Letters from Thailand - #1

Welcome to the first of what will hopefully be a weekly newsletter. I am aiming to give a round up of my past week on social media with the intention to help those who don’t follow me on Twitter. But, I will also give some background information to some of my tweets, as well as some exclusive news and competitions. Let’s see. I am open to suggestions too.

Brits in Thailand should know by now that we have a new ambassador. His name is Mark Gooding. Officially his title is Ambassador-Designate as he is still waiting to present his credentials to the King. All foreign ambassadors have to do this before they are allowed to officially carry out their duties. Sometimes the wait can take many months. Until this happens he cannot represent the UK at events, sign documents or even do formal interviews. Which is why I had to use the phrase “informal discussion” when I interviewed the incoming ambassador for Expat Life magazine last week. You can read the interview in the link above.

I have being staying home for around five months now. My last overnight trip was back in April. I’m really getting itchy feet. So, as new infections are starting to decrease and because the public parks in Bangkok have recently re-opened, I decided to go out every Sunday this month to get some exercise.

On Twitter I started a new thread where I will be posting pictures and GPS coordinates of the best parks in Bangkok. Last Sunday, I visited Lumphini Park, Benjakitti Forest Park and Benjakitti Park. The forest park is a new addition to parks in Bangkok and by the time it is finished next year it will be massive. More about that later. To see the pictures so far, click on the photo above of someone sitting on a park bench.

One of the best things about Lumphini and Benjakitti parks is the green skywalk that links both parks. The BMA has promised to upgrade the walk but it is pretty good already. Really worth a visit if you haven’t been already. Map link is in the tweet below.

This is a good view sent to me of Benjakitti Park. I’ve labelled the picture so you can see what’s coming over the next year or so which will change the skyline again. On the left is the new convention center and in the distance you can just see the cranes working on One Bangkok.

As you may know by now, I have been using a portable CO2 meter to check on the ventilation in various shops and businesses as well as on public transport. I am tweeting my findings live as I go but I will post a summary in a few weeks. Basically, any place with 800 ppm or more needs to be better ventilated as there is a risk of contamination from virus-laden aerosols. And not just Covid-19. There is an article below which describes a bit about what I am doing:

Over the past week, I have given a shoutout to some talented street photographers based here in Thailand. There are of course many more, but here are links to the ones that I mentioned plus a few extras:

The National Library of Thailand (NLT) is arranging an online exhibition named “10 Books From The Valuable Ancient Documents Of The National Library”.

Available on mobile.nlt.go.th and the NLT Library app, 

The Bangkok Post has published a book called ‘Thailand Journey’ to celebrate their 75 years. It costs 345 baht and can be ordered by contacting karanrati@bangkokpost.co.th More info on their website: https://thailandjourney.bangkokpost.com

Our Lady of the Seven Martyrs of Thailand Shrine in Mukdahan Province is the largest Catholic church in Thailand. The shrine was constructed in honour of the seven Thai Christian martyrs who sacrificed their lives to protect their religion. This was at a time when Thailand had expelled foreign missionaries because it wanted the local population to convert to Buddhism. But the local Christians refused. Seven of them were shot dead by Thai officials in December 1940. Map: https://goo.gl/maps/P2NvXoBTZUB6NgQg8

Naradhiwas Rajanagarindra Road is about 4.2km long and runs either side of Chong Nonsi Canal from Surawong road to Rama III road. At the southern end is the Chao Phraya River. The road was named after King Rama IX’s elder sister, Galyani Vadhana, Princess of Naradhiwas.

In November 2020, the Bangkok Governor launched the Chong Nonsi Canal Park project which will run down Naradhiwas Rajanagarindra Road. The first section, between Sathon & Chan roads was supposed to be finished in April. I went there on Saturday to see how it was progressing.

Khlong Chong Nonsi canal stretches from Surawong road all the way down to the Chao Phraya River. It covers a distance of 4.1km through Bang Rak, Sathon and Yannawa districts. The skytrain line is at the northern end and the BRT bus runs up and down most of the canal.

As you can see, there hasn’t been much progress, but at least they have made a start. I’m looking forward to seeing the Bangkok version of the river walk in Seoul, South Korea.

The popular weekend market is open if you want to do some outdoor shopping. When I went on Sunday it wasn’t very crowded and so it is perfectly safe. Of course, not all of the shops are open. Some are closed permanently and others are waiting for more shoppers. It’s a catch-22 situation. People won’t go until more shops open and more shops won’t open until more people go. So, if you like Chatuchak and want to support them, please give them a visit if you feel safe.

The following are some interesting news articles from the past week that you may have missed.

That’s all for now. Hopefully see you again next week.