Odd Sunday in Bangkok

Sunday 28th March

Odd sort of day. Started out walking from the sky train terminal to the National Museum, but a Thai gentleman said that whole neighbourhood was shut because of the demonstrations, but that the government had put in place a scheme for tourists whereby a tuk tuk would take them around other sites for 40 baht ( 80p).

We hailed a tuk tuk with a driver who spoke good English. He took us to the Big Buddha ( impressively high statue), then the lucky and reclining buddhas. Here we got into conversation with a gentleman who turned out to be military police, but had studied law at Aston University at the same time as we were living nearby in Solihull.He said that he was like a watermelon, because although his uniform was green on the outside, inside his sympathies were with the reds.

After that we had to endure two government export jewellery salesrooms. Interesting to see lapidary and mounting being carried on by hand, but accompanied by pressurised selling techniques. We had to go because otherwise the tuk tuk driver didn't get his government coupons for free petrol!

We drove around the city in the company of happy, flag waving red shirts on motorbikes, trucks and cars. Their leaders had just been invited to live televised talks with the government. There were also a fair number of military at street corners and government establishments keeping an eye on events. There was a sense that politically, things were happening.

Then to Golden Mount for a view over the city from its highest stupa, and back to the sky train terminus. After cooling down in one of the nearby shopping malls, we went back to Chatuchak market for a stroll round. Then returned to the hotel.