Bangkok Week 95 April 22, 2010 Looking for red action? You've found it.Saturday morning saw the first downpour in months. View fullsize Saturday morning saw the first downpour in months. View fullsize Participating in my new favourite ad campaign. Oh Africa! View fullsize At the "start" of the red strip -- just outside Paragon. View fullsize Into the red zone we go: this vendor is selling flip flops with the PM's face on them. "This pair has four faces!" she tells us. View fullsize Near Paragon, the Reds have taken over the street, but their tent city doesn't reach this far. View fullsize Looking in the direction of their main occupation. This is really the start of it. View fullsize A sticker posted on the walkway that would normally access Central World. Both the mall and the walkway have been closed for weeks. View fullsize Looking down one side of the main street they occupy, under the skytrain. View fullsize If they're not sitting around, they're sleeping around. What more can you do when you're camping out? View fullsize Families relax and eat lunch under the shade of the skytrain. View fullsize Someone's selling the bare essentials -- toothpaste, baby powder and cup noodles. View fullsize Free lunch for all protesters is provided daily at noon. View fullsize A Red dog. I wonder if he knows it? View fullsize One of many signs mixed in with the red laundry hanging out to dry. View fullsize The protesters occupy the area outside the police headquarters. Here, they barricade themselves in. View fullsize The densest area is right outside Central World (Zen department store). View fullsize A Redshirt from Trad! Many wear their provincial affiliations on their shirts. And most provinces had a tent of their own. View fullsize I wonder if the skytrain can continue to shelter them during the rains? View fullsize Too exhausted to stay awake on the warm afternoon. View fullsize Run out of undies? You can always buy fresh ones. View fullsize Foot massage stalls were set up throughout. I read in the paper that one woman makes about 15,000/day (that's about $470 -- not bad). View fullsize Another lunch line in the middle of the hot street. This street has since been covered by a huge tarp. View fullsize Free meals - look good, but barely substantial. View fullsize The notorious foot clappers -- still a huge hit. View fullsize Camped outside Zen department store. View fullsize Every square inch of shelter in the area was occupied. Even the underbelly of this fat elephant. View fullsize Gathered near the stage, where there's always someone shouting brainwashing messages that are projected over speakers throughout the area. View fullsize Hot, hot, hot. View fullsize "Dissolve the parliament. Return power to the citizens." (Note all the people on the street crowded directly under the footbridge.) View fullsize The main stage. Welcome to Thailand! View fullsize The perfect backdrop. View fullsize More foot clappers, and other red paraphernalia. View fullsize They train 'em young. View fullsize Ironic? Ironic. View fullsize More foot massages. Even their fan has red blades! View fullsize "Hmm. Do you think this colour would look okay on me?" View fullsize Tapering off on the far end of the occupied strip, one skytrain stop down from where we began. View fullsize But the tents don't stop there. They continue beyond the station. Exactly how far, I'm not sure. View fullsize Another posh mall that has been closed for business for almost 2 weeks now. View fullsize A stretch of walkway that has been left ungated is home to many nappers. View fullsize We found an open food court near the action! Dining, with a great red view. View fullsize All you see from above are tents and tarps. View fullsize The neighbors haven't even moved into their new house yet, and they're already building something else! View fullsize A 3-car garage, perhaps?
