AmeriThai

that's a good question, i want to know too, btw, i ask to my wife that if i happend to die first, pls dont bring that fanta stuff to my grave, i would prefer some good rum, a pizza and if she could an onze of weed would be appreciated too

I imagine the weed would disappear in a very short time.

This is not meant to sound callous but i found myself staring at that picture trying to see the guy on the roof but i then figured it was just a promo pic of Big C.

Hope the young man is ok

I did the same thing just because the picture posted was a view looking toward the top of the building. If there isn't any important reason to do otherwise, maybe Big C should think about locking the door to the roof.

Stuff really can absorb right through your skin. I used to take AndroGel (topical) testosterone. Slow dose / low dose.

Now days I am very aware of how easy the skin can absorb stuff.

I freaken hate mosquitos.

I don't know of anyone who likes mosquitoes. You say used to take AndroGel? What do you use now to keep those buggers at bay?

5. In my experience, the preventive sprays and lotions work OK, but are a pain to keep on all the time. I'm not real comfortable being continually doused in DEET. And the cintronella oil sprays help, but certainly don't provide absolute protection. So keeping my bedroom skeeter free becomes the top priority. And it's really not hard to do by taking a few precautions.

You're right. The OP is up on the 20th floor and the suggestions you made to reduce mozzies from getting in are sensible. As for concern about DEET lotions and sprays (and I suspect citronella sprays as well), they do make your skin feel pretty sticky. That's not a big issue though since a good shower in the morning will wash it right off. I don't know anyone who continually douses themselves with it. I only use such products if I'm going to be out and about at night or sleeping where I know mosquitoes are thick and hungry for something foreign to snack on.. Some people may be more sensitive and could have an allergic reaction to DEET products. If that happens, then such a person should stop using it and try something different.

It's sad, I admit. I know the Future IT Mall but where exactly is the Future Park Mall? Is that the complex out Don Muang way? Also, where is the shop located in the mall? Many thanks in advance

As Jaiyenyen said, it's out at Rangsit, heading north of Bangkok on Viphavardi / Rangsit Rd and on the right (or east side). There are road signs pointing to it as you get closer. I can't remember exactly which level of the Mall the shop is located on, but from the food court (which is near the top), I believe it's one or two levels down from there. It's not a large store and I don't remember the name of it either, but I'll ask my son-in-law and get back to you with it. The store imports clothes that come from various stores in the US that are going out of business, moving, clearance sales, etc., so the clothes aren't screwed up or flawed seconds.

Our daughter and her family lived in the NE part of the Sai Mai district and we'd often make trips to the Mall to eat, cool off, and let the grandkids play games next to the food court. I've bought a number of shirts and Levis from there and have been very pleased with the size selection and durability. Items are arranged together in the store, making finding things easier, but like any store, you have to hunt for the right sizes that will fit you. I'm not a big guy, but big enough that the usual Thai sizes are much too small for me. They also have stalls where you can try on the clothes to make sure they fit comfortably. I don't remember any of the staff speaking English, but I don't think it makes much difference since most of it involves browsing through the merchandise.

I've tried the handheld bug zappers They work, but half the time it's hard to see the mosquitoes. You just have to keep waving it around. I figure if mosquitoes are that much of a problem indoors, then as soon as you've zapped a few, there are bound to be more coming in from somewhere. There are some mozzie traps around. MOSQ Eraser is one that I'm thinking about trying. They can be set on a table or the floor indoors, or attach legs for outdoor use. I don['t know how effective they actually are though, but they might be worth a try.

http://www.a4s-thai....d=40502&Ntype=3

Wifey gets my casuals (T's, cargo shorts and chinos) at the Export Shop in Future Park (Google for other locations), work shirts and pants tailored by a little shop in the midst of Rangsit market

Crossy, the Export Shop in the Future Park mall may be the same one I've been to for clothing. As I recall, the products they carry are from closeouts from businesses in the US that are closing. The shop seems a bit small, but has a very decent selection, including plus sizes, of shirts and pants for larger farangs at prices much lower than they'd be in the US. I can't remember which floor it's on, but I think it's either one or two floors below the top floor food court area. Sound like the same place?

Sounds like it, but I do admit that I don't actually go often, clothes just get replaced as She Who Must be Obeyed decides they're worn out.

LOL! Yeah, it often works out like that for me too. My sympathetic son-in-law recommended the shop and took me there. I was very pleased with the excellent selection, great quality and low prices. I also appreciated the dressing stalls where you can try on the clothes to make sure they actually fit comfortably. I used to get clothes from elsewhere locally, mostly shirts, which are aimed more for Thais, where L or XL usually means it's an M size or smaller, or cheap quality that quickly wear out. That's fine for most Thais, but meaningless for farangs. Some other shops and dept stores I've been to elsewhere, with actual farang sizes, often tend to be vastly overpriced even by western standards. It's nice to find some decent shops with clothes that actually fit bigger guys and hold up well.

Wifey gets my casuals (T's, cargo shorts and chinos) at the Export Shop in Future Park (Google for other locations), work shirts and pants tailored by a little shop in the midst of Rangsit market

Crossy, the Export Shop in the Future Park mall may be the same one I've been to for clothing. As I recall, the products they carry are from closeouts from businesses in the US that are closing. The shop seems a bit small, but has a very decent selection, including plus sizes, of shirts and pants for larger farangs at prices much lower than they'd be in the US. I can't remember which floor it's on, but I think it's either one or two floors below the top floor food court area. Sound like the same place?

I also heard, purely coincidentally of course, that people in the USA make insulting, rude and arrogant comments about other countries in times of dire straits, wrongly believing themselves to be superior to most, whereas the rest of the world recognises the USA for what it is - an uncivilised country where your worth as a human being is measured by how much cash is in your pocket. I'm sure you wouldn't know anything about that though.

You heard that? From where?

A friend of mine captured scenes in the Don Meung area.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2Z14eW3ZLY&feature=channel_video_title

That is sad stuff but standing water at least indicates that it's peaked only to go down from there so hopefully you'll get back in soon..

You're quite right WS. It's sad but it will go down. It won't be soon enough though. It's going to be a major mess to clean up, not to mention lost income and damage to rice fields. I have no idea if any livestock have perished or not. Snakes and rats will take shelter in some of the houses and buildings. With all the silty mud getting into the smallest cracks, nooks and crannys, it's hard to guess what the condition the base of many of the historical ruins will be.

Our house outside Ayutthaya. Been like this for 4 weeks now. Was ok to start with as the water was flowing quiet quickly but has been sitting getting more and more stagnent for the last week or so. Can see a few problems with disease arising if it doesn't shift soon.

Draggons, that's a really sad photo to see of your house. What's the water depth? I'd guess at least 4 or 5 feet. Other potential problems that could develop later related to mold and maybe sewage. What direction from the city is the house?

Our son-in-law's elderly mother's house is in the city, fairly close to Wat Mahathat. In the past, the house has been flooded to a depth of at least 4-5 feet from traces of the mud stain on the outside walls. I can only imagine what it must be like now. Everyone at the house has been safely evacuated.

Should be good from all reports I have seen but that could change in lower (Minburi) area as more water flows that way.

Well said. While maps and reports are helpful, conditions can and do change rather quickly. Just using some of the examples I've mentioned, athough there is no flooding at Nong Khae (in Saraburi province), it's still possible the flood waters at Wang Noi could potentially work its way up that direction. I'm hoping that won't happen though.

we came back a couple of days ago from Khao Yai/Pak Chong - roads were okay apart from Rangsit/Wang Noi but have got a lot worse since.Try this live Govt road maps - seems quite reliable http://maintenance.doh.go.th/test.html

My understanding also is that the area around Wang Noi is flooded. Farther north at Nong Khae and Hin Kong, things seem to be flood free. As of a day or so ago, friends heading back to BKK from the NE said Hwy 1 at Saraburi was closed and traffic coming in from Koraat was being detoured off Hwy 2 to Nakon Nayok province, then on to Rangsit.

Not sure how up to date the map is, but it looks iike Saraburi is open with the only blockage on Hwy 1 south of Saraburi being at Wang Noi.

It seems like things are getting a bit worse. Not sure whether we will be able to go by way of Rangsit, then Hwy 305 east towards Nakhon Nayok, then at Km 58, left to Ban Na, left on 33, then a right about 40 km north to Khaeng Khoi on Hwy 2, then head to Pak Chong.

Does this look passable?

I'd recommend checking the link MichaelJohn posted as it shows which roads are closed and which are open to traffic. Zoom in for better detail. Here's the info my buddy emailed me yesterday about his return from Surin. You should be able to determine and plot out the best routes to take. There may be a lot of traffic and slower than normal travel time.

The trip back was fine until we passed through Saraburi. Just south of Saraburi town the police had blocked the main road headed south and were re-directing all traffic west into Nakon Nayok Prov. and then southward and finally back eastward to the Rangsit area. Traffic was very congested on those small roads, many big trucks, and we got off track and ended up heading on southward into Chacheongsao Province instead of turning back west towards Rangsit. Maybe that was fortunate I don’t know as I’ve heard there was bad flooding around the Rangsit area.

The road on southward into Chacheongsao was flooded in places, that is a very low-lying area, but there were backhoes and other equipment placing dirt embankments along the road. In most places there was water as far as the eye could see on both sides of the road but other than along the road itself there we no dwellings in sight. We were about 3 hours later than normal arriving in Bangkok.

Hope that helps a little.

we came back a couple of days ago from Khao Yai/Pak Chong - roads were okay apart from Rangsit/Wang Noi but have got a lot worse since.Try this live Govt road maps - seems quite reliable http://maintenance.doh.go.th/test.html

My understanding also is that the area around Wang Noi is flooded. Farther north at Nong Khae and Hin Kong, things seem to be flood free. As of a day or so ago, friends heading back to BKK from the NE said Hwy 1 at Saraburi was closed and traffic coming in from Koraat was being detoured off Hwy 2 to Nakon Nayok province, then on to Rangsit.

Not sure how up to date the map is, but it looks iike Saraburi is open with the only blockage on Hwy 1 south of Saraburi being at Wang Noi.

shutting off water is a mistake - when there is a pressure in the pipes the dirty water can't go in.

in ayuthaya there was probably power failure. Still, they should fix it and run asap, so people stranded at homes can get any water. Another possibility, that the water inlet was contaminated and they did not want pollute the pipes.

Water can be filtered through different materials and boiled on the gas stoves.

The rain water can be used as well for drinking and washing

You could be right about some kind of power failure or contamination at a water supply inlet. It's also possible a line was somehow damaged or crushed by heavy equipment trying to build up berms of soil and rock. Electricity to the building was still working. There was no expanation as to why the water was shut off, other that that it was off. A couple of weeks or so ago, donations of botted water and packaged/canned food were being collected in Pattaya to be sent to Ayutthaya for distribution. I don't know what supplies are available, but I'd guess the local markets may be in short supply due to a rush of people stocking up.

I've never seen the large drainage sewers empty into the river and have always assumed they are under the water. If that is the case then I can't see how they would back up regardless of the water level but if that is not the case then it could mean big problems.

Oh okay, I see what you're saying. My point was that it's not so much about the drainage sewers in BKK, athough they could get messy too, but rather that the khlongs can back up and street drains can be overwhelmed. If there's a lot more incoming flood water from the river, it can negate or block the normal flow of water in the khlongs causing them to back up. Underground drainage systems can also be a probem. Depending on how much water drains into the system, it can flow up through manholes, street drains, and even punch through cracks in the asphalt and concrete of the streets.

Probems of water coming up through the streets was visible in Chiang Mai, abeit in areas closer to the Ping River. Water supply at Ayutthaya had been shut off I assume for several reasons, one of which being the risk of contamination from the water supply. (See vids below for examples.)

Water coming from cracks in street at Chiang Mai (at about 3:25 min. on the vid)

Water shut off at this building in Ayutthaya.

Unless you live by the river or waterway run-off, I highly doubt you are going to see any problems beyond the typical flooding that occurs during storms.

I hope you're right. I agree that areas by the river would feel the brunt of it, but areas of low elevations around the city can potentially get soaked as well.

Anything is possible but at this point it seems like the typical news hype. I think there would need to be a number of factors go wrong for areas outside the river areas to be seriously effected. A long lasting down pour is always going to temporarily flood some areas as we see all the time but regardless of the height of the river, I believe the BKK water drainage will still drain into it at the same speed it always does. It seems every year they talk of the massive amount of water headed for BKK and things work out just fine outside the river area but who knows, maybe other factors will come into play this year including a huge storm, pumping station break downs and clogged sewers.

Edit: then again, it is easy for me to be optimistic as I will be out of town when the water is predicted to get here

Again, I hope your right, and that it's just media over-reacting. It depends on the amount of water coming down river, and the force of it. It's possible for klongs and waterways emptying into the river to become overwhelmed by the incoming flood water, forcing water to back up. That backed up water would have to go somewhere and areas with low elevations are where it goes. That's a worst case scenario though. Still, Sukhumvit Road has been known to flood. We'll know how it turns out when it's over.

Unless you live by the river or waterway run-off, I highly doubt you are going to see any problems beyond the typical flooding that occurs during storms.

I hope you're right. I agree that areas by the river would feel the brunt of it, but areas of low elevations around the city can potentially get soaked as well.

Latest video by Forrest450 is that water in the building is shut off where he is, but the electricity is still on. The flood water had gone down a day ago, but is now rising again, at least in the area where he's located. He says the news is that all of Ayutthaya may have to be evacuated.

I've looked at the available information online vis-a-vis flood protection in Bangkok, but my lack of Thai language skills is a bit of a hindrance, unfortunately.

Informed opinion about whether the lower Sukhumvit area (i.e., near Nana BTS/Sois 3 - 23) will potentially be affected by the anticipated flooding would be greatly appreciated!

This video is a look at Sukhumvit and Soi 8 in October 1991.

Just a note about the last video. It's not current, but dated of the conditions last month, September 6, 2011. I'd like to see some more current views of the city. Anyone?

Another video of the flooding at Ayutthaya. It mostly shows berms of soil and rock, as well as sandbag berms, in a effort to try to hold the rising water back. The water still broke through. The conclusion shows a still taken from the air.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKmBKxwbMT0&feature=channel_video_title

Just came across a couple of recent videos on YouTube, posted by Forrest450, showing some of the flooding at Ayutthaya. I'm not sure exactly where the first one was taken, but it looks like the main road going into Ayutthaya off the expressway from BKK. The second one is around Rojana Plaza, near Ampo Mall. Thanks for providing these views Forrest!

planning to ride my motorbike from Bkk to Korat tomorrow. Anybody got any news if the road's ok?

Thanks.

Not sure about all of Hwy 1, but we have a place at Hoykhamin just NW of Hin Kong in Saraburi province. Next to Wat Hoykhamin there's a small klong. We have family members who are at the house when we aren't in the country. Called them a day or two ago, and although plenty of rain, there's been no flooding. The city of Saraburi has a larger klong that runs through town, so I'm not sure if there's any problems there or not. Maybe some of the members who live in the city of Saraburi can give an update on the situation there. I'd guess a number of rice fields along Hwy 1 near Nong Khae are pretty well drenched, but probably no problem for the Hwy.

Not sure about the road between Wang Noi and Ayutthaya. In the past, that stretch could get very soggy. Since that road has been improved over the years, road flooding around there probably isn't a problem. That's just a guess.