Monday, March 2, 2009

Lost in Bangkok

I'm pretty relaxed when it comes to travel.

So relaxed, in fact, that I forget to write down the name of the hotel I am staying at in Bangkok. No problem though. I have the address and about a million people or so offering me a ride. I ask a Thai girl if she speaks English (OK - I lie... Jake asks the Thai girl if she speaks English). She does - and she's a local.

"Take taxi outside. Fastest and cheapest way." She tells us.

So Jake helps me outside and into a taxi and looks somewhat concerned as I drive off in my taxi.

I'm not going to lie. I'm sorta scared. I don't recognise anything. I want to see something familiar and I feel pathetic because of this. Harden up P... you can handle this, it's not like you're in the middle of nowhere. You're in fucking Bangkok, a tourist MECCA.

So to make myself feel better I start conversation with my driver. It's hard because he understand nothing, but likes to pretend he does as he laughs and nods. So I think we're having a conversation but then soon I get blank stares. It's annoying and hard to maintain with enthusiasm.

Oh oh! I just saw a Nokia sign. It made me feel better. Safer. How peculiar...

I decide to ignore the irritating worried voice in my head and I start absorbing the sights.

Half an hour passes and so now I'm not sure what is more amusing/devastating:

  1. That we have just driven for more than 30 minutes in the wrong direction.
  2. That my taxi driver had to get out of the car and use a payphone to call my hotel and ask for directions
  3. That we are now in standstill traffic with over 300 Baht on the metre already
  4. Or that in our (very) broken English conversation, I still can't work out whether my taxi driver has 3 wives or 3 daughters. (Likely both).

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