I never said don't go to Bangkok. I have been back to Bangkok twice since the Red Shirt Riots of last year.
I am saying that people need to not think that Thailand is all sawadee and sunshine. I lived for almost two weeks at ground zero. I had to make my way through the crowds, walk through the urine soaked sidewalks, and get used to the 24 hour rant on the loudspeakers. I had surgery during that time, and having to walk the last 500 meters, when they wouldn't let taxis in was certainly a pain for me.
It was intolerable at the Hyatt, and they were right to close. The IC staff handled the situation very nicely, and I was sad to see them close. Noise level was acceptable, if you had a room facing away from the ruckus.
And innocent people were killed. Snipers, and some RPG attacks, are ones that I recall during the 3 weeks I was in BKK.
Originally Posted by
Dr. HFH
IMO you may be overreacting a bit. I was there during the protests last Spring. Generally, Thais are a warm and gentle people. When I walked through the occupied areas last year everyone with whom I spoke inquired after my comfort and safety, expressing no concern for their own. Here they were, hundreds of miles from home, living on mats on the hot pavement, and they were offering me their own cool water, their own food. Outside of the occupied areas, there were many well armed troops. Again, all were friendly. I never felt unsafe, never felt that I was in danger.
Go to Bangkok, you'll be fine. If there's trouble, it will most likely be confined to a well defined geographical area, and is unlikely to be spontaneous and sudden. You'll likely have plenty of warning. What's more, Thais mostly understand what tourism means to their economy, and the last thing that any side wants is dead falangs.