We make annual family trips to Bangkok and every single year we head to the Land of Smiles, we find ourselves with endless material to talk about when we go back. It’s amazing how we still have stories to tell, when we’ve been visiting the same city year after year.

My family made the decision to go on with our trip in the midst of all the political unrest. The weeks of January before we left were really vexing – Day after day, all we ever saw on our local news channel was about the protest. Thailand dissolved its parliament, she declared state of emergency, the airline we were flying on had to issue multiple press releases, constant breaking news on casualties and gunshots fired. We had this flickering thought to call off our trip, but we decided to just go along and remain vigilant.

Sights

Ratchaprasong District in the day

We saw a different side of Bangkok, and I really felt it was worth going down to see what’s happening with your own eyes. This trip was by far, one of my most memorable one. The huge road at the Ratchaprasong district was cordoned off.  In the earlier hours of day, cars would run on one side of the road, but that part would be closed off by 6pm. There are stalls selling protest goods (T-shirts and other memorabilia) on the cordoned section. Every single person on the road was shopping as usual, as if nothing happened.

Traditions still going strong in Thailand!

Trains (BTS, MRT, City Link) were our main modes of transportation this trip, which was a little different as we used to take the taxis when we had loads to carry back to our hotel. We saw families dressed in bright red (Chinese New Year was around the corner) and ladies in beautiful floral-print cheongsams. This is tradition that is slightly fading away in Singapore, but over in Thailand, it’s always heartening to see people dressing up for the festive occasion.

Chatuchak Park

Thailand must have seen a sharp decline in tourist arrivals these few months. Chatuchak Market, commonly known as the famous Weekend Market, was not as crowded. The roads were a lot emptier, and the stalls were overflowing to the side kerbs.

The Umbrellas of Chatuchak Market

Within the perimeter of the Chatuchak Market, there were plenty of empty umbrellas. I have rarely seen so much walking space in between. Some shops we frequent to were no longer there, those that remained had an increase in price. There were also lesser vendors, and it all felt like the Bangkok I used to visit when I was a young kid.

Wat Hua Lamphong

One of the temples in Bangkok, Wat Hua Lamphong. This place brings me back to the very first time when I visited Bangkok on a guided trip, and I saw golden temples like that on the coach ride. When we got so used to navigating around Bangkok, my family just stopped including such temples in our itinerary. It’s nice to revisit a temple with similar architecture that existed in my memory.

Brown and Cony are my favourite Line pals

We chanced upon a Line Pop-up store at Siam Center! Oh, as a HUGE Line fan (even when most of my friends barely use Line), I had to sweep all these adorable characters from the store. I bought a huge Brown cushion and some other random collectibles. I love Line! I love Brown and Cony, but if I really have to choose, I love Brown. Cony always have the exact emotions I want to express to my Line friends 🙂

Food

Thai Tea with Grass Jelly

My sister and I love Thai tea so much that we tried almost every variation we saw. This was something special as it came with Grass Jelly! I barely see Grass Jelly in Thailand served with Thai tea, so we decided to order this combination – which didn’t taste too bad~ It felt like the Grass Jelly Milk Tea we would usually chance upon at the bubble tea stores. Thai tea is a little too sweet for me sometimes, so I’ll let the ice melt a little to dilute the drink before drinking it. 🙂

Street Stalls for authentic Thai food (maybe?)

My family has an OCD with street food, so many a times, we’d avoid eating street food as the staple meal for our trip. We try our bestest. Alas, who could ever resist street food when you see them almost everywhere! I’d say Mango Sticky Rice would be a must-try for street food~!! That picture is satay or chicken kebabs – It was really cheap though, I remember about 40 baht for 10 sticks. That said, the ones we find in Singapore are a whole lot tastier.

Pad Thai!

A definite-must-eat whenever I visit Thailand – pad thai! While I have yet to try the best pad thai in Bangkok, I am happy enough eating the ones at the food court. We should explore more pad thai stores in future expeditions!

I love this Obanyaki store~

This is my little personal favourite when I visit Chidlom – Obanyaki from Isetan! I love their Obanyaki-s because they are extremely generous with their Red Bean filling! The price is a little steep – at about 2 dollars for one! I’ll splurge a little on this because it’s worth every single penny. Yum yum~~

With Ice Lemon Tea Ice Cubes

This is one drink that I’ll order again and again (if I have a treasure trove filled with gold)! It’s Ice Lemon Tea with Ice Lemon Tea Ice Cubes (so that the drink stays the same when the ice cubes melt) and Lemon Juice!! Oof! Oof! I like their shaved ice Coffee and Thai Milk tea too~

Tom Yum Soup

A trip to Thailand is almost never complete without Tom Yum Soup! My tolerance for spicy food is considered to “low”, according to my family members – but I’ll persevere for Tom Yum!! We had a couple of Tom Yum soup~ and we decided to end off our dinner on the last day with Tom Yum Soup as well! This bowl of Tom Yum had really strong hints of lemongrass (we absolutely love it), so apart from it being spicy and tangy and sour, it’s also very fragrant!

Bangkok Shutdown

Protestors on a weekday night

The closed off streets were slightly emptier in the day, but by nightfall…those who have knocked off from work would gather at the stage area for the rally, which often takes up the form of a broadcasted speech. There would be cheering and clapping. It was a very peaceful demonstration at the Ratchaprasong district.

Vendors selling wares near the protest area.

There are plenty of roadside vendors selling clothes and other merchandises if you walk towards the Siam BTS area. This place is like a whole new night market in itself. This road used to be really crowded at night, with all the cars and taxis and tuk-tuks worming around for quicker access. Right now, it has transformed into a night festival with plenty to shop! You may find the “Bangkok Shutdown” goods here (if you desire to bring one back home for the memory) as well as clothes. We did a quick check on the prices, and they are slightly more expensive (like a dollar or two pricier). Nope. It’s interesting to walk on the road though, for the experience.

An example of a street stall selling protest merchandise

Protest Site on a Weekend Afternoon

Concerts and rock performances are held in the day, and there will be tourists taking pictures of the stage. Initially, I thought it would be taboo to do that, but it was completely okay. It really felt like the Fuji Rock Festival in Japan, where concert-goers would pitch tents nearby to watch the live performances. Some would even giggle when I pulled out my DSLR to snap a better picture. Oh well, I am totally taking this memory home with me.

Do You Hear The People Sing?

Weekend nights reached full scale. The roads were filled with people sitting down and waving their plastic clappers (You know, the plastic palms that give out a “clapping” sound when you swing them from left to right) and blowing their whistles. They would be shouting and yelling commands in Thai, which have “Yingluck” in them – which I believe to be going along the lines of “Step down Yingluck”. The demonstration, with the huge Thailand flag waving amongst the rally listeners, reminded me hugely of Les Misérables’s Do You Hear The People Sing. It is the music of the people, who will not be slaves again!

We can only understand the English words here

No to voting. The meaning of this sticker, the protesters want to boycott voting for the then 2-February election. In Singapore, the opposition called upon the people to vote against the government.  Back to Bangkok, some voting sites were blocked off, and people were unable to vote.  I believe the voting process was disrupted on that very Sunday.

Bridges were closed off too

The day we went to MBK to pick up some snacks, we had realised that the bridge connecting Siam Discovery Centre to National Stadium BTS was closed off. We had to walk past the protest area to get to the mall. The protesters were singing out loud and waving their arms (in a live concert manner) to the songs the DJs on stage were playing. I took a video, and they were waving at me with smiles all over their faces.

That said, amidst the political unrest, the shopping districts in Bangkok were relatively safe for tourists to travel. There was barely any violence, and the locals were walking on the road as if nothing major happened. Shopping malls were closed at 8pm, so you may have to adjust your travel itinerary to fit the situation.

I am still very blessed and thankful to come home safely.
I am also grateful that I got to witness a glimpse of democracy and tolerance.
I could only pray for peace to be brought to the friendly people of Thailand soon.