Travel Industry News
Travel The changing faces of Bangkok
Thursday, 15, April 2010
One of the wonders of travel is that you rarely see a place the same way twice. Returning to Bangkok after 15 years, I barely knew it. And while I sought out, or happened upon, different sights, ultimately everything changes (ourselves included).On this recent trip, I checked into the unfortunately-named Pullman King Power ("King of Duty Free") hotel in the affluent north of the city.At the time, thousands of "red-shirts" - backers of ousted Thai leader Thaksin Shinawatra - were hurling their blood at government buildings.
And given that the country's tourism industry is on the opposite side of the political spectrum - "yellow shirts" to a man, with tour guides openly characterizing the "red shirts" as stupid peasants - the atmosphere out on the street had been ratcheted up a notch.At the King Power hotel and shopping complex, a crucible of the tourism industry (and thus the yellow-shirts, the Thai king, economic power and the status quo), the under-belly of every arriving vehicle is scanned with an inspection mirror.
