thailand????????????????
what i want to know is.. i know all that drama is doin on in bangkok but what are the people like in the other parts of thailand? like phuket, pattaya, the north? are they angry about what is happening and seem different with tourists.. or are they all good and friendly as usual.. i just dont wanna hava shit holiday!
There is absolutely no change in their attitude towards tourist. As a matter of fact, you find more Thai’s concerned about your safety and well being. They will tell you not to go into BKK, it’s not safe. They don’t mean that you will be attacked, but rather you may indirectly get hurt ( stray bullets etc.) No one is attacking any tourist. The foreigners that have gotten hurt are, in general, reports or lookie loo’s.
Many Thai’s are angry with what is happening, but they are angry with this whole Red Shirt thing. Tourism has had a big drop off and that affects the pocketbook of many Thais. If you go north to Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Nong Khai, Khon Kaen…..You are going to find 0 problems and that they are still very happy to see you. If you go south to Pattaya, Phuket, Koh Samui, Hat Yai etc….You will find the same exact thing. Even Bangkok is just fine. Only avoid the "hot Zones" and you will be fine. You may find traffic a lot more snarled up and the Sky train may or may not be working. But there is plenty to see and do without going into the Silom area. Wat Po, the floating market, travel around to Auttaya.
You will have a great time.
They might be angry but life goes on, they need tourists, so they have to be nice to all the tourists as usual, do not go to Bangkok, other parts of Thailand should be okay, still depend on your luck.
Good luck.
I got back from a 10 day trip to Phuket a few days ago and everything was very calm there. The taxi drivers would sometimes bring it up and ask if we were going to Bangkok (which, I’m glad to say, we weren’t). The locals were just as loving and friendly as I remembered from my last trip there. There was no sense of panic or stress, though one driver was a little nervous for his family who were mostly based are Bangkok. I felt very safe at Bangkok Airport flying home, though I must say I was very glad to get through customs, just to be a little bit safer.
I hope all the rioting ceases very soon, Thailand is such a lovely country and I would hate for tourists to stop visiting (a la Fiji, with all the coups).
Bangkok is definitely unsuitable for a holiday right now, however many other places of Thailand are unaffected by the protests in Bangkok. I just came back from Chaing Mai and Pattaya and didn’t have any problems at all.
Stay clear of the streets of Bangkok and you will be alright. Tourists are not involved with this up heaval, so Thai people are treating tourists the same as before.
The north is a red stronghold, so tensions are high there as well. Some banks have been bombed in Chiang Mai, but it is not yet the warzone Bangkok has become. Pattaya & Phuket should still be fine though.