In 23 days, I am planning to fly into an airport that, at the moment, is being occupied and shut down by a protest group called the People’s Alliance for Democracy.
This is not good.
I expect that this situation will be resolved in 23 days. I will almost certainly go ahead with my trip. But it’s unnerving, and I’m stuck with the lingering worry that the situation will worsen, and then what’ll I do? I’ve already bought the ticket.
I’ve been down something like this road before. The day after I arrived in Nepal in 2002, King Gyanendra dismissed the prime minister and dissolved the parliament. There was some tension, but it all seemed to be happening above the heads of average Nepalis.
This PAD situation in Bangkok is much more serious. And it’s growing into a standoff, with no easy end in sight. And so, from an incredibly selfish perspective, I worry about my vacation.