City of Angels

I usually complain a lot when I'm in Bangkok, and regular readers of this blog will know that I don't particularly love the City of Angels (even though I spent 18 years in it).

But to wake up this morning to the horrible images from the streets of Bangkok was quite a jolt. In a NYT article, a Thai woman was interviewed and she said something along the lines of "This has never happened before. I've only seen these pictures in the news, like in Isreael, Lebanon, etc" and the quote almost brought me to tears.

After all it is where I grew up. I have many fond memories (and bad, too, of course) of Bangkok. The streets where the "battles" happened, some of them I know practically by heart because of the daily commute to school. Despite the traffic, the pollution, etc. one thing I've always felt when I walk in Bangkok's streets is that it feels safe. Corny, yes, but, it's homely.

I'm not angry; I'm just really sad that images of "war-zone" Bangkok are now part of the city's legacy forever. I guess I do love the city after all.