Bangkok and Me
I flew into Bangkok, Thailand with only a few days left on my two-month visa with a one-month extension. I was planning on getting my extension to buy me a little time but as the taxi driver drove near Democracy Monument he had to make some changes due to some of the major roads being closed by the opposition party. Demonstrators waived flags and barked out their slogans through load speakers on the back of trucks inside their barricades.
Travel warnings are springing up from China, Malaysia, Philippines, and the United Kingdom and others will appear now that the caretaker government has called for a 60-day state of emergency on January 22.
Word on the street is that others from the outskirts of Bangkok are coming in to join and support the People’s Democratic Reform Committee (DPRC). Many people I spoke to in the south are angry about the situation and tempted to come to Bangkok to support the cause. Obviously, tensions are high.
Some rules have been issued from the caretaker government to combat the protests, namely, a ban on gatherings of 5 or more people. ‘Newspapers and other media are prohibited from presenting news which could raise public fears or distorting information that could affect national security.’
Since I don’t want to cross that line, go to the January 23, Thursday Issue of the Royal Gazette for the decrees.
For me, most of the immigration offices in Bangkok area are shut until further notice so I will not be getting my extension after all. Getting to the Burma embassy is a trick all by itself considering it’s always on the other side of town. The Burmese embassy accepts tourist visa paperwork and payments between 9am and 12-noon and then you can either, go back and pick it up same day between 3:30pm and 4:30pm or for a few baht less you can pick up your passport and visa the following day.
The Burma Embassy is located at 132 Sathon Nuea Rd. Bang Rak District, Suriyawong. Considering the political situation with the roads being somewhat closed by protestors and the government shutting other roads, the express boat down the Chao Phraya River is the most efficient way to get close and enjoy the sites of the city at the same time.
The sky train is still operational and that is your link to getting close. I got off at the Sala Daeng stop. The Burmese Embassy is very close and Sathon Nuea Rd is listed in the terminal. Of course the local Thai people are also taking advantage of not being on the roads so the boats and trains are packed more than usual. If you get off the sky train and can’t figure it out, hop on a motor bike taxi, not a tuk-tuk. Tuk-tuks don’t always take you where you want to go because they are hired to take you to clothing shops and other less desirable locations.
If you can find the Sri Mahamariamman Temple on google maps, you are at the other end of the same street as the Burmese Embassy, sitting quietly awaiting 200 or more tourists everyday, not including tour companies with handfuls of passports.
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