JOURNEY TO THE WEST

In two days I will be flying to Taipei. One day ago I booked the flight. Two days ago I thought all my travel plans might be cancelled. Why? Because three days ago my friend and I finally decided the situation in Bangkok right now is too unstable to warrant our traveling there. If you haven't been following the situation in Bangkok, which is not surprising as there hasn't been much media coverage, here's a brief layman's summary:

About a month ago the Thai government attempted to pass a bill that would give former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra amnesty from prosecution for any past crimes (Thaksin is currently in self-exile due to the corruption charges against him; the current Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra is his sister). This bill spurred a large protest movement centered in Bangkok that has been calling for the current Prime Minister to step down and for her replacement by an un-elected people's council. The situation has been exacerbated as the Prime Minister called for elections (which she would likely win due to a large rural support base) in February. Though violence hasn't officially broken out there have been shots fired, people injured around protests and police have used tear gas to disperse large groups. Protests are set to resume this Monday, January 13th, and this time protesters hope to shut down the entire city of Bangkok by occupying main intersections around the city center. Further complicating the situation is the Thai military which has a history of successful and unsuccessful political coups and will be entering the city in force January 18th for an Army Day Parade. [Note: this is my personal understanding, gleaned from various new sources, and is not meant to be taken as an official report of any kind.]

So, although the situation is not, and may not become, violent and although protesters are not targeting tourists or tourist attractions, the unpredictability of the situation and increased difficulty of transportation around the city seemed too large a risk for us at the moment. I know some of my friends are still traveling to Bangkok around this time and I hope everything goes smoothly for them.

Luckily, my friend and I were able to do a quick turnaround, cancel our flights and re-book a trip Seoul - Taipei - Hanoi - Seoul, allowing us to arrive in Hanoi the same day we had planned originally. Even more luckily the cost was only a little more than our original trip and the flight cancellation fees minimal compared to what they might have been for a flight in the U.S..

So now we're going to Taipei and Hanoi! We will be in Taipei the 15th to the 19th and Hanoi the 19th to the 25th. I'm beyond excited and so relieved that our plans were saved in such a way. And like my friend said 'Blessing in disguise?' I'm sure Bangkok would have been wonderful, but now we have the chance to explore Taiwan, a place I might never have visited otherwise (not from disinterest of course, but the usual lack of knowledge, time and money). Besides that I got a spark of spontaneity.

Now I'm ready to enjoy some 70 degree weather, to take pictures, to learn, explore and eat, and to report back to all of you when I return!