-- For the below posting either ref. to Google '
Earth.' or to a map of BKK. shewing from THONBURI to WESTWARDS might be helpful -
-- A former & Thai man-friend has his hair-dressing salon in Phet Kasem 79*., nr. to WAT UDON RANGSI, (Khet Nong Kaem.), wch. he has quit alleging that the local flood-waters are MORE than
3ft.;
no customers
etc. etc. -
'All OMG.! Doom & Gloom and so on and so forth ... .'
- Thus this
Thomas Didymus resolved to see matters for himself;
-- Y'day., (17 nov.), he took a #
84. 'bus. from BTS. Krung Thon Buri,S7.. Both the driver & conductor assured him that their 'bus. would run all the way, but that water would be some
3ft. deep OUT that far!
- However, at the RATCHAPHRUEK FLYOVER - approx.
3M. from the KING TAKSIN MONUM'T. - we all had to de-'bus. as all 'buses terminated there!
- After some milling-around those of us going farther
W'WARDS. boarded an Issuzu & 6wh. army truck in wch. we were packed like proverbial sardines;
- The truck took us roughly another
5.5M. to the former CARREFOUR S'MKT.,(now part of the BIG C gp.), at wch. point we all descended and boarded a
yellow & BKK. Municipal Admin'n. lorry for the final stage of the journey;
- Keeping an eye
OPEN on these things the flood-waters started at Phet Kasem 9.; passing THE MALL - Bank Khae the water was axle-deep for our mil'y. vehicle; at Phet Kasem 79. the water was some
16" deep. However, while water tends to find its own level and to take the line of least resistance the rd. undulates, so there were several dry patches, of wch. some poor but honest vendors took full advantage to set-out their stalls;
- I walked along soi 79., the depth was generally up to
20". deep -
Gentle Reader, it reminded me of the '
... grey-green,greasy Limpopo river, all set-about with fever-trees ... .'** - to my friend's shop, wch. is situated just above HIGH water mark; consequently spent a few mins. on the cell-'phone. urging him to return and to
OPEN for business, especially as another & hair-dressing salon was not only
OPEN but busy with customers.
- Plenty of boats, rafts & similar small craft busy plying for hire; saw many styrofoam rafts kept afloat by plastic jerricans
etc., also one elderly gent punting his way along in a plastic bath kept buoyant by bamboo poles attached to it!
- The return journey was initially by 'bus. and then by army veh.. Whist we were awaiting a 'bus. for the journey's final stage free food -
HOT rice & veggies. in styrofoam boxes,- was being distributed to hungry bodies - most welcome. The overall & return journey from soi 79. to the BTS. took approx.
a couple of hours.
-- While I'm
not going to write that many reports of this flooding have been or are exagerated yet it is worth one's while - if possible - to use one's own eyes and to see for oneself rather than to accept other peoples' possibly sensationalised reports.
--* Phet Kasem rd. is road
#4. and runs roughly WSW. from the KING TAKSIN MONUM'T.
--** From the '
Just so stories.' by R. Kipling.
--
