Loy Krathong,
the November festival where people make little floats to launch out onto the
river, was this last Full Moon, but it was a dud because of the Covid
restrictions still in place. Other years
– except for the last two – vendors would set up for a week ahead of time, to
sell food, toys, etc., and even rides for the kids down by the river. It was always wall-to-wall people with a lot
of families with kids. Carnival fun,
with a lot of lights.
But people are
afraid to be in crowds. And our nearby
river pier, the Rama 7 Bridge, is undergoing major re-construction, making it
hard to access the river.
And the Chao
Praya River is incredibly high!
The runoff from the earlier heavy rains in the North is finally reaching
us, and the high tides in the Gulf of Thailand are blocking the outflow here in
the estuary. We did not get flooded, but
other locations along the river did.
Not much news
here. Our family is now fully
vaccinated, but we are careful. Masks
are mandated in all public places. Bars
and pubs, etc., are still closed, but restaurants can be open for limited
hours.
Thailand is
slowly improving its vaccination rate, but it has a long way to go. Two-thirds of Thais have had at least one jab,
the same as the USA. But Thailand is
starting to slowly open up to foreign tourists again and will relax more restrictions
in the next couple of months – and I fear this will cause another surge in
infections.
Since cinemas
have again re-opened, I have continued to see a few films. Most are not Oscar-worthy, but they are
generally entertaining enough to be worth the two-dollar (senior discount rate)
fee to sit in a comfortable a/c theater, most of which are almost empty on
weekdays. I love a diversity of films,
so access to them again is a joy. I
combine a trip to the cinema with major food shopping.
I’m not turning
on my laptop much, thus not writing. But
I have been reading quite a variety of stuff, on Kindle and tablet.
And I’ve been
exercising more regularly since my aches and pains have slightly decreased –
perhaps because of the end of the Rainy Season and the now steady high
barometric pressure, as well as maintaining careful workouts that above all
avoid training injuries. I’m starting to
feel stronger again. For an old
guy.
- Zenwind.
.
