Anger, What?

We got out of Thailand this morning (December 3) and are now in Siem Reap, Cambodia, at the Angkor Le Meridien. (Interestingly, “Siem Reap” means “Thai defeat”). Our departure from Koh Samui was relatively trouble-free until the Bangkok Airlines staff there figured out they could not ticket us and our bags through to Cambodia. So we had to re-ticket and re-check baggage in U-Tapao, the former Viet Nam era airbase that the Thai government has hastily converted into Bangkok's commercial airport during the “People's Alliance for Democracy” occupation of Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang airports. Hey, at U-Tapao they even have one (1) metal detector and one (1) X-ray machine. It was near pandemonium there, and would have been except that everyone waiting was so happy to be getting out of Thailand. The illustration shows only the final departure lounge. Before that were similar scenes to get in the terminal, to get through baggage security check, to get ticketed and bags checked, to get in and through customs and immigration, then through security, and then into the final waiting area. There was no signage, and if either airlines, airport, government or military people knew what the passenger procedure was supposed to be, they weren't telling. So we are in Siem Reap, already liking Cambodia, and studying up on the vast and ancient temple complexes here, reputedly the world's largest religious site. We'll begin a 2 or 3 day tour program tomorrow morning. Our plans beyond that are a bit cloudy, depending on what's going on in Thailand. Rumors were flying (as well as a few airplanes) at U-Tapao that the PAD was threatening to re-occupy the airports December 12 if their new demands are not met. Whatever. Our tickets to Sydney, from Bangkok, are for December 11.