Skip to main content

Treated like royalty

Have you ever seen the roads of Bangkok this empty?

The roads were cleared whenever royal guests were passing by. Even pedestrians on bridges above, which is where we were, were temporarily stopped from crossing over to the other side.

The Saudi king was going out:

I wonder if he wondered: Eh, what happened to those traffic jams I heard so much about?

One would think that with royalty from all over the world descending upon Bangkok, we would be able to rub shoulders with some of them. But it was not to be. The closest we came to it was sharing the lift with a lady from the Qatari entourage. She was in a Gucci headscarf. Wow.

However, we did get our share of royal treatment - on the BTS (skytrain). People readily offered us their seats. I was initially taken aback because I don't think I look pregnant, or like an elderly person in need of a seat and the boy certainly does not look like a toddler or a frail child who needs to sit. In fact, he should jolly well be offering seats himself. And why would anyone want to offer my husband their seat?? After several BTS rides, I realised that it's a habit for many people to give up their seats to children and their parents, be they fathers or mothers, as well as 'older' people. Though I'm still sure I don't look that old. Impressive, huh? I remember GNH said that no one offered her their seat on the MRT when she was pregnant. Tsk tsk.

Anyway, it's still not too late to go to Bangkok. The Amazing Thailand Grand Sale has just about started so it will be a good time to hit the shops.

And the World Cup is still on...

Comments

fuzzoo said…
I also just got back from Thailand. I was in Phuket. Unfortunately did not have really satisfactory spa treatments like you did and not much shopping either. Came back with a sunburn though. Ouch!
Anonymous said…
Hi Fuzzoo,
Really? I thought Phuket had good spas. Hope you at least enjoyed the beach(es), food and the friendliness of the locals. I remember all those seafood restaurants along Patong beach. Are they still there?

Popular posts from this blog

True train school

‘Having eyes, but not seeing beauty; having ears, but not hearing music; having minds, but not perceiving truth; having hearts that are never moved and therefore never set on fire. These are the things to fear, said the headmaster.’ How would you like to have such a headmaster? I finally re-read (read it first as a teenager) Totto-chan, The Little Girl at the Window , a ‘school story’ by Tetsuko Kuroyanagi, translated by Dorothy Britton. Totto-chan is the name Tesuko Kuroyanagi called herself, and the book is about her life during her school days at Tomoe Gakuen. Totto-chan was expelled from her first elementary school because of her ‘disruptive’ behaviour, which included constantly opening and closing her desk top (because she was so thrilled by it), ‘vandalising’ her desk (because there wasn’t enough space on the piece of paper to draw) and standing by the classroom window waiting for street musicians to pass by or talking to swallows. Her mother, although probably alarmed about the ...

The Secret Romantic Guesthouse (2023)

The title has an airy, genial feel and the show does have its airy, genial side, but I also think of it as TRAPPED, since everyone was trapped by the past.   It was fun trying to figure out who was who, who was on whose side and how the awful king would fall.   The scholars It wasn’t too hard to guess that Kang San (Ryeo Un) is the deposed/missing prince and that he isn’t really gruff and disinterested although he’s exasperated and rolling his eyes most of the time.  Shi-yeol (Kang Hoon) has the best ‘disguise’, with the nice contrast between his highly-skilled fighting and loyalty versus his silliness.  It felt at times that Yoo-ha (Jung Gun-joo) was an extra but finally, he gets that one brave act of letting himself be captured to protect the rest.   Shi-yeol identifying himself to Kang San as his watchman was dramatic but the most shocking revelation in the show was that the Old Guy (Shi-yeol’s mentor) is the king’s watchman!  Ho...

Be Melodramatic! (2019)

An entertaining look at the media world, although the plot and acting (thankfully) weren’t melodramatic! There was some drama over relationships but overall, ‘good friends’ is the prevailing vibe and at the end, you almost want to shout  友谊万岁   (friendship forever). all their living room chats and meals; Eun-jung's brother's home garb and robes! There is also Eun-jung’s other friend, who is a gem, so for me, this show is mainly about friendship.   It is wonderful how everyone moves in because they are concerned for Eun-jung (Jeon Yeo-been). Her grief and healing are movingly portrayed, and Yeo-been’s acting and Eun-jung’s storyline eclipsed that of the main character.  Eun-jung is beautiful, smart and tragic.   heartbreak she gets along so well with her cameraman Han-joo (Han Ji-eun – Ae-wol !) is cute, smart and tragic.  They both work responsibly and seriously, treat others with respect and deserve the success and opportunities that come th...