After answering so many emails asking me whether or not it's safe to visit Thailand or not I finally found a bit of time to write a post about this subject.
The short answer is yes. It is safe to visit the red light districts in Bangkok, Pattaya and even the smaller ones in Phuket and Chiang Mai. Though as of writing, Bangkok is the only city that still has a 12am to 4am curfew but that is because most of the protestors are in the capitol.
There are the presence of soldiers on the streets but they are not shooting people indiscriminately. And there are no tanks on the streets anywhere too.
There are still pockets of protestors but the military are handling them with kid gloves. The way I see it, it's a much friendlier Thai army that knows the world is watching so they're trying hard not to make themselves look like an ass.
After 19 coups in Thailand it makes sense that military has a handle on the situation and taken a kinder approach instead of blasting everyone in the knee caps with rubber bullets.
Heck, I live in Bangkok and even though there is a 12am curfew I still see cars on the roads and people walking around minding their own business after 12am.
Though Bangkok's sex industry is getting hit bad though. Nana Plaza, Soi Cowboy, and Patpong are taking the 12am curfew seriously. Which shouldn't be a real problem but the military coup has really scared off a lot of tourists.
Pattaya is somewhat affected even though its 12am curfew has been lifted last week. But let's face it, the damage is done already and tourists have cancelled their travel plans.
The hotels in Bangkok and Pattaya are getting hurt too as a result of travel cancellations. It's the low season now and I haven't checked on recent hotel rates personally but what I've read many hotels in Bangkok have lowered their rates slightly more to lure travelers back.
Funny thing, just while writing this post I just got an email asking me if it's safe to come to Bangkok and Pattaya in next month July.
And my answer was I can't tell you what to do because I don't know what will happen next month.
Though I can say is right now, at this moment, Bangkok looks the same as it ever was before the coup even started. Things look a lot calmer than it was in the last coup back in 2006 when protesters took the streets and burned down a piece of Central World.
This 2014 coup is peaceful and calm.
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