(not so)Car Free Day II

It was car free day in Bangkok yesterday. Over 1000 cyclists met at the National Stadium, and formed a cyclist's map of Thailand. My friend Phil and I were stood in the 'north.' I felt proud to be part of it. Video footage of the map, along with the bike ride that followed was shown on TV last night. It looked impressive. It reminded me of the 'Halifax' adverts that were on TV when I was younger. People from all walks of life joining together to make a giant 'X' It should have been in all the newspapers this morning too.

Only 1 Thai newspaper had a picture of the map. Most chose to show photo's of the governer of Bangkok, and a few Thai celebrities riding their bikes through Chinatown. The Bangkok post had a tiny picture.

Why was it overshadowed ? Because on 'Car Free Day' another group, Thailand's mini owners club had arranged over 400 mini's to make a message for His Majesty: 'Long Live the King.'

It's the King's 80th birthday this year. There's already been lots of events where people here do unusual things to show their love and respect for him. As we reach his birthday in December, there's bound to be lots more.

Sure, it looks impressive (and I promise I'll post a link to a photo as soon as I find one - its hard to find, as the title / caption etc. will be in Thai...), maybe more impressive than thousand cyclists. It also sets a new world record for the most cars put together in formation. But surely the organisers could have chosen a better day ?

Create Date : 23 กันยายน 2550		0 comments
Last Update : 23 กันยายน 2550 18:07:35 น.
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