23 November 2020 I have been invited by the Traffic and Transportation Department, Bangkok Metropolitan Administration(BMA) to join their test of an electric-boat service on Khlong Phadung Krung Kasem, on behalf of Accessibility is Freedom and Transportation for All member (T4A). Here is what we found from this first and quick survey:

Today, I went on a run at King Rama IX Park. While I was running, I found a little snail crossing the road. Frankly, judging from its speed, it does not have much chance of crossing this road because of runners and cars. Thus, I use leaves to spoon it to another side of the road. The snail immediately hinds in its shell after I touch it. I think the snail might surprise when realized that it is already on another side of the road.

Not long before you all may have seen a post from us urging of priority parking space that had been trespassed by rental shops in PTT Pongnamron gas station. Shortly after the post was published, the owner has contacted me to apologized and shown her willing to fix the issue.

This picture was taken three years ago during my Japan second trip. It was a late afternoon in Kawaguchi and we were heading back to a train station to return to Tokyo. I took this picture from a distance. We can see elementary school students wearing bright yellow hats and with their hands held high as a clear signal to coming vehicles that they want to cross the road.

I have been to Japan twice. One of the amazing things I noticed was that their rivers and canals were clean —I repeat, very clean! I remember waiting on one side of Kawaguchiko Lake to take a photo of Mt.Fuji and seeing waste water running into the lake through gutters from various places, but the water was visibly CLEAR. In many traveling attractions, they even kept fish —- you could see them swimming!!!

Had heard from the BTS executives that wheelchair ramp is now available at every BTS station. It is the first time in quite a while that I have taken a BTS. Today, I took the ride from Sukumvit > Siam > Surasak station and I am soo o oooo impressed. The service is well executed. The heads of each station even come to supervise the process.

  Your Excellency the Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha, Subject: Promoting Three Whale Rock as a Major Tourist Attraction and Landmark   I have seen numerous delightful posts and Facebook feeds from friends following their visits to Three Whale Rock. I have seen the rock formation for the first time recently and what I saw resonates with the words I repeat over and over again about Thailand so precisely. We have so much to offer. Thailand has many tourist attraction wonders but we are somewhat reluctant to fully appreciate what we have and we are seemingly too tardy to give …

9 November 2020 The survey was led by the deputy director of Bangkok Metropolitan Administration’s Department of Public Works and joined by relevant agencies and organisations including Accessibility Is Freedom, T4A, FD and Bangkok Bus Club. We examined a distance of 1Km of footpath between Rama IX and Thiam Ruam Mit intersections. Issues found are common for Bangkok footpaths,

This morning we used CABB taxi, a new player in BKK taxi industry to take my father out of the house. He has Alzheimer’s and a hip fracture, so it is very difficult to go out in a regular car. We usually need to transfer him out of his wheelchair and most taxis have a gas cylinder in the back, so we can’t fit his wheelchair. We use Grab as well, but again, we have to move him physically out of his wheelchair. So in the end, we don’t take him out very much. It makes me sad because my …

Since the spread of COVID-19, wherever we go we see 99% of the general public wear medical or cloth face masks. This is especially true in public transportation systems like the BTS where reminders for the use of face masks are regularly announced resulting in 100% cooperation. The majority have their face masks on correctly but only a few do not.