Election Day in Bangkok

Tents for Some of the Protestors (from Sky Train Platform)

Today my friends took me to a really good sushi restaurant that happens to be very close to one of the major protest areas.  It was election day (still no alcohol) and things were actually pretty calm.  We walked down the Soi where the hotel that we were originally booked is located and, in an area usually full of tourists there were very few.  We stopped in Wendy House to say hi and find our how business was and if other tourists had changed their reservations as we had.  She explained her opinion of the protests and said they will probably go on for "about another month."  She also welcomed us and said we didn't have to worry if we want to stay there.  We all decided to see how things are when we return from Myanmar.  In Lumpini Park (a very large park and beautiful park) there were tents strewn throughout and in other areas there were people speaking through loudspeakers, musicians and people selling everything from red, white and blue t-shirts, jewelry, wristbands and whistles to things totally unrelated to the protests like shoes and underwear or hair ornaments. 
The thing that struck me was that everyone smiled at us as we walked by and, while I think we were all alert and aware of our surroundings, it didn't feel scary.  On the sky train a man, woman and boy about 6 years old got on the train all dressed in their protest clothes.  The woman whispered something to the little boy and he came over to us, smiled and shook our hands.  Really very cool!
Tomorrow we will be off to Myanmar.  Maybe they will know the winner of the election by the time we return to Bangkok.  While the situation is far too complex for this outsider to understand, it seems a bit counterintuitive and ironic to believe that you can achieve a better democracy by blocking an election.

                                                              Walking Along the Klong

Listening to Suthep