Getting Back to Normal

Although many people are still struggling with flooded homes and workplaces on the vicinity of Bangkok, further north and some areas of the city itself, our little patch is getting back to normal. We went to Central Ladprao on Saturday – it had opened the day before – and had no real difficulty getting there. There was some water near the SCB Plaza and cars were using the two outside lanes but the inside ones would have been passable if necessary.

Apart from that, there was plenty of mud to show where the water had reached and the place is going to look rather shabby for a while. Central itself had people there although it seemed to me a little less than might have been expected on a normal Saturday. Most shops were open, although the Tops supermarket was quite low on stock in some sectors and certain restaurants had some dishes off the menu.

Shops are among those who have suffered the most economically from the floods. Some have been shut completely, while others have struggled on despite fewer customers and difficulties in resupplying. As is generally the way with these things, industry representatives have taken the opportunity to request a whole range of breaks for their members,  while the media is pursing its own agenda by supporting claims from various people that the democratically elected government should abandon its manifesto completely and switch to policies that would better suit the establishment. Such a change is promoted as virtuous in nature.