First ride for a month. The Kawasaki started first click of the starter and soon warmed-up to a steady 1,300 rpm. I decided a gentle ride to one of my favourite spots, the Royal Thai Navy Base at Laem Fa Pa on the Chao Phraya River estuary would be appropriate.
Thailand, at this time, has been battling with some of the worst floods for more than 50 years. Many parts of the central area, north of Bangkok, have been heavily flooded and the waters are gradually making their way south towards Bangkok. This, coupled with seasonal high tides, is expected to result in breaches to the river walls and extensive flooding across much of Bangkok.
The floods, caused in part by unusually heavy monsoon rain, have already killed 373 people in Thailand and disrupted the lives of nearly 2.5 million, until now mostly in the north and central provinces. The rains have also killed dozens in neighbouring Cambodia and Burma.
At Laem Fa Pa on this Saturday afternoon, there did not seem much difference in height between the river and the road. It would only take a few extra centimeters for the walls to be breached. Sandbags were evident everywhere, but it is difficult to imagine how enough sandbags can be positioned to protect the whole of Bangkok which now seems to be invaded by waters from earlier heavy monsoon rains in the north, and sea high tides from the south.
Rama V Naval Dockyard Department
Thailand, at this time, has been battling with some of the worst floods for more than 50 years. Many parts of the central area, north of Bangkok, have been heavily flooded and the waters are gradually making their way south towards Bangkok. This, coupled with seasonal high tides, is expected to result in breaches to the river walls and extensive flooding across much of Bangkok.
The floods, caused in part by unusually heavy monsoon rain, have already killed 373 people in Thailand and disrupted the lives of nearly 2.5 million, until now mostly in the north and central provinces. The rains have also killed dozens in neighbouring Cambodia and Burma.
At Laem Fa Pa on this Saturday afternoon, there did not seem much difference in height between the river and the road. It would only take a few extra centimeters for the walls to be breached. Sandbags were evident everywhere, but it is difficult to imagine how enough sandbags can be positioned to protect the whole of Bangkok which now seems to be invaded by waters from earlier heavy monsoon rains in the north, and sea high tides from the south.
