Trapped in Bangkok

[mii]

Without reading the entire thread, did the OP ever get out of the country?

 

I have been off line for a few days as my DH passed away a few days ago after suffering from Cancer for 2 years. I am sad, but know that he is no longer in pain.

 

First of all I am very sorry for your loss. The OP has not come on and reported anything of late. Hopefully her and her other are on their way home.

 

Again so sorry for your loss.

 

Marilyn

[dot73]

I'm so sorry for your loss of your husband.

 

I wish the OP would let us know what finally happened to him and his mother. I watched the news tonight and the Canadian seniors who were stranded in Bangkok finally arrived home today via Hong Kong. They were tired, happy to be home, and some actually thought of the whole mess as an adventure.

[mycruz]

Cusyl, I am also sorry to hear about your loss.

 

I have been following this thread every day and hope that the OP has made some progress. I read earlier today that two Canadian's were killed when the van they were riding in from Bangkok to an airport outside of Bangkok crashed because the van driver fell asleep. So, two families will be celebrating the holiday's without loved ones.

 

I am glad to hear that Canada and Australia had been proactive in helping get their citizens home. Can't help but think the US government has their minds, and priorities, on other things(bail outs, etc.) right now that is keeping them from thinking about what their citizens are going through in other countries through no fault of their own. Please don't go balistic on me, this is just my opinion.

[judynorth]

Mycruz, I just checked out your Panama Canal website. Great work! I have bookmarked it for future reference.

[cusyl]

Thank you, I hope they will come back to the boards and let us know what happened.

[Cruisin Bob]

Cusyl, I am also sorry to hear about your loss.

 

I have been following this thread every day and hope that the OP has made some progress. I read earlier today that two Canadian's were killed when the van they were riding in from Bangkok to an airport outside of Bangkok crashed because the van driver fell asleep. So, two families will be celebrating the holiday's without loved ones.

 

I am glad to hear that Canada and Australia had been proactive in helping get their citizens home. Can't help but think the US government has their minds, and priorities, on other things(bail outs, etc.) right now that is keeping them from thinking about what their citizens are going through in other countries through no fault of their own. Please don't go balistic on me, this is just my opinion.

 

I do not think the americans in bangkok were in danger so there did not seem to be a need to "save" them. I do not think the us government provides a guarantee that there will not be hassles and major inconveniences for people who travel around the world.

 

That is really all this was is a major pain in the *SS. Many of these people were stuck in 5 star hotels for extended periods. This does not seem to be life threatening.

 

It is a collosal inconienience that may be stressful, but these are the real world problems people may face when traveling the world. There are no gurantees that you will not be inconvienienced.

[NevadaHiRoller]

I hope the OP comes back here and updates us on what finally happened. We have all been here for them. I hope they update.

[Aussie Gal]

I believe that one of the reasons that our Australian Government stepped in is the fact that Bangkok is one of three cities in Asia, the others being Hong Kong and Singapore, that our planes have to stop and refuel to make the long trip to Europe.

 

Therefore, there were many thousands of Australians stranded in that city. Also, Thailand and Bangkok is a destination that many Aussies head for when they are on vacation.

 

It was not because of any danger but because so many of our Nationals were trapped in that city and couldn't leave.

 

Jennie

[cacy6893076]

Thank you, I hope they will come back to the boards and let us know what happened.

 

 

Add me to the list of those offering sincerest sympathy and hope you will sail with all of us again. I'm sure your road the last few years has been hard. Best wishes over the holidays.

[Cruisin Bob]

I believe that one of the reasons that our Australian Government stepped in is the fact that Bangkok is one of three cities in Asia, the others being Hong Kong and Singapore, that our planes have to stop and refuel to make the long trip to Europe.

 

Therefore, there were many thousands of Australians stranded in that city. Also, Thailand and Bangkok is a destination that many Aussies head for when they are on vacation.

 

It was not because of any danger but because so many of our Nationals were trapped in that city and couldn't leave.

 

Jennie

 

It was closer to home for Australia, there was probably a lot more press (politicians hate press about people being trapped even if they could care less)

 

I really do feel sorry for these people, I am sure I would not have been happy in that situation. But these were peaceful protesters shutting down the airport and as I already indicated many of these people were "trapped" in 5 star hotels.

 

I think people need to realize when you choose to travel around the world things are different and do not always go smoothly. You can not expect someone running to the rescue to get your schedule back on track when you are not in danger. People should consider these issues when choosing where they are traveling.

[cacy6893076]

It was closer to home for Australia, there was probably a lot more press (politicians hate press about people being trapped even if they could care less)

 

I really do feel sorry for these people, I am sure I would not have been happy in that situation. But these were peaceful protesters shutting down the airport and as I already indicated many of these people were "trapped" in 5 star hotels.

 

Not to make light of the situation these people found themselves in by any means but for comic relief purposes only, it remidns me of the time i was "trapped "in Mexico in the the middle of a civil disturbance, no stores or bars were open and unfortunately the air conditioning in our hotel room was not working, We had to change rooms 3 times in a day and the air conditioning never did really work, but each new room we were assigned to did miraculously come with a freshly stocked minibar.

[Bohemian]

We were on the same cruise (Beijing - Bangkok) and just arrived home yesterday as scheduled. We were scheduled to stay in Bangkok on our own for 4 days after the cruise. The night before we were due to fly to Manila, the airport was taken over by the PAD protesters and all flights were canceled.

 

We contacted the Canadian Embassy and were told that there's nothing they can do and we should just wait it out. The airlines were re-booking us on daily basis but since there were no flights, it was just another exercise in futility. We ended up contacting our tour guide and scheduling more sightseeing trips and exploring on our own. The Thai government paid for our hotel and 3 meals a day so except for hearing the occasional overnight explosion and slowly running out of time before having to be back to work, it really wasn't all that bad.

 

In the end, with the airport still closed and the political situation at a standstill, we took a sleeper train (22 hours) from Bangkok to Penang, Malaysia where we boarded a flight to Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong. Of course, the train ride wasn't as simple as one would imagine as the heavy rains the night before washed out the tracks 300 miles short of our destination and we were told to arrange our own transportation for the remainder of the trip. We hired a van with several other people from the train and arrived in Penang ahead of schedule.

 

It was a very interesting cruise/trip that we'll never forget and I'm glad I still have 3 days to recover before going back to work. :p

[Sunny AZ Girl]

We were on the same cruise (Beijing - Bangkok) and just arrived home yesterday as scheduled. We were scheduled to stay in Bangkok on our own for 4 days after the cruise. The night before we were due to fly to Manila, the airport was taken over by the PAD protesters and all flights were canceled.

 

We contacted the Canadian Embassy and were told that there's nothing they can do and we should just wait it out. The airlines were re-booking us on daily basis but since there were no flights, it was just another exercise in futility. We ended up contacting our tour guide and scheduling more sightseeing trips and exploring on our own. The Thai government paid for our hotel and 3 meals a day so except for hearing the occasional overnight explosion and slowly running out of time before having to be back to work, it really wasn't all that bad.

 

In the end, with the airport still closed and the political situation at a standstill, we took a sleeper train (22 hours) from Bangkok to Penang, Malaysia where we boarded a flight to Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong. Of course, the train ride wasn't as simple as one would imagine as the heavy rains the night before washed out the tracks 300 miles short of our destination and we were told to arrange our own transportation for the remainder of the trip. We hired a van with several other people from the train and arrived in Penang ahead of schedule.

 

It was a very interesting cruise/trip that we'll never forget and I'm glad I still have 3 days to recover before going back to work. :p

Wow! What a story.:) I am so glad you got home safely. It is good to know that the Thai government helped out on the financial end and you got some extra touring to boot. You truly had a travel experience and could probably write a book about it. It sounds as if you used your own ingenuity & resources to make lemonade out of a lemon. Congratulations!:cool:

[dot73]

Bohemian, I'm glad you are home safely. I like your attitude. It looks like you made Lemoncello out of lemons and will have a great story to tell when you get back to work. Most of your fellow Canadian travellers that have been interviewed by tv or newspapers seem to have the same attitude. I am little worried that the Canadian government didn't react as well as, for example, the Australian government did. I hope that if Canadians were in danger, they would have reacted better. Part of our expensive fee for our passports is supposed to cover emergencies such as this. Anyhow, you are home safely for Christmas and that's all that matters.

[bjkTX]

Without reading the entire thread, did the OP ever get out of the country?

 

I have been off line for a few days as my DH passed away a few days ago after suffering from Cancer for 2 years. I am sad, but know that he is no longer in pain.

 

I was just catching up on the board and saw your post. Please accept our condolences on the loss of your husband.