EVERYTHING "ALMOST NORMAL" IN PHUKET

There have been very few visible changes in Phuket as a result of last night's coup.  Schools, banks, and government offices were closed today and there was definitely an increased police presence as the day went on.  Between Patong and Central, Tim and I went through two police checkpoints (one was also staffed by naval troops) and another between Central and Chalong.  At Central Festival, they weren't allowing ANY motorbikes in the parking garage (they were all parked on the street outside creating a HUGE traffic jam) and we saw security officers checking car trunks (there were rumors all day about bombs in Bangla Road).  I also noticed that the loudspeakers that hang on most telephone poles throughout Phuket were broadcasting patriotic songs rather than Dharmmic chants.

Of course, the coup was all everyone was talking about and some of the businesses with satellite hookups managed to pick up BBC broadcasts.  The Thai baht has already fallen the farthest it has in over four years (good news for me as I'm getting ready to transfer money from the States into my Thai account).  Right now, all the foreign embassies in Bangkok are closed which directly affects one of my friends from school — he was planning to travel there next week to obtain the documentation needed for his legal marriage.  If this isn't squared away in the next couple of weeks, he'll have to leave the country for three months before he's allowed to return.  And I had decided last night that I would do a visa run in two weeks through the border at Ranong and save getting my Non-Immigrant (O) in Penang until next month; but one of the news updates I just received says that Burma has closed the Kawthung/Rawong border because of the coup.

Personally, I think it will all sort itself out in a couple of weeks at most.  Many people are extremely happy that the Thaskin government has been overthrown and his supporters in the government have already fled or been arrested.  The economy might be shaken up a bit and I'm sure the tourism industry will take some time to recover (it's still not fully recovered from the tsunami).  The uncertainty may cause a few difficulties in the next several days but I'm certain it will be "back to normal" fairly soon.