Chinatown after the long lockdown.

Finally the government has ended its emergency power and curfew in early November. Some leading social media FB doctor has been telling people to be very careful and that the government’s decision was not very wise. Luckily, this time politicians seemed to have rebelled against the professional technocrats who had conflict of interests. The government knew very well that there would be some kinds of protests and riots from ordinary people who had been unable to work or operate their businesses during the lockdown. People were really suffering silently and there were lots of unreported suicides. So, I was quite relieved that some politicians knew when to act for their own survival. The Prime Minister never has such low level of support in the opinion poll before; so his think tank took the hint from we the people.

A few days after the liberation from lockdown, I took a bus ride towards Chinatown on Yaowarad road to survey how people were reacting to this new freedom from curfew and house ‘arrest’. Some people had braved the programmed fear of Covid while some vendors had started to test the water. Nobody was certain about the rejuvenation of the old mood in our society as most people have become used to shopping online and ordering food delivery. I was afraid that people have become very lazy and forgot how to walk around shopping arcades.

What I saw during the afternoon from the ‘hot’ bus (non-airconditioned bus) gave me some hope for a brighter prospect. Not all vendors have come back to their normal operating mode. Some people who had been inside for too long have cone out to Chinatown to take selfies and enjoy some delicious food in the evening. The circulation of money would help in encouraging more businesses, though I had heard some vendors complaining that people were very not spending much money as before.

Then, the government declared drastic changes In their policies on tourism. It has cut out the quarantine periods for foreign visitors and increased the number of countries on the green list. It seemed the politicians were trying to gain some good public opinions for the general ejection next year. These people are planning ahead and their think tank composed of personnel with degrees from universities in the West. I just hope they have chosen to be on the people’ side instead of their masters. I wish I could get to know some of the new class of intelligentsia. Time flies, so I shouldn’t be wasting precious time with triviality.

It was good to see the old Chinese vendors still having the energy and drive to get on a new chapter of their businesses. I knew lots small businesses had gone into bad debts because of the lockdown and many middle class professionals had lost their income: my old friend’s family with two pilots had become idle for over the year. Lots of people have been living on their past savings. I just hope that the new tourism policies will give a big lift for the economy as a whole. There are still other troubles brewing under the calm surface in my country; I have to continue to monitor these signals for my own survival including my friends and my cats.

Nowadays, I have become like a recluse trying to live a peaceful and simple life in preparation for the onslaught of the global impact of mini ice age and the disturbances in the sunspot cycles. I have been following the frequent earthquakes in China, Indonesia, Burma and the north of Thailand. But my main concern is the Ring of Fire and the earthquakes around the world. I have a feeling that natural disaster would manage to spoil many plans of the elites. The other disclosure project and complete blackout if the Internet were also quite scary. But complex systems couldn’t be controlled and they usually fail in the end. So, I think it’s better to maintain positive energy as all things vibrate; so imperceptible changes could be instigated by frequency resonance. It’s like the Zen teaching of “doing something by not doing”.

I will have to get back to Chinatown in the evening soon to taste some delicious food and traditional Chinese snacks. By that time, I hope to see many tourists walking around enjoying themselves. Meanwhile some stray cats are waiting to be fed at the temple by the river. If you happen to be in Bangkok, please don’t forget to feed the stray cats at Yannawa temple. You’ll like the place and cats including the views by the river.

Wishing you peace, good health and prosperity.

Stay strong and cheerful.