"Winter" such as it is in Thailand, has arrived in Chiang Mai. Most mornings there is frost atop Doi Inthanon, the highest peak in Thailand. Bangkok has emptied out this long holiday weekend as in-country tourists have flocked north to marvel at the strange sight of frozen water and to show off their winter clothes. For the first time in months, we have traffic jams and lines (queues) outside popular restaurants and Instagram-worthy coffee shops. I've even talked with a couple of foreign tourists who are in Chiang Mai to check it out as a potential retirement destination.
And, the Covid numbers are, at last, declining, both in the province and nationally, as anyone who wants vaccination can get one fairly easily. And the Thai people are responding to the call for vaccination much better than people in the west. Let's hope the initial reports of the severity of the new Omicron variant are true and we can resume in-person meetings and in-school service projects after the holidays.
Meanwhile, settle down with your favorite beverage, appropriately socially distanced, to read our latest bulletin, below. As always, it's a little better if you click on the title of the story, where you will be taken to a webpage with a full-page view of the story. Enjoy