The Wall Street Journal was crowing over the Dow Jones hitting 9000. This ebullient economic news had little effect on Thailand. The Asian Highway was empty coming down from Chai-Nat. Morchit, the main bus terminal, was quiet. The bus to Pattaya had open seats and the motorway through Bangkok offered no traffic jams. Once Thailand was one of the top ten tourist destinations for travelers.
Not anymore and the Tourist Board of Thailand announced that 2009 is shaping up to be the worst year in nearly a half-century. The Land of Smiles is getting a little long in the tooth. Today I walked down Jomtien Beach picking up hundreds on plastic bags so my son Fenway can see the sea as I saw it as a child. My effort was futile for the next high tide would deposit another million bags on the sand. At least it was clean for him.
Dirty beaches is only one part of the story. Scams, robberies, coups, political unrest, and the global malaise are to blame, plus the Thai people are exhausted from the onslaught of foreigners.
“Don’t they have homes of their own.”
And today Thai visa featured a story about the Penang Thai consulate refusing travelers. Small wonder no one is coming here. The welcome mat has been pulled from underneath their feet.