Khun Sextile asked me to add this picture several days ago and I only just read his message. It is late, but may be of interest to some of you outside Thailand to know where the action has been.

http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/r...33/bangkok.jpg

http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/r...3/bangkok2.jpg

This link leads to the constantly-updated location references on the map:
http://maps.google.co.th/maps/ms?hl=...0.542498&spn=0

Truly, Khun Sextile, there are not enough accolades possible for the service (of the reporting sort) you've offered during this difficult period. Buying you a beer is insufficient. Although I'm expecting to remain upcountry for quite some time, on my next passage through BKK I'd be most happy to stand you to a massage at the establishment of your choice.

Does Sathorn area have electrical power.Hear it was no power Wednesday.Are Malaysia/Ibis/Pinnacle operational ?

-- When I looked-in at the MALAYSIA HTL. a few days ago it had power, as had BABYLON SAUNA, (see my posting at the time.],.
- Y'day., (21st.], tee rak & I saw men from the Electricity Dept. at work in the BON GAI area, but don't think that that included the PINNACLE - at that time power wiring in the PINNACLE's area looked to be rather the worse for wear from the arson of the adjacent K'KORN. BANK.

-- Today, (22nd.], forenoon tee rak & I walked to the R'PRASONG. I'sect. by way of Sarsin rd., Soi Lang Suan and S'vit. rd..
- Sofar no attempts have been made to start cleaning-up S'vit. rd.. At the isect. Soi Lang Suan & S'vit rd. were the burnt-out remains of 2x1O wheeled & red shirts' lorries..
- The I'CONN. HTL. had its staff busy washing-down the forecourt.

-- BMA. pers. & eqpt. hard at work along R'damri. rd. towards Pratunam, Rama I. rd. towards MBK. & R'damri. rd. back & twds. BTS. R'damri., (S1.],.
- Slight whisps of smoke still arising-out of the hole in the ground between ZEN TWR. & the rest of C'WORLD. - a fire-bde's. sprayer was keeping that area cool, (I was pleased to see a water-pressure of 55PSI.],.
- We walked-along the Rama I rd's. facade and noted that the fire-damage extended to just short of the large & slightly curved skywalk that connects C'WORLD. to the SkyWalk 'neath. the BTS.. We noted that most of the arson attacks - apart from ZEN - were on the other side of Rama I rd.: SIAM CINEMA & its surrounding block of shops, (Blk. 'H.'], were burnt-out completely: (SIAM SQ. between sois4. & 5. and back to soi7.]; the two blocks of shops between the SIAM CINEMA and Henri Dunant rd. suffered damage only to the shops fronting Rama I rd.. A bit farther along Rama I rd. the LIDO CINEMA was completely undamaged.
- SIAM P'GON. had its staff busy washing-down its windows and surrounding area.
- A couple of times we were stopped by the mil'y., (many of whom I noted as being of the older & MORE grizzled variety of soldiers.], and tee-rak was asked to shew his ID., whereas I was not; obviously the soldiers recognised me as being English and from a country where one is not req'd. to carry any type of state ID..

-- We walked as far as MBK. and then turned-in to SIAM SQ., where we saw the fire-damage as noted above.

-- Back on R'damri. rd. we saw that the ent'ce. to the fire-damamged ZEN. area had been barricaded CLOSED to all but those on necessary duties there - much to the loudly expressed annoyance of some media types.
- I noticed some police-officer pick-up what looked like a short & wooden club and replace it. I picked it up, saw that it was a pestle, and noting its suggestive size & shape waved it at tee-rak, much to the amusement of some of the brutal & licentious soldiery sitting near-by: ROTFWL. -:D
- The BMA. pers. were making good in-roads into the mess left behind by the departed red shirts.

-- We walked through the mil'y. check-point at the R'damri./Sarsin rds'. i'sect. and back to the DUSIT THANI I'sect. with no hindrance. We noted the numbers of self-employed persons who were busy collected plastic bottles, cans and other such useful objects for re-cycling. Along that stretch of the rd. most of the tentage had been taken-down so as to facilitate later clean-up.

-- Along Si Lom rd. MC.CAFE was OPEN, as were APSARA MASSAGE PARLOR, BOOTS, (by BTS. Sala Daeng, [S2.],], and O'REILLY'S IRISH HSE.. SILOM MASSAGE & NOODI had OPENED their street-doors for airing purposes.

-- According to a C'WORLD's. spokes-person the CRES'. order to disconnect all electricity & water supplies to the R'PRASONG. I'sect. area disabled C'WORLD'S. sprinkler system!

-- In today's BKK. POST. 'paper's. Business Section is a leading article about C'WORLD., wch. has 13B.Bh. Industrial 'All Risks.' ins'ce. and 1OOM.Bh. Riots & Terrorism ins'ce..
- Damage has occured to all 7fl. of ZEN with 528K.sq.ft. & to ZEN TWR. of 13fl. with 317K.sq.ft. of sales' space.
- CLOSURE is expected to last for some six months and to incur sales' losses of some 1.35B.Bh..

Since you seem to be the curious and ambulatory type, could you advise to the best of your knowledge whether firsthand or secondhand, the status (open/closed) of massage places a little further afield from the erstwhile contested areas, e.g.
(1) the group Indra and Prime Massage,
(2) the group along Sukhumvit - Hero, Body Club (soi 8) B&N (soi10/12),
(3) the group at Soi Convent - Adonis and Casanova,
(4) others along Silom and Surawong - Mantra, Angkor?

I should think that for these, there is no reason to remain closed, curfew hours permitting.

I believe it had been reported some months ago that Janpa on Sukhumvit Soi 13had breathed its last?

I shold explain that before I wrote the earlier post, I tried calling two places, i.e.. Hero and B&N, and no one's picking up the phone. After writing the above post, I have since tried Adonis and Prime Massage, and they confirmed that they are open for business.

I find it strange that the Sukhumvit places may be closed?

[QUOTE = sloot; 677356].
[i] ... .
I find it strange that the Sukhumvit places may be closed? [/ QUOTE]. [/ I].

-- Possibly it's a matter of their staff's ability to travel thither & and then back to home before either it'll become dark or the 21.hrs'. curfew?
- Equally a shortage of customers might not be all that helpful, either; INDRA. is my nearest and it is not reporting much in the way of customers for massage etc. etc..

-- Next week, with tee rak back at school, (just between us girls he's rather like a mother hen with but one chick.], I should able to travel farther afield.

-- Today, (22nd.], a'noon. tee-rak & I walked to HUA LAMPHONG RLY. STN..
- With the news' agents in Cent'l. BKK. being CLOSED I'd hoped that BOOKAZINE in the stn. would be receiving copies of the W/E. Fin. Times., but aparently DistriThai are not delivering this week-end.

-- Walking-back we noted that it was several branches of only the BKK. Bank that had rec'd. the unwelcomed att'ns. of the malcontants. Also several 'phone.-booths had been o'turned., had their phone.-systems ripped-out or had their glazing smashed, this in the gen'l. area of the Luang Suan Church on Rama IV. rd..

With the Pattaya curfew lifted last night, I wonder about BKK. I'm due to spend Sunday night in BKK .. will I need to arrange my affairs for pre 9 pm still?

- Readers might be interested in the flg. -.

> [Url = http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23836533-british-anarchist-caught-urging-red-shirts-to-burn-and-loot-mall.do] British anarchist caught urging. . Red Shirts to burn and loot mall | News [/ url] <.

-- Tee rak, who was watching Thai TV. after 19.oo.hrs., told me that the BTS., (SkyTrain.), hopes to re-start svces. tomorrow sunday, 23rd., from O8.-22.oo.hrs.
- The MRT. will recommence svces. WEF. monday, 24th..

-- Tee rak & I supped in DEE's., (Si Lom 6.], and then went for a pre-curfew walk-about; during wch, my thoughts wandered to the piles of garbage etc. seen and the manner in wch. it was being disposed: thus I found myself racking my brains to remember the complete 'The Walrus and the Carpenter.'; well - I'm sure that search-engine Google. will come to my rescue.
- In Soi Twilight, at around 2O3O.hrs., only the small eatery by CLASSIC BOYS was OPEN - a gp. of elderly folks enjoying their beers in the cool of the evening - as was the POOL BAR, (roughly opp. to DICK'S. CAFE. - itself CLOSED], and BANANA BAR with a few farangs & some Thai boyz.

Sloot, Prime massage was open today afternoon as was Apsara, Paradis, Ankor, Sukothai, Indra, Eve and the yellow-shirt X-something opposite Dicks. I had 60 minutes of Bank from Chiang Rai at yellow, a tickle at Angkor and a great smoke with a young lad at Prime. I had had him before several months ago. He was the only boy available. The First massage place is closed, so I guess no boys there. Saladaeng massage was open but all the boys hidden inside. Angkor massage had many boys on the street, but when I returned, they were all inside. Busaba was closed.

Well done!
 

This, I fear, dates you and makes us realise how your efforts, for our benefit, are all the more laudible.

-- On the front page of today's, (23rd.), the Sunday Post. 'paper. is a news' box with info. about the BTS. & the MRT., wch. I summarise below -
1.- BTS.:
1.1.- Today - OPEN 08.-22.oo.hrs.;
1.2. - Tomorrow - OPEN 06.-23.59.hrs. -curfew permitting.
2.- MRT.:
2.1.- Today - OPEN 08.-20.oo.hrs.;
2.2.- Tomorrow - OPEN 06.-23.59.hrs. - curfew permitting.

-- E&OE.. --