Westwards from thonburi ...
 

-- 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.
-- :)

Sand-bags ...
 

-- Today, 21 nov., I see that some shops are having their sand-bags removed - so flooding dangers will be behind us now?
-- :)

I wonder what Kasikorn Bank in Tn Silom was expecting. Sandbags piled 6 feet high and 6 feet deep at the base...

Good to see things returning to normal but what will they do with all that sand?

Still flooded in the western non-tourist areas however so our hearts go out those poor sods living in the dirty drink... The bright sunny weather every day must be helping with evaporation.

oh dear sextile-you are really making efforts there! That is a trip not many of boardreaders will want to repeat. Now in KUl/MY and fly back into BKK sunday. Travelled around the stay away from that potential flooding-though in the end I could have stayed without too much probs.

Getting out and about ...
 

-- As a resident in BKK's. BANG RAK area there are times when I feel that I must spread my wings,(although I'm not likely to do a thousand things!), and to get OUT* - hence my occasional visits to the far-flung outposts;
- I'll be re-visiting the WESTERN suburbs tomorrow, (23 nov.), and shall see if and by how much the flood-waters will have ebbed.

--* Also part of my duty, as I conceive it, and being a resident, is to submit reports from time-to-time on parts of the local scene. -- :)

PHAHON YOTHIN RD. - Soi Thirty-something ...
 

-- My Enthusiastic & American Friend lives on the 7fl. of a condo. on Phahon Yothin rd. soi thirty-something or other;
- Recently he told a NZ. friend & me that betimes on sunday, 20 nov., forenoon he looked-out of one of the windows, saw that the water was knee-deep and resigned himself to another day immured in his app't.;
- Just after noon his next-door neighbor knocked-on his door to tell him that all of the water in the soi had disappeared. Incredulously he looked-out and beheld that it was so!
- MORE amazingly and just after 14.hrs. a mixed gp. of soldiery & of BMA. persons appeared and started to clean-up the soi by removing all the detritus and then hosing-down the roadway to make it clean.;
- So now he can walk dry-shod onto PY. rd. and pick-up public tpt. again;
- Apparently PY. rd. is flooded still beyond soi 41..

-- E&OE. as reported speech. -- :)

Westwards from thonburi - #2. ...
 

-- Today, 23 nov., a'noon. I visited my young friend in his hair-dressing salon on Phet Kasem soi 79.;
- From BTS. Krung Thonburi,(S7.), the whole journey was by BMTA. 'bus. - approx.70. mins.;
- A lot LESS water than 5.days previously; but in the gen'l. area of THE MALL - Bang Khae still axle deep for 'buses. and for Heavy Goods' Vehs.. The MALL remains CLOSED. Only a few RThArmy vehs. seen and a lot fewer boats/rafts and suchlike;
- Along the journey I had noticed that the IN-bound carriageway was generally MORE under-water than was the OUT-bound one;
-- In soi 79 the water had fallen to generally ankle-deep; but quite possible to walk MORE comfortably for most of the way along the side-walks; although many locals seemed to prefer walking & splashing-along in the roadway. no boats plying for hire.

-- I had borrowed a small & hand-towel for drying my feet in the returning 'bus.; several other & Thai PAX. looked-at me as though I was doing stg. quite unusual - possibly, being an aged farang, I was?
-- Thus it looks like the worst of the flooding may be over and clean-up will be able to start quite soon with life ret'g. to what passes for 'Normal.' here in BKK.!
-- :)

A coupla pics may be useful. Here is how the Silom Complex Shopping Plaza looked yesterday.
http://s297.photobucket.com/albums/m...sp_Nov2011.jpg

And the corner of Soi Ngam Duplee & Rama IV (near Pinnacle)

http://s297.photobucket.com/albums/m...gam_duplee.jpg

A typical style entry to a shop. This one Tops on Silom.

http://s297.photobucket.com/albums/m...tops_silom.jpg

Of course there is not a drop to be seen in and around this part of town. And posts above indicate it is drying out in the 'burbs.

As mother would have said 'they must have had the wind up!' a few weeks back.

Mmigration ....
 

-- Although not strictly germane to CFS., with our esteemed Moderator's permission, of course, I shall write that I've been given to u'stand. that the IMMIG'N. BUREAU on Chaeng Wattana rd. is inaccessible except to Army vehs.;
- Foreigners resident in BKK., in NONTHABURI & in AYUDHAYA should go to the Immig'n. Bureau on Suan Phlu rd., (the Bureau is after soi 8.); Suan Phlu is off S. Sathorn rd. from nr. to the AUSTRALIAN EMBASSY, (I visited today,24 nov., forenoon to check-IN for my 90 days.),
- At Suan Phlu there are plenty of direction signs shewing one where to go; if in doubt ask at Info. wch. is just inside the door to one's LHS.;
- MORE info. at > Immigration Bureau Website <
-- :)

Actually, Chaengwattana is both open and accessible as usual. Suan Plu remains an option for the next week or so, though.
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IMMIG'N. - Chaeng Wattana ...
 

-- Khun Icon,
- Thanks for yr. corr'n.; I'll check-back with my source on this. I might even venture forth to verify for myself: 'Seeing is believing.'.
-- :)

Update for 27 nov. ...
 

-- Gentle Reader,
- Cent'l. BKK. - let's write BANGRAK area - is dry under-foot, as is S'BHUMI. INT'L. AIRPORT; reportedly no tpt. problems between those two places; reportedly no tpt. problems between S'BHUMI. & PATTAYA;
- PINNACLE & SURIWONGSE HTLS. reported to be full, mostly with displaced persons caused by flooding in outlying areas;
- Most FAMILY MARTS', 7/11s'., S'mkts'. shelves are being restocked - no problems with adequate supplies of drinking/potable water;
- With possibly fewer int'l. visitors expected maybe for for those brave enough to visit certain & popular places of e'tainment. etc. etc. it'll be MORE of a Buyers' Mkt.? ;)
-- Was given a favorable rpt. about BKK's ROSE HTL. - S'wong. rd.: although outwardly shabby-appearing its bedrooms are nigh on ****. std. for just 1,500.Bh. per diem. - no mention if that was nett & if b'fast. incl.;
- Today, 27 nov., forenoon I looked-IN at CP.TOWER - Si Lom rd., and saw that its sand-bagged defences were being removed.
-- E&OE. as much reported speech. -- :)

What is "tpt"?
What is "gp"?
Why are you so pretentious with all the unnecessary abbreviations and archaisms such as "forenoon"?

Calling "pretentious" something you don't understand doesn't prove much for you. It reminds me of something I read somewhere else : culture is snobbery...


It makes all the charm of our friend Sextile's posts, ..... even if we have sometimes to read them twice !

SEACON SQUARE'S general area ...
 

-- Yesterday, (27th. of november 2011.), afternoon I was out and about in the general area of SEACON SQUARE, where quite a few private and public buildings had set-up their anti-flood barriers.
- However, a random check of sand-bags indicated that their contents were dry - hence no flooding out there.
- SEACON SQUARE is approx. 06.5.Miles due WEST of SUVANABHUMI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT's Passenger-reception area.
-- :)

I guess you don't understand the phrase "rhetorical question" then.

Abbreviations ...
 

-- Gentle Reader,
- Although I admit to using abbreviations, consistent within the context, I noted what Khun TouristBangkok wrote in his posting #53.
- Thus, and as a check, I availed of Search-engine Google, entered: 'Abbreviations+'TPT.' and awaited the results. Surprisingly - to me, at least - the word that I had in mind: 'Transport.' was not shewn; but that was based-on but one & random sampling of Google's abilities.
-- :)

Indeed, and just bad luck, as it seems. When I just searched for "abbreviation tpt", the first result that is shown happens to be TPT - What does TPT stand for? Acronyms and abbreviations by the Free Online Dictionary..

And there, as it so happens, "transport" is the first definition that is given.

I may add that I think that it's easy to understand those abbreviations/acronyms that you use, simply because of the context.

flew back into BKK last sunday. Immigration as busy as uaual-nearly 30 mins wait. In town about as busy as i remembered. Today morning peak much quieter-schools still closed. After a while I realised that the busgarage for my route was flooded and if buses were kept dry-they would lack the staff locked in their flooded houses. Many gaping holes in tesco and some 7s, but alternatives available. This really seems to vary a lot between shops. Many shops are removing the walls and sandbags they had as precaution.

Now why the long wait? I experienced the same last week closer to 40mins and yet folk are supposed to be 'staying away'...
By the way I availed myself of my usual tpt to get to my hotel and my driver and I had to walk across mutilple carparks, the high rise bldgs chokker, to his car...
There is a lot of variation here. The Tesco on Pr.RAM IV was 80% empty with no beer etc and the 7-11 virtually next door was full except one could not buy beer as it was not yet the bewitching hour...

Westwards from thonburi - #3. ...
 

-- Today, 30th. november, St. Andrew's Day, I visited my friend in his hair-dressing salon on Phet Kasem 79.;
- On the OUTbound leg flood waters first seen around soi 75.;
- Soi 79. itself was but partially flooded, and then only to kerb-depth in general; with care it was possible to walk dry-shod for most of the way.
- For the return & INbound leg the flood-waters persisted, to a greater or lesser degree, to as far IN as soi 38.;
- However, the good news is that the area of THE MALL - Bang Khae is virtually dry - to date THE MALL remains CLOSED; but with sales etc.for the NewYear's shopping I'd expect an imminent RE-OPENING.
- I noticed that many people were using the post-flood period for a general clean-up and to dispose of unwanted junk - an early spring-cleaning, possibly?
-- :)

In case anyone was on the edge of their seats waiting for our ace reporter's follow-up, I'm writing this from the Government Complex and it is dry as a bone.
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Went back to K-male, behind Don Muang, last sun 4/12. Foned them before-they said to be open but some flooding remaining in area. Had water up to 1m30 high-and nearly 4 weeks of ankle deep. I'll write about it in the separate K-Male thread-they deserve some push now!
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