My #wednesdaywalk hosted by @tattoodjay, is a day late as I lost all the photos on my iPhone a few days ago so I could not use my phone fully until new iOS was installed. Yesterday was a very hot and sunny day in Bangkok so I decided to go to city center, Ratchaprasong district, to have a look at the latest Apple store in Bangkok. This Apple Central World is the second and largest retail store in Thailand.
Ratchaprasong sits right between two famous shopping areas of Bangkok. You could walk from skytrain station called Siam or Chidlom. Siam area is where you could find the famous MBK mall, Siam Center and Paragon mall. From Chidlom station, walking southward you would find Amarin Plaza, Gasorn mall and Central World where the largest Apple Store is due to open tomorrow, Friday 31 July at 10.00am. Customers have to make appointments to enter this shop online in order to keep the required social distancing. After checking their homepage, tomorrow’s available slots have been fully booked up. I was very curious about this new store as I used to visit the one at IconSiam.
Although the lockdown has been lifted about a month, the shopping district seemed too quiet and desolate. However, all the luxurious brand name shops in Gasorn mall were all opened and looking very colourful. There was a glimpse of hope that things will eventually getting more lively. It was good to be walking along the tall skyscrapers and expensive shops again.
Being a local, I knew all the shortcuts and most convenient way to get to Central World. I avoided walking along the busy road by taking a short walk through the beautiful Gasorn mall from which I could exit the second floor door. It was very nice window-shopping briefly in cool air-conditioned Gasorn mall. From the second floor I could walk under a covered pedestrian bridge leading to Central World. For photographers, this bridge offered a very nice spot for taking photos of skyscrapers around Ratchaprasong area. I was quite surprised that the traffic was very thin for this ever busy area.
As soon as I stood in front of the Central World mall, the gleaming glass structure of the new Apple attracted my attention straight away, locating at the left side of the huge front court of the mall. I could see security guards in uniforms and private security guards in white t-shirts dotted around the store. There must have been about thirty security staff around that store which was quite reassuring; they did not defund the security guards. If I could qualify, I would find a part-time job as a security guard, then I would have more time to do my posts!
There were some freelance photographers trying to snap some pre-official opening. There were several keen fan-clubs gathering in front of the store while white-collar staff took turn in having photos taken in front of the main entrance.
A group of Apple executives and local officers were standing outside the store. The Thai staff seemed to be monitoring final preparations and checking of the store before the official opening ceremony on Friday. I couldn’t help imagining how nice it would be to be a staff standing beside the big boss with final report on the readiness of the store!
I just walked around taking pictures as if I was a representative of the press, my imagination ran wild when I got all the strong vibes from surrounding skyscrapers and electromagnetic impulses from all the 4G and enormous LED panels on Central World. These made me feeling very enthusiastic, lively with more energy. I almost shouted ‘Yeah! Bitcoin to the moon!’ By the way, it was a very warm afternoon but all the Western executives were in thick formal suit-jackets. This was my first walk about in this area since a last year.
This was very personal experience; Central World used to be undersized many years ago by very well organised protesters and politicians belonging to the old party in which the ex-prime minister Taksin Shinnawat was the leader. But he ran away from his court cases involving corruption; so this scheme of organised protesting and rioting including establishing a self-governing territory in Bangkok’s commercial district for several months with heavy weapons and military style troops. The ‘black shirts’, so-called because they dressed in black with black hoods, were hired mercenaries and retired military personnel. I think this episode has become a classic playbook used by various Marxist revolutionaries world wide. Whoever planned and executed this pilot project were very smart and ambitious.
In the end, the military had to move in and clear the area with many casualties. The trained black-shirt troops encouraged looting of all stores abs Central World was set on fire! The flame and smoke could be seen in the sky; sounds of explosions and M79 were still vivid in my ears. We called it the burning of Bangkok. They found corpses under the parking area there. There were rumors about ghost for quite some time. My friends invited me to the newly renovated restaurant in the mall a year later. After sitting down for five minutes, I had to request that we changed the venue for lunch. The disturbing vibrations were so disruptive that I almost threw up and I could ‘see’ something swirling around the room. That was many years ago, and I did go back there a few times, albeit very briefly. There were many anecdotes about what happened during the bloody past in that district. I used to collect hundreds of photos taken by freelance people during the incident. It was amazing that we could get all the pieces together and heal that place. Hundreds of people spontaneously went there to help with the clean up for the whole week. It was people’s pure compassionate feeling that healed Ratchaprasong district. So, this pandemic is not that heavy a burden for our people; but the continuing corruptions by some professional elites, politicians and insurguents that present the obstacles. However, I could smell some kinds of sponsored ‘colour revolution’ movements in the air. Our deep state is working hard to regain their lost control during the past few years.
So, Ratchaprasong conjures up very mixed feelings for me as I actually experience the invasion of hired mobs, M79 shots were fired only a few hundred meters from my office. We had to drive through barricade and confronted private armies. I had to wear a hat with a symbol that persuaded them that I was on their side so that my car would not be stopped and searched. It was quite a frightening experience though many office girls around Ratchaprasong area got robbed and raped. Lots of news were kept secret to protect the victims safety.
So. I was glad to see this district started to progress and prosper during the last ten years. I just hope that tourism could pick up again next year after the pandemic has subsided and burnt itself out completely. The noble prize winner who found the AIDS virus said this virus was artificially put together by joining three unrelated virus strains. Naturally these three wound mutate away from each other so that the severity would decline through time.
Life can be so good and incredible in one moment, and utterly changed in a few minutes. So, it is important to be aware of what I am doing each moment; I should not be wasting time with trivial matters or be upset by passing emotions. It feels so good being able to help my neighbour out with a few grocery items and to calm her down about her health worry. She could laugh at herself and made her own meal. Small things we could do for others could mean such a big deal and life changing for them in very positive way.
These three interior photos of the store are from the official website as the store will open tomorrow. The design is very nice, clean and very attractive. I would make an appointment to visit this store soon.
Wishing you peace, good health and prosperity.
Cheers.