Bkk Safe for a 3 day stay?

[Canada]

Is it safe to go to Bkk with my mother for a 3 day "tourist" stay. Khao san Rd, Grand Palace, Wat Arun...that sort of thing?? Maybe go to MBK, Siam Paragan too..that area. Fly into DM and leave at Swampy.

Thanks.

[Gsxrnz]

Take your flak jackets and you'll be sweet.

Edited February 23, 2014 by Gsxrnz

[nonthaburial]

So is that a yes or a no ? I have similar issues, I need to be in BKK this weekend for meetings, have selected a hotel in Ploenchit and will have meetings in Wireless rd and Makassan, any suggestions on security please

[impulse]

Check this map, stay away from the red and enjoy the visit.

https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=210550963008557722983.0004ea041241da07d86cb&msa=0&ll=13.758894,100.548248&spn=0.107544,0.184364&dg=feature

I'd avoid Khao San road just for its proximity, but there are dozens of other areas to enjoy.

50 meters out of the red, you won't even know there are protests going on.

Edited February 24, 2014 by impulse

[Virt]

Seems like those maps can't be used as a "safeguide" anymore after yesterdays blast outside Big C.

Danish tourist injured in yesterdays blast outside Big C.

He only suffered very minor injuries on the back of hís leg.

http://nyhederne.tv2.dk/udland/2014-02-23-dansk-turist-i-bangkok-jeg-s%C3%A5-dr%C3%A6bt-dreng-lige-i-%C3%B8jnene

It's in Danish so try to describe the most important.

He left Big C and went outside to what he thought looked like a normal market place full of stalls and bought a pair of sunglasses.

Nothing around there reminded him of some sort of protest or rally site.

Looked just like another normal marketplace.

He was just one tourist amongst a lot of other tourists.

He was about 5 meters away from the blast.

At first he thought it was some sort of loud firecracker, but when turning around and he saw bodies on the ground and people started to panic and run, he did the same thing himself and ran.

He didn't noticed he was bleeding until a thai pointed at his leg.

Lucky for him it was just a very minor injury.

And as he says.

If it could happen there it could happen anywhere.

I'm not so sure anymore that i feel like ending my vacation with 4 days in Bangkok late March as planned.

I love Bangkok and would love to return, but right now i just don't know.

Thoughts go to the killed, their families and all the wounded people on both sides in this mess...

[tartempion]

I was walking around Bangkok 08 to 12 January and paid a short visit this 17th februari.

All was safe

[Sheryl]

Many of the areas people most want to visit in Bangkok are exactly the areas best to avoid, so keep that in mind. While you can certainly come to Bangkok and, with some planning, avoid all the trouble spots (and related massive traffic jams) the result of that may be that you can't do much of what you wanted to come to Bangkok for. Might do better to concentrate more on locations outside of Bangkok. Plenty of scenic sites and good shopping to be found outside the capital.

[impulse]

Seems like those maps can't be used as a "safeguide" anymore after yesterdays blast outside Big C.

Danish tourist injured in yesterdays blast outside Big C.

He only suffered very minor injuries on the back of hís leg.

http://nyhederne.tv2.dk/udland/2014-02-23-dansk-turist-i-bangkok-jeg-s%C3%A5-dr%C3%A6bt-dreng-lige-i-%C3%B8jnene

It's in Danish so try to describe the most important.

He left Big C and went outside to what he thought looked like a normal market place full of stalls and bought a pair of sunglasses.

Nothing around there reminded him of some sort of protest or rally site.

Looked just like another normal marketplace.

He was just one tourist amongst a lot of other tourists.

He was about 5 meters away from the blast.

At first he thought it was some sort of loud firecracker, but when turning around and he saw bodies on the ground and people started to panic and run, he did the same thing himself and ran.

He didn't noticed he was bleeding until a thai pointed at his leg.

Lucky for him it was just a very minor injury.

And as he says.

If it could happen there it could happen anywhere.

I'm not so sure anymore that i feel like ending my vacation with 4 days in Bangkok late March as planned.

I love Bangkok and would love to return, but right now i just don't know.

Thoughts go to the killed, their families and all the wounded people on both sides in this mess...

While your opinion is valid and does bring value to the discussion, posting of Bangkok travel advice by someone outside of Bangkok is probably not what the OP is asking for.

The Big C explosion is in the red zone on the linked map. It's in an area that's been a heavily barricaded protest site for weeks (See link below)

It's true that it could happen anywhere, but if a visitor stays away from barricaded trouble spots, their chance of injury is only a tiny margin greater than the normal perils any traveler faces- traffic, falls, alcohol poisoning, crime and on and on.

I'm not by nature a risk taker. If I felt any danger at all, I'd be sitting on an island beach somewhere instead of living and working around Asoke, which is in a red area.

Pretty much anyone with decent vision can see a trouble spot long before they're in the thick of it. The market place that "looked like a typical market place" to the tourist in your story was on a major thoroughfare that was completely blocked to traffic by barricades. You can see the Big C sign (upper right corner) in the hi-res picture at this original linked post. I don't blame him at all for being there, but to contend there was no sign of potential trouble is a little dramatic.

Source: Post # 479 here: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/685198-information-on-protest-sites/page-20

Edited February 24, 2014 by impulse

[Bluetiger]

Your good to go. I'm in Bangkok now. No worries. Yes, you will encounter some traffic issues. Plan ahead and stay away from the main protest areas. That being said, I had no issues around Siam center. Noisy but safe. No issues either in around the Grand palace/Wat Pho, etc... Go to Amorosa's for sunset...Wat Arun just across the Chao Phraya. Enjoy!

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

[FalangBaa]

Just make sure that your suitcase contains a bulletproof vest, a Kevlar helmet, a few vials of morphine for pain relief in case you get hit, a gas mask in case they start throwing tear gas, and maybe a couple of grenades and a semiautomatic rifle with a few hundred rounds in case you might find yourself in a self-defence situation, and you should be fine. The weather is lovely at this time of year, hasn't been a drop of rain since November. The dancing girls at Nana Plaza send their regards.

[Canada]

We're on our way today. Your advice is pretty much what I thought. Thank you for the map of the red zones.

Cheers.

[FalangBaa]

We're on our way today. Your advice is pretty much what I thought. Thank you for the map of the red zones.

Cheers.

Congratulations! Don't forget the essential items I suggested, but don't bring any maple syrup or Canadian bacon for us. We like to be non-diabetic and heart-disease free.

[edwardandtubs]

Avoiding "red zones" is not going to protect you from a traffic accident or a construction site falling on your head, statistically far more likely to kill you.

[impulse]

Avoiding "red zones" is not going to protect you from a traffic accident or a construction site falling on your head, statistically far more likely to kill you.

Of course not, silly. You buy an amulet for that!

Edited February 25, 2014 by impulse