Do you Hear the People Sing?

Les Miserables holds magic.  The rip rolling of the music as it washes over you makes you want to stand and lustily sing along.  A gusty, gutsy, heart stirring song like never heard before it gets you in the soul.  Like the song there is something about people gathering peacefully to protest that gets you in the gut.  Something about the fragile looking couple on a Saturday getting off the sky-train holding hands and a small tent.  Something about the grandma blowing a whistle fervently while clasping her tiny grandson.  Something eery as busy streets empty and people walk slower.  Something powerful as families bring packed food into members sleeping in large shelters.

I don't understand almost any of what is happening in Bangkok.  What happened.  I was just a mom with two small kids walking through for a week.  I got caught alone one night with Zana in an area that unexpectedly got shut down.  Buildings that never close were closing.  People were rushing to get away.  I followed a fast moving stream of people from one area to another walking straight into  demonstrators.  Due to a little online research done before visiting Thailand I knew that the men gathered around a fruit stall in yellow vests were not police or part or the growing crowd and noise.  They were motorcycle taxis.  I motioned for help, squeezed Zana tight, hitched up my skirt, jumped up behind a strange man.  Without a word in English we were zooming through a closed off area to cars and trucks (we were yelled at a bit) onto a street still open to traffic where I was sure we were going to be crushed between a bus and a car straight to the welcoming waiting arms of a hospital where we reunited with Abe and Hubster.  Needless to say this life changing reality for the Thai people of shutting down Bangkok to restart Thailand impacted our little lives as well.  In the midst of it all thanksgiving overflowed for the idea of peaceful demonstrations. 

In the photos below can you find the three tourists?  In the last photo don't miss the orca recently acquired at the aquarium....... he had to be washed after an eventful day on the town...on the street....in the mud....on the skytrain....in a mouth......on the table.....in sauce.......  you get the picture.