Postcards from Thailand

This morning I left early, around 6:30 a.m., to get to an hospital appointment. It’s not much fun taking nil by mouth from 8 p.m. the previous evening, so I like to let the vampire nurses drain my blood early in the day. Ten minutes later I found myself stationary. Two and a half hours later I’d not moved. There I was, hungry, thirsty and marooned in a sea of cars. What could possibly have caused this praeternatural chaos? It appears that the rain last night totally overwhelmed Bangkok’s drainage system; 44 areas of town were flooded. The one which was causing my own personal traffic hell was some 8 1/2 km away. I can only imagine the extent of the chaos behind me on the road.

According to Bangkok’s mayor, they can only handle 60 mm of rain, and last night more than 100 mm fell. This resulted in a major junction being flooded to the staggering depth of 10 cm. Quite why this should have totally immobilised traffic for several hours is a mystery. Why the police did so little (a.k.a. nothing) to redirect traffic is also a mystery.

Here’s a ‘photo from Thai Rath newspaper showing the offending flooded intersection:

“And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high hills, that were under the whole heaven, were covered.”

Genesis 7:19 – King James Version (1611)

The weather forecast is for more rain tonight.

Now, where can I find myself some gopher wood?

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Elephants are notionally banned from city streets – not that that stops them. (Perhaps they can’t read the signs.)

Unfortunately, the streets aren’t a safe place for a baby elephant, as the following picture shows:

He was eventually rescued unharmed.

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Though having left the UK for good I can’t fully escape the clutches of the UK tax man. Unfortunately, the services provided to non-residents are shoddy (at best). However, they seem to have hit a new low.

Some time ago I sent them a message asking whether or not they had received a form from me. The response included the phrases:

“acceptable levels of customer service while dealing with your enquiries”

and

“We aim to provide a reply within 15 working days”.

Needless to say, they didn’t reply within 15 working days. And when I eventually got a reply, it read:

“Unfortunately, i will not be able to advise you if we have received your claim. We currently have a delay of 14 weeks in processing the R43 forms. Hence, it will not be possible for me to look for your claim. If you have not heard anything in say two and a half months please contact us again.”

(And yes, note the lack of a capital “I”.)

So, it’s take four to five months simply for Hector to say whether or not he has received a form. Goodness knows how long I’ll have to wait to receive the money he owes me.

Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs? She should hang her head in shame.

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