Bangkok, Thailand

Unless you have been living in a cave in the mountains, you would have no doubt have seen this weeks footage of fighting between the Red Shirts and Thai Government soldiers in downtown Bangkok.

Only days before it all went down, I was speaking with a client saying ‘things aren’t so bad at the moment’. That quickly changed though. Living only 5-blocks from the action, I prudently decide to temporarily leave Bangkok for Kuala Lumpur, where I am now writing these words.

Fortunately I missed the worst of the violence and like many, was shocked to see the TV footage showing the massive fire that was lit at Central World Shopping Mall, in the heart of Bangkok.

While the violence has passed – for now – the question on most people’s lips is this: is it safe to go to Bangkok?

To answer that question, I advise you to read this well written article over on Lonely Planet. (The short answer is ‘yes’ by the way. Just avoid certain areas at present).

And if that wasn’t enough to convince you to not change your travel plans to Thailand, then consider this. The recent violence has turned away visiting tourists in droves and this really, really hurts the people on the streets that really rely on the tourism dollar for a living.

To put this in perspective, the day before I flew out of Bangkok, I was tooted by no less than 5 taxis, trying to get my business. That was a clear sign that local business is hurting.

What Thailand needs now, is for people to keep coming and keep injecting money into the economy. Not only will it help this country recover, it will help support all those people that rely on the tourism dollar for a living.

As for me, I’ll be back in Bangkok in the coming week.

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