Issue link: https://imageup.uberflip.com/i/1462224
FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | APRIL 2022 15 My scuba-diving boat This guy is trying to look intelligent Not too many customers this morning at the street market Business stops for a few minutes as a train passes through Hoping for tourists, Bangkok airport prepares for social distancing These are the kind of extras that you get with "Taylor Adventure Tours." After Lopburi, I headed south and visited a local street market. I was wandering through the narrow walkway when suddenly the stall holders started folding up their sunshades and moving some of their goods to the outside. Then I heard a shrill whistle. Several stall holders were gesturing to me to join them at the rear of their stalls. As the whistle got louder, the 12:15 slow train to Bangkok passed right through the market. Once the train had passed, the sunshades went back down, goods were rearranged slightly, and business returned as if nothing had happened. I've seen this instance on a travel show but experiencing the calmness, sights, and smells — there's no comparison. I had planned on two weeks of scuba diving, but on the first day it was just me and a German couple for the whole boat that had a capacity for 50 divers. When I showed the dive master my Professional Association of Diving Intructors (PADI) diving license, he looked at the date I qualified and he told me it was the oldest license he had ever seen. The next day it was just me so the captain decided it was not economical for him, the dive master, and the crew. That ended the diving for this trip. As I was waiting at the Bangkok Airport (BKK - Suvarnabhumi) it was obvious that tourism was really slow. The airport was certainly set up for social distancing, but there were no tourists to fill the seats. During COVID, Thailand effectively closed its borders resulting in amazingly few cases. Now, as it gradually opens up, it is urgently waiting for the millions of tourists to return. The monkeys are also waiting for tourists to bring them treats which makes a nice break from the usual temple food. ~ Edited by Elizabeth Westbrook