Travel flashback: Bangkok trip during the Red-Shirt protests in 2010

Ever since our first foreign travel in 2009, Pol and I agreed to have at least one foreign trip per year together. We then decided to head next to Bangkok for 2010. We booked as early as six months before our target date in May. I booked my mom too when a promo fare later presented itself. We were three happy summer travelers then.

After my extensive research on hotel and tour operator reviews, I finally chose Alex Holiday, a Thai travel agent where I availed their packaged tour including accommodation for 5 days and 4 nights, and I was able to book by February. I opted to book for private guided tours because we were with our Mom who wouldn’t be able to keep up with Pol and me if we traveled DIY like how we did in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. The packages offered by Alex Holiday are very affordable and it gets cheaper per head as the number of persons in your group increases.

Fast forward to March, roughly three months before our Bangkok trip, Pol told me about the news he read about Thai Red-Shirt protesters converging in the central government district of Bangkok. I was not yet much alarmed during that time because our trip would be far later, until April came and I started reading Yahoo News every day. The length of stay of the Red Shirts in their protest camp had been long enough, and so I knew that the protests going on were serious and could last even longer.

Because I read the news about the Bangkok protests every single day, I already was very familiar with the key names of Thais involved in the news, be it from royalty, the parliament, or among the Red-Shirt leaders. The spelling and pronunciation of their names, being Thai, are probably too complicated for non-Thais to at least read, but because of my active monitoring of the news it became easy for me to remember them all until now. Based on how I analyzed the root of the struggle, I had even felt sympathy for the protesters.

It was just two weeks before our trip and the protests were still heating up and somewhat involving violence because then Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva had ordered state of emergency. I contacted Mr. Teera, the manager of our tour agent Alex Holiday, and asked how the situation in Bangkok was affecting their operations. But he said that the accommodation and tour destinations were very far from where the protests were happening. I just closed my eyes and still hoped that even if the protests wouldn’t end, at least the violence would subside on the day of our arrival to Bangkok.

Alas, almost all airlines had posted travel advisories for passengers flying to Bangkok, and offered free rebooking. I was in panic. I didn’t want Pol and my mom to be in danger just because I still wanted to push through with the trip. I desperately looked for information about how the civilians in Bangkok went by despite the protests, and found that people who lived there still lived normally as long as they were outside the protest area which was the business and government district, because Bangkok is too huge to affect citizens who were not involved in the protests. I found out that the city of Bangkok is more than twice larger than the whole Metro Manila!

Day 0: Departure to Bangkok

And the day of our departure came. It was the most violent day, May 19. I followed the tweets of media men present in the protest where one of the Western reporters said there were non-military men carrying AK-47 rifles! And there was an Italian press person who got accidentally shot! Pol was already hesitant to continue the trip and I was already crying because we had already paid our Thai travel agent in full. I contacted Mr. Teera again and he still insisted that Bangkok was still relatively safe because the violence was concentrated only in the business district, probably similar to Makati in the Philippines. He also said that he would refund part of our payment because the Calypso Cabaret, a part of our tour package, would be closed because of the curfew.

Hours later, the latest news was on the surrender of the Red-Shirt leaders. They were forced to surrender with heavy hearts because they wanted the violence to stop. I felt sorrow for them because it was as if they had to lose their fight against poverty. But the protesters they were leading were dismayed so they decided to continue the protests on their own, and there were buildings being burned, including major shopping malls like Central World. That was the scariest part.

Pol, my mom and I were already on our way to NAIA, and I still kept in touch with Mr. Teera. He was still firm that there would be a driver to pick us up from the airport in Bangkok despite our arrival beyond the curfew due to a state of emergency, and he even gave me the driver’s name and contact number. Pol and I were blank-faced and just thought ‘Come what may’. If worse comes to worst, we might just stay in the airport by the time we arrive in Bangkok.

We were finally in NAIA Terminal 3 and when we checked in, there were many fellow-passengers to our surprise. When we all got on board, there were hardly vacant seats. What were these people thinking? Had they not read the news? During our flight and until the plane touched down in Bangkok, I asked Pol if he still felt scared, he said he wasn’t. Weirdly, I wasn’t scared anymore too.

When we deplaned, we walked towards the Immigration area of Suvarnabhumi Airport. My mom was very impressed. This was just a part of the arrival area of the airport and we all already found it beautiful. The immigration process happened just as normal, but it was the best I found so far. The officer desks had small cameras where we were required to face, for photos of our faces to be taken. I had never seen this feature yet in any other airports.

At the arrival waiting area, I found my name written on a piece of paper, being held out by a Thai man. He was Mr. Prasert, our driver who would take us to our hotel. He took our bags and led us to his cute fuchsia taxi. Pol sat on the front seat while mom and I were at the back. A laminated paper bearing the taxi’s plate number and Mr. Prasert’s complete name, picture and contact details were displayed behind the front seats for us passengers sitting at the back to see. There were also available brochures of the tour operators he is affiliated with. This made our taxi ride fascinating.

It took us about an hour to get to our hotel but before that, we passed through big wide roads and flyovers with bright lights. The city at night looked so calm and safe, until we had to pass through a checkpoint area being manned by a lot of military men. Because it was already past Bangkok’s 8 pm curfew, I was a little nervous about what would happen. But Mr. Prasert said he was with tourists whom he picked up from the airport, and one of the men just asked for any of our passports. Pol showed his. After a few seconds of checking, they smiled at us and let us go. That was pleasant after all!

A few more minutes and we were dropped off near a creek in an alley. The street was so narrow that Mr. Prasert would have to drive backwards just to get out of it. We gave him a little gratuity and said our goodbyes to him, and then we were greeted by a nice young lady. She led us to a gate and we found ourselves in a homey place.

We were welcomed at Charlie House Pin Klao. After our check in, we were informed that our tour guide would pick us up at 8 am the next day, and then we were brought to our very nice, spacious room. We had free complimentary drinking water in the room’s fridge. We all felt instantly at home!

Our room's fridge

Day 1: Bangkok City and Temple Tour, Grand Palace

We woke up at 6 am, the day after the Red-Shirt leaders surrendered. We were unsure of what was ahead of us, but the beautiful morning in our room did not get us too worried. We actually felt like it was just a normal day.

Clockwise from top left: The rooms at Charlie House Pin Klao, our room door,
a single bed for 3rd pax, two single beds for 1st and 2nd pax

We had a nice breakfast in the garden by their little artificial pond and a small swimming pool. It was so serene.

Breakfast at the inn's restaurant

Clockwise from top left: A koi pond, a small swimming pool, golf carts, a garden swing

After our breakfast, our tour guide Ms. Phon arrived. She asked us if we had a camera and if it was fully charged. Of course we said yes, and we were ready to go. Because four-wheeled vehicles typically cannot pass through the narrow alley where Charlie House is situated, we rode the hotel’s golf cart going to the corner of the alley and the main road, Borommarat Chachonnani Road. It was sweet! Located on that corner is an Esso gas station, where our tour vehicle was waiting. We rode a very comfortable Toyota Hi-Ace.

From top: entrance of Charlie House Pin Klao at the end of
the alley and by a creek, a local house by the same alley and creek

Ms. Phon started telling us information about the city of Bangkok. This was our first private tour ever, and I never knew that we would be learning so much. She also asked us if we were aware about the protests going on in Bangkok, and we said yes. I told her that in fact we read the news every day. Ms. Phon then asked “And you still want to go here?”, and we smiled and said yes.

We learned that Ms. Phon hadn’t had any client for two weeks because of the decline in number of tourists resulting from travel advisories. She also told us that there were certain parts in Bangkok where it was a protocol to shoot who ever stepped into those areas. But she assured our safety and that our entire tour would never go anywhere near those forbidden places.

Our tour started with the temple tour. Ms. Phon told us a lot about Thai Buddhism, the important poses of the Buddha, and many other symbolisms and superstitious beliefs. Our first temple was Wat Traimit, or Temple of the Golden Buddha. The golden Buddha was originally plastered many centuries ago to prevent it from being stolen. Nobody knew then that it was made of pure gold. However, just fifty years ago when it was being moved to a new temple, the statue accidentally fell and its plaster cracked, revealing its true composition.

Wat Traimit (Temple of the Golden Buddha)

Ms. Phon told us that we were lucky because the temple was not crowded at all with tourists so we would have nice photos without other people in the background. Indeed, there were only about three groups of tourists who were there when we came.

Our next stop was Wat Pho, or Temple of the Reclining Buddha, which also houses the first traditional Thai massage school. There were supposed to be rows of tourists receiving Thai massage within the complex, but because there were rarely tourists in Bangkok during the political unrest, we had the temple to ourselves and a few pairs of other tourists. Ms. Phon was surprised to be able to take our photo with the huge reclining Buddha where it was just the three of us in the picture and no other unwanted people!

Within the huge complex of Wat Pho (Temple of the Golden Buddha), clockwise from top left: Head of the Reclining Buddha, the whole length of the Reclining Buddha, illustrations of the traditional Thai massage, a row of seated Buddha statues

The third temple we went to was Wat Benchamabophit or the Marble Temple. The temple is buit of Italian marble. Again, the temple was exclusively ours in the photo.

Wat Benchamabophit (The Marble Temple)

We finally had lunch in a nearby restaurant, and it was already included in the package. We were the only customers there. We had mild tom yum, Thai shrimp cakes, a ground pork dish, and sautéed vegetables. Ms. Phon ordered all these for us. We enjoyed our food because of the variety and serving size. My mom enjoyed it too because she didn’t want her food to be too spicy like how Thai food should be.

Yummy food!

After having lunch, we stopped by a gems factory. We were offered tea during our visit to the galleries. I bought a set of earrings and ring for my mom, made of garnet as her birth stone. The set was roughly 5,000 baht. Pol also bought a set each for his Mama and Ate according to their birth stones too. Too bad, taking photos wasn’t allowed.

The second half of our temple tour started with our final temple, Wat Phra Kaew or Temple of the Emerald Buddha, the most sacred temple in Thailand. It is forbidden to take photos of the emerald Buddha.

Within the complex of Wat Phra Kaew (Temple of the Emerald Buddha)

Finally, we went to the Grand Palace which was where the complex of the Temple of The Emerald Buddha was connected to. Ms. Phon pointed out the Thai style of the roofs and the western structure of the walls. She also told us stories about the Thai royalty, like how the succession of kings is followed, and how royal deaths are solemnized. We had a very peaceful walk because again, the place seemed very much exclusive to us. Even Ms. Phon found it very unusual!

Dusit Maha Prasat (Grand Palace), clockwise from top left: two shots of the Grand Palace, photo op with the Royal Guards, a garden in the palace grounds

It was still a sunny afternoon when our trip ended and we were brought back to Charlie House. The night on that day was supposed to be our visit to Calypso Cabaret to have dinner and to see Thai ladyboys perform. However because of the curfew, the cabaret was closed. Mr. Teera had informed us beforehand that part of our payment for our whole tour package would be refunded for that, and it was explained again to us by Ms. Phon. It was courteous of their company to do so!

We were hesitant to spend our free time outside because of the Bangkok curfew, so we spent the rest of our late afternoon in our room, watching Thai language news about the situation in the protest area in Bangkok, and then channel surfing. We particularly enjoyed watching AFC (Asian Food Channel). We ordered dinner from Charlie House’s menu.

Day 2: The Floating Market and Crocodile Farm & Elephant Theme Show in the neighboring provinces of Bangkok in Central Thailand

On this day, we would be travelling outside Bangkok to visit two of its neighboring provinces. Click here to read more.

Our night in Bangkok for this day was supposed to be a spectacular night for us by watching the famous Thai stage production, Siam Niramit. It showcases Siam’s history and festivities through colorful acts and special effects with over 100 professional performers. This attraction is not included in our 5d/4n package, and required separate booking. I did not have to book online anymore because my full online payment for our 5d/4n package was enough to guarantee my booking with Alex Holiday, so we could just avail the Siam Niramit package from Alex Holiday upon our arrival in Bangkok. But because there was no show that night due to the 8 pm curfew during the socio-political tension in the city, we missed this great award-winning spectacle. Alex Holiday offers Siam Niramit packages for ticket with buffet dinner plus transfer, ticket plus transfer only, and ticket only.

Day 3: The Ancient City tour

Our agenda for the day was a very comprehensive tour of the most important landmarks of the entire Thailand, by visiting Ancient Siam in Samut Prakan province. Click here to read more.

Had there been no curfew, our supposed activity for this evening in Bangkok would have been a Chao Phraya Princess dinner cruise, a separate package also offered by Alex Holiday. The cruise includes Thai and International buffet dinner, as well as live jazz musicians for entertainment. This is the third fun night that we had missed. My mom could have enjoyed the luxurious feeling of this one.

Day 4: Chatuchak Weekend Market, departure to Manila

Our last day in Bangkok was a Sunday, and a perfect day for us to go to Chatuchak Weekend Market. We got there by a short cab ride.

We found ourselves starting at the animal section of the market, were most stalls were just starting to open. Other sections we eventually found ourselves in were the furniture, apparel, food products, and Thai souvenir items. Being the largest market in Thailand, the Chatuchak market was a huge maze that we had a hard time going back to wherever we would like to. We just bought magnets and keychains from somewhere there, and then somehow found J.J. Mall.

Animal section at Chatuchak market

An interesting shop at JJ Mall

We found out that the prices of goods in J.J. Mall, despite the air-conditioning, are just as affordable as the bargains you would find in the flea market outside. This is where we bought more shirts and ate Pad Thai for lunch.

Even the jewelries in J.J. Mall were quite affordable. My mom was able to bargain a ring and earring set made of white gold and diamonds at half the price written in the tag. I had to use my two credit cards though. When my mom had the jewels examined by a jewelry expert in Manila, the expert agreed that my mom really got them at an already cheap price.

Walking around Chatuchak market from morning 'til afternoon got us very tired for the day. After buying everything we could get, we finally took a cab that would drop us off at Tesco Lotus. From there, we just had to cross the overpass, get to the public phone at Esso, and dial Charlie House’s number for the golf cart to pick us up.

We had already checked out from our beloved Charlie House Pin Klao in the morning, and we were surprised that we were still offered free complimentary mineral water when we got back to claim our luggage and wait for our airport transfer.

While letting the hours pass in Charlie House, we got to have a chat with the owner, whose English name is Teacher Charlie. She was very nice and good in speaking Mandarin. We learned that the young actor in the poster of their reception’s wall was her son! My mom also complimented Teacher Charlie for having a nice business which is Charlie House. And before we left, Teacher Charlie handed us a few brochures and calling cards of her inn for us to share with our friends and relatives in the Philippines. I guaranteed her that I would definitely recommend Charlie House Pin Klao and Alex Holiday to everyone I know, and I actually did!

It was time for us to leave Charlie House and it was Mr. Prasert again who would take us to the airport. Pol had a chat with him while we were on our way, and we learned about his family and his plan to invest a van for his touring business he wished to set up. When we finally got to the airport, Mr. Prasert told us that because he may not see us again, he would like to bid us “Sawadee khrap”. He said this with his ‘wai’ gesture (pressing of palms and slight bow of head), and we returned the same gesture with “Kob khun kha” (Thank you).

We spent our last hours in Thailand at Suvarnabhumi Airport, and marveled at its world-class beauty and efficiency.

Check-in area for international departure

Departure shopping area past Immigration section

Departure boarding area

Who would have thought that the scary propaganda against Bangkok was not at all as scary as it may seem? We were actually fortunate to have been to Bangkok and its neighboring provinces during the worldwide travel advisory scare, because the very huge drop in tourists made us enjoy Thailand to ourselves. It is evident in our pictures and Ms. Phon’s testimony. The only downside was the curfew where we did not get to enjoy Calypso Cabaret, Siam Niramit, and the Chao Phraya dinner cruise. What a strong reason to definitely go back to Bangkok! If I could, I would dare explore Patpong too, and visit as well other parts of Thailand like Chiang Mai and Phuket. The price level in Thailand is somewhat similar to the price level in the Philipines after all, which makes it affordable to really come back and stay longer!