I live just off of Thanon Silom, which in addition to being the area of Bangkok with arguably the most restaurants and street food, is also directly adjacent to the epicentre of the current conflict. As a result, the streets in this part of town feel particularly empty today:
Shops are closed, rubbish isn't being collected, armed soldiers outnumber civilians, and the contents of my fridge are starting to run low. And what is normally an area with an overabundance of food has now been reduced to one stall, the lone noodle vendor pictured at the top of this post.
Stopping by for a bowl today at lunchtime, I had the following conversation with one of the ladies running the stall:
Wow, you're open today. Aren't you scared? Yes it's scary, but I have to earn money. We haven't been able to open in five days! How has it been today? Have you heard any gunshots or explosions? Yes, but from way over there [points towards Lumphini Park]. You must be selling well since you're the only place to eat at Sala Daeng. How late will you stay open? We're almost sold out now!
And indeed she was selling well, with the bulk her customers, not surprisingly, hungry journalists:
