gunghang

Of course it has to be told that there is someone else to blame...

Keeping Bangkok dry has meant keeping Nontaburi flooded.

Of course the locals didn't want those sandbags in place.

I used the following two links to be able to follow the news about what areas are flooded:

http://bangkoklibrary.com/content/77-maps-all-administrative-districts-bangkok-thailand

http://mapsof.net/uploads/static-maps/khet_bangkok.png

Now I know that I'm on the list of six khet that are going to flood.

One good thing that has come out of all this is that I finally know where I live.

I downloaded the Bangkok District Map 30 Chatujak pdf and learned that I don't live in Lad Yao, Lad Prao. I live in Chom Phon, Chatujak. (And, the Bang Sue train station is in Chatujak Khet. Amazing Thailand.)

This really does remind me of Y2K in Korea.

People bought cans of gas for portable stoves, bottled water, canned goods, etc.

And absolutely nothing happened.

I just rode Skytrain from Mochit to Bearing and it's business as usual, except for shortages of water and soy milk and, judging by the gaps on the shelves, other goods. Nice weather, no rain.

I also went 20 floors up to the condo roof and searched the horizon for any water coming my way.

I stood on the bridge between Union Mall and Central Lad Prao and saw only automobile traffic.

I feel like an old lady in a rocking chair, waiting for cracks to open in the ground or for some other form of entertainment to come her way.

Still, there's no denying that schools have closed for an extra week and barriers are going up.

Regarding Petchburi:

St. Dom. School, has Petchburi on one side, Khlong Saen Saeb (?) on another, and is near Asoke.

They were dry on Friday, but they had sandbags and delayed the start of the term from 24OCT to 01NOV.

One of the MRT entrances (the "klhong side" one) is closed.

Regarding Lad Prao:

Four of the five Phahon Yothin MRT entrances are on Lad Prao. Two are closed and two are open. The ones open are near Viphavadi-Rangsit and Phahon Yothin. The closed entrances are on the Rachada-Pisek side. This is the opposite of what I'd expect. Do authorities expect the flood water approaching central Bangkok on PhahonYothin and Viphavadi-Rangsit to make left turns onto Rachada-Pisek? Amazing Thailand.

<snip>

08:30 23OCT

I am on Lad Prao opposite Union Mall (very close to Central Lad Prao).

Lad Prao is dry, though it has flooded a little during rains.

A curtain hotel had its parking lot flood, but only for a matter of hours.

My worry is that traffic is very light, mostly taxis. Buses are still running.

I'm on a non-im "O" (renewed with 400,000 baht in the bank and a Thai spouse).

I used my show money to buy a condo and need to renew the visa some other way.

I'm now teaching. I probably don't have enough time to do a work permit before my visa is up for renewal again.

I have heard that it is possible to renew the "O" with only a teacher's license and a letter from the school (a process measured in hours and days, and not weeks and months).

Does anybody have any info on this?

Apologies in advance if it's been previously discussed and I've just missed it.