Bangkok temporarily turns into Dhaka as concertgoers flock to Coldplay

It seemed harmless at first. One could see one or two stories on social media, featuring people by the beach, enjoying the blue waters of Phuket or Krabi.

But things soon changed as the days of the concert neared. Suddenly, almost everyone you know seemed to have dropped in Bangkok, causing waves of changes in the capitals of both countries.

In Dhaka, our correspondent Salty Limon reported that even though a bit of gridlock could be seen at the airport in the early hours of the day, the rest of Dhaka, particularly the areas of Mohakhali, Banani  and Gulshan, was relatively free.

He reported that as most people who work in this area come from a higher income bracket and could afford Coldplay concert tickets, office hours, during which people would expect unbelievable gridlock, has lately produced quite the opposite picture.

Meanwhile, their employers haven't been that pleased.

"I have had to sign so many NOCs and leave letters against my will. If it were up to me, I would block out every single one of these requests. How will we keep setting our deadlines as 'yesterday' if our employees return with rejuvenated spirit? A spirit that we've worked so hard to break down so that they may never hope to have fun ever again. Corporate resources gone to waste -- what a shame," said CEO Torchuti Tohamarki, of the global conglomerate CAT.

On the other hand, some visitors have reported that airline staffers, as well as Thai locals, have started picking up bits of Bangla colloquially.

Sumona  Yassmin, a concertgoer, said, "The flight attendant literally went 'Shubho Sawadika' when we landed."

Others however expressed their dismay at this change as they couldn't be crass in public.