000 baht a day to protest. Some even say it was the queen herself who sponsored them. Well, the opposition accused the PPP of vote buying, but is this any less corrupt?

Back in Bangkok now. Let's hope the world becomes a less grizzly place than this year, though judging by what's happening in Gaza, that looks unlikely!

Happy New Year, anyway.
Cheers,
Robert

New PM in Thailand

Hi Bloggers,

Well, things seem to have settled down a bit for the time being. There don't seem to be any demos going on in the streets at the moment, though don't be surprised if that changes in the not too distant future!

Basically this new government is the result of political wheeling and dealing, and plenty of horsetrading, including the usual financial backhanders. It's certainly not democratically elected! Nevertheless, Abhisit does seem a reasonable choice superficially, and may even be able to provide a modicum of stability. Interestingly, he was born in England and is a graduate from Oxford University (where I'm proud to say I read myself). So he's pretty articulate and speaks excellent English. Fortunately , he's also disowned the PAD. So let's hope ....

I regularly watch CNN, and one of my favourite reporters is Dan Rivers, based here in Bangkok. Do try and watch his interview with Abhisit if you can. He always asks really tough challenging questions, and had Abhisit on the back foot a couple of times, particularly re: the popularity of Thaksin and his supporters. Dan's interview with the Bali bombers was also a real classic, especially when he tells one of them to his face "you're nothing but a cold blooded murderer, is what you are."

Of course, tourist numbers are well down as you might expect. The only benefit that might come from this is the possibility of some good bargains in peak season, due to the large number of cancellations. My advice is go to hotels in person on spec, as, if they have low occupancy, they might make you an offer there and then.

Anyway, I'm off to Chiang Mai for a few days at Christmas. It's my favourite medium sized city anywhere in the world. Looking forward to getting out into the country and riding up into the hills on my motorbike. Fantastic scenery around there.

Will blog again soon. Have a nice Christmas!

Cheers,
Rob

Airport Aftermath

Hi Bloggers,

So the PAD got their demands and have now finally left the airport. But it was always likely that the court would rule against the PPP, so I wonder why they bothered in the first place. Why didn't they wait till after the court ruling? That way, they would have saved Thailand billions of dollars in lost tourism. In fact, the PAD have cost the country far more than any of Thaksin's dubious transactions. To me this is clear evidence that it's about power, not about the moral purity of a particular government.

Let's look more closely at what's really going on. The PAD are determined that no party representing the rural poor is going to have office. This is, in effect, a class war, and, in my opinion, risks eventually developing into a full blown civil war. There must now be massive discontent countrywide amongst those who voted for the PPP. And, indeed, they have themselves now formed their own protest group, the red shirts.

As it happens, the PPP will probably be able to re-constitute itself under a new name with a new leader, but the PAD will almost certainly continue to harrass them. So I think we can all expect some more fireworks at some point in the not too far future!

At street level, one of the effects of the airport closure is the absence of tourists in Bangkok. This evening, I went for a meal in the normally packed out food court in Sukhumwit Soi 7, and it was virtually deserted. Thousands of people in the tourist industry have had their lives affected by the amazingly inconsiderate actions of the PAD. It's really important the Thai people see through the PAD and banish them completely.

One of the things that disturbs me most is the precedent the whole affair sets. By succeeding like this, a signal has been sent out that it's OK to go to the streets if you don't like a government, even though it was democratically elected. Another worrying feature is the fact that the army is clearly not neutral. The PPP were unable to call on its support throughout the whole crisis. How can any government work when it is at odds with its own army? Anywhere else in the world (almost) the police and army would have worked together quickly to quell the problem.

Anyway, enough for one blog! Let's see how things unfold.

Cheers,
Rob