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well, people arriving now likely booked their trips long before the trouble at the airports. And now that the airports are operating you couldn't change your flights without paying hefty fees. If you prepaid for a package vacation you wouldn't be able to change that now either. I think any drop off might not be evident until later. However, I also think that people have short memories as long as there isn't shooting in the street on Silom or at Siam Paragon. If the new government can actually get to work and get some things done confidence will be restored. How bad was it? Well, it's true there wasn't a conflagration. But for those of us delayed and inconvenienced it was pretty bad. My extra week ended up costing me about US$1300 for hotel (although I clearly could have chosen much cheaper accommodation so I do take some responsibility for the cost), my transfer to Phuket, and my flight from Phuket to Singapore. Plus it cost me a week of vacation time which means I will not be able to spend the Christmas holiday with my parents as I usually do. While not physically harmful it is a bit of a blow. For those of us who could afford it, it wasn't a huge problem but that is money I won't be able to spend on other things. For people already strapped for money or elderly people or people with babies and small children I think it was a bigger hardship. For sure there are many, many, many worse places to have been other than Bangkok during that time. As the world's economy keeps falling I think we'll be seeing more and more civil unrest around the world related to that even though the current big trouble in the world isn't directly a result of the economy I think it does play a part in that people act out when they are desperate.

Exactly. China basically owns the USA now.

Seems like the clear idea is to give Thais the day off so they will boost tourism. Give them a 4 day weekend and they can travel within the country. Plus, don't most people get paid at the end of the month? So they will have money to spend. Seems like a sensible idea given the circumstances.

I have a Thai friend who lives here in the US. He happened to be in Thailand the last couple of weeks visiting his family. They also said that they didn't think things would ever be settled until Thaksin is dead.

I don't understand why she wasn't arrested on the spot.

I was talking to some one who works in the tourism industry today. He believes that once the airports reopen this will quickly be forgotten unless there is shooting in the streets and dead bodies at the airport. I am not so optimistic as he is. But he has lots of people booked now who are still trying to get in so maybe he knows more than I do. Personally until the political situation gets settled to some degree I would not recommend anyone come here if they will really need to get out without a potential hassle. Of course I have lived through the current problems. If I were on the outside looking to come here instead it's possible I would feel differently. Generally I think the tourism areas are safe. But with the two sides so polarized I think the tensions will continue to go on for some time. And as much as I love the people here, I think there are plenty of other places with great people to visit. I suppose that if you are just a sex tourist there is nowhere better. But with the decline in tourism that I believe will happen there will be more desperate situations and more crime. And some of that I think will inevitably be directed to the rich guys who come here for cheap sex.

Seems to be a lot of conflicting information there. The airport to open today or tomorrow but maybe not until the 15th or in seven days or...or...or... I guess cargo operations can start before passenger service is allowed. That makes sense. I wonder if the date of the 15th is a worst case for passenger service and that a week may be possible.

I guess I have a little more sympathy for the airlines. This really is unprecedented. And there's no way to know when it might end. I would imagine that any contingency plan for the loss of Suvannabhumi would have been to start using Don Muang for international flights. With both of them out of commission they are stuck. And so many of their aircraft were stranded for the better part of a week that really tied their hands as well. At least THAI are doing something. United for example is completely at a loss. No flights operating at Utapao, Phuket, or anywhere else. Get yourself to Singapore or Hong Kong and they will help you. But they are not helping anyone get to those places. I have a Thai friend from the USA who is also stuck here. ANA however is flying from Utapao, so he is getting out tomorrow that way. He has to check in at the Dusit Thani several hours in advance and will be bused to Utapao. I think the airlines have finally figured out that it is a good idea to check people in in town and then put them on a bus to the airport. I wonder if they are even busing people right to the plane. That would seem the most sensible idea.

In the meantime, some airlines are adding flights at Phuket. Tiger Air is adding a few flights per day between Phuket and Singapore. Singapore Airlines is also adding some flights. And several European airlines are going to operate from Phuket as well. So things will get a little bit crowded there but at least it is an airport of decent size unlike Utapao. Tiger's website shows open seats Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday. I am guessing that tomorrow they will add flights for Thursday if there is enough demand. At the moment it looks like the best bet for getting out of Thailand may well be a long drive down to Phuket. I am planning to do so on Wednesday. United has already rebooked me for Thursday from Singapore to home. I am crossing my fingers that I am able to get a seat for Wednesday.

well, TAT also have a hotline/info line to call so they can give information on this program and help stranded people. The number is 03-253-5500 x1701 and I also see the number 1672 being advertised. I would guess that hotels should have these forms to fill out. I asked at the place where I am staying and they say they do not have instructions from their management company. I will talk to the front desk again tomorrow.

Or the Chinese. They are even closer in the neighborhood. I have been hoping for the US Marines, but they are a little tied up these days.

Here is what the US Embassy reports with regard to the Bt2000 Information for American Citizens - November 29, 2008 The Thai Foreign Ministry has arranged for credited compensation for stranded foreign travelers. This compensation consists of 2000 Thai baht credit per day for hotels and meals at those hotels. It is our understanding that this credit is available at any hotel in Bangkok (guest houses and serviced apartments are not included). Americans who have been unable to depart because their flight was cancelled due to the closure of the airports should show a copy of their passport and air ticket to the hotel front desk for the 2000 baht per day credit to be deducted from their bill. ------------------ I assume if this applies to Bangkok hotels it probably also applies to Pattaya hotels. I of course decided to stay at a serviced apartment type hotel so it looks like I may be out of luck but I definitely plan to check on that.

Well, no new tourists can get in. And those of us stranded here are likely either not in the mood or are conserving money since the situation is so uncertain. So that limits the audience available to the bars. I agree also that the prices are high. I thought about going to Solid last night but just couldn't rouse myself to go out. And that appears to be the case again tonight...

I haven't found out yet how this Bt2000/day per stranded person payment is working, but it seems like that would help these guys a lot. Not sure who if making the payments or anything like that but it sounds like maybe it is processed through the hotel operator? A cheap hotel room for two should leave plenty of cash left over for meals and other expenses.

I'm not sure it would be much news in the USA until people start dying. But Mumbai certainly knocked Thailand off of BBC World and CNN International. I would take this 1 million number with a grain of salt considering the source is a deputy PM. However, I think there is a lot of damage being done that will last a very long time.

In general I think most taxi drivers here are great. I don't know how they survive, frankly. But then you have the guys who troll Suriwong telling you Bt100 or 200 for a ride that should cost less than 50 on the meter. Does anyone really fall for that? Are people so drunk coming out of the bars that they just agree? I always just laugh at them and close the door. And then walk a few hundred meters and flag down an honest driver who just turns on the meter. The first driver could have made an easy fare for a relatively short drive and been back on the road quickly, but decided to try and rip me off instead so he gets no money and keeps on driving his empty cab.

One the one hand it is hard to say. But on the other it is easy to say that all digital cameras these days (especially from the well-known brands) are generally very good. What sort of photography do you plan to do? How portable does the camera need to be? What will you be doing with the photos? I have been shooting DSLRs for a few years. I just got a Nikon D90 recently which I am loving. I have shot a ton of photos on this trip that I am currently editing and narrowing down to make a photobook once I get home. Of course it is very expensive and then there is the cost of lenses. I also have a little pocket-sized Canon SD600 which I like very much for snapshots in good light. It doesn't perform as well in low light. But I think these little Canon's are great cameras that you don't mind carrying because they are so small. But you can also get tiny cameras from Nikon, Casio, Sony, etc as well. There are lots of features out there, some more important than others. Most point and shoot cameras these days also shoot decent quality video for short clips if you are interested in that. You will probably want to make sure the "shutter lag" is as short as possible. That's the time between when you push the shutter release button and when the camera actually takes the picture. Don't get caught up too much in the "megapixel" wars. Unless you plan to make lots of big (poster sized) prints or are planning to do lots of cropping in software you don't need more than 6 MP. I have some gorgeous 13" x 19" prints from photos I took with a 6 MP camera.

It's just a regular bar, not a gogo bar or host bar in the Thailand sense. The staff I was referring to are the bartenders. They are all tiny, petite and a little bit girly but very friendly. They play a lot of diva music which the staff sing along to and dance while they are working. It sounds a little silly and it is but I was charmed. Lots of warm smiles and most of them speak English well enough. There is one guy who looked like me must be the manager or something who is stunningly handsome. He looks just like a Buddha statue. As for the freelancers I am afraid I can't tell you much as I didn't take anyone home with me. One guy told me he was a masseur and basically offered to massage me but I didn't ask for details. He looked like he might have been part caucasian. A handsome guy, but the cigarette smoking is a total redlight for me and I wasn't in the mood anyway. Drink prices seemed reasonable but I don't drink alcohol so I can't comment on those prices for mixed drinks. I just had a ginger ale which was something like $1 I suppose. Prices there are in US $. Mainly I just found it to be a lively, relaxing place to hang out.

I was just there. Blue Chili is very nice. Friendly, cute staff. They apparently put on some sort of drag show on Fridays and Saturdays. Several handsome freelancers hanging out there too. The Sticky Rice website has a good collection of info http://www.stickyrice.ws/?view=directory&country=kh Also check out this gay Cambodia blog for info http://queercambodia.blogspot.com/ I stayed at the Quay Hotel which is a very high design concept hotel right on the riverfront. Rooms on the front of the building have balconies overlooking the river but they are very noisy in the AM. The horn honking starts early. I read that rooms at the rear of the building have no windows. That doesn't seem safe in the event of a fire and you would never get away with that in a western country. I enjoyed my one night stay there. It is run by the FCC (Foreign Correspondents' Club) which also has another hotel and restaurant.

Having stayed 3x at Ambiance including a just-concluded stop there last weekend I would say, stay somewhere else. In my opinion the physical plant of the hotel, while never great, is really going downhill. The staff are wonderful, but I suspect that is the case in most hotels in this country. My room had no or limited hot water in the shower during my stay. They are installing an elevator but there is no indication when that work will be done. Construction is limited to 10:00-17:00. But if you have any concern climbing steep stairs you will want to consider that. The rooms are also generally very dark. And while it may not be a concern for you, the TV options are limited to a measly 7 or 8 channels. At this point I don't plan to come back to Thailand but if I ever do and I ever go back to pattaya I would stay somewhere else.

It's not just the Thais of course. I am in Cambodia at the moment. And even the "professional" drivers employed by my tour company are rather reckless. The roads here are pretty bad and they are full of motorcycles and bikes. The car driver's response to this is to blow the horn at every opportunity so those poor sods (and kids) will move as far out of the way as possible. It's a wonder there aren't more deaths. We saw two dead bodies laying on the road covered up on the way down to Kep from Phnom Penh. Apparently it was two girls who had been on a moto struck by a car the night before. I don't know how he knew the details. And I don't know why it took so long for the police to show up and remove them from the highway.

The bar is just a bar as noted above. I'd say probably more "gay friendly" than strictly gay. It is located on the road along the Nam Khan river sort of northeast of Phousi. They show movies there frequently I gather. Last night was The Bourne Ultimatum. People lounging inside the bar were watching the movie. Folks at a couple of tables outside were chatting. The bar is owned by an American and his Lao boyfriend. They also own the Lao Lao Gardens restaurant across the street. Very cute wait staff, but that is the case at pretty much every restaurant in town. The young men here are adorable. I don't believe that any of the waiters were "offable" in the traditional sense. As noted the gay scene here is very lowkey. But we pass a lot of "sisters" on the street who know my guide. I saw a ladyboy working at the main Wat yesterday. For a town this small there seem to be a lot of gay folks, but I suppose all of the western tourists may be part of the reason. I get the feeling people are much freer here than they would be in a small traditional village that has little or no contact with outsiders. I think Luang Prabang is definitely worth a visit, but not for the gay life. As for what I am paying at 3 Nagas, I can't really give you an answer to that. I am booked through Purple Dragon so it is part of their tour module. I think rates are at least $140/night though. One other drawback of being here is that it is right on the main street so it is very noisy with motos and tuktuks. The earplugs are necessary. Another thing I would note is that much is made of the monks' procession each morning to collect food from the people. I have seen it described as a very sacred and spiritual experience. But I have to say that yesterday morning at least it was very much like an assembly line. They send out the young novice boys to collect the food. There is no chanting or praying. They just move as quickly as they can. Of course it has been quite chilly, the start of cold season apparently, so those poor kids are probably trying to get back home to the monastery as quickly as they can to warm up. Walking barefoot in nothing but a little monk's robe must be tough.

I am in LP at the moment. It is really beautiful here and the weather is just gorgeous. Warm during the day but not too hot and chilly at night. I am staying at the 3 Nagas which is very nice, but there are a million little hotels and guests houses all over the city which also look very nice on the outside at least. Frankly I think 3 Nagas is overpriced for what it is, but the staff are nice. Breakfast is very good but there isn't enough of it. Sorry I can't be of much more help. There are tons of gay men here in Luang Prabang. Either that or they are just really friendly. My gay guide seems to know a lot of them though. We are going out to the gay bar tonight.

well, he still has his place in Hong Kong, right? I assume he will end up there for a while.

I haven't really shopped for clothes in Thailand so I am not sure if they would be any cheaper. For sure if you are in the giant malls the prices are probably comparable to what you pay at home. You will find cheaper stuff in the local markets. But depending on your size you might have a hard time finding "farang sized" clothes. I bought a "large" t-shirt last year that would be somewhere between a small and medium in USA sizes.