Bangkok Snapshots

by Tasha in South East Asia, In Transit

photo by: captainkimo

1.
We get off to a shaky start haggling wise, but we persevere by flagging down a taxi on day two. The driver smiles broadly as we ask for the Chatuchak Weekend Market. 200B he quickly retorts with his supersized smile. Grinning back we shake our heads at the exorbitant price and point to the meter. With an owlish glance, he shrugs his shoulders as if to say "Hey it usually works". Arriving at the market 15mins later we pay the 70B fare and thank him in thai. 

Maybe we are getting the hang of this.

photo by: Ema

2.

 The transport system here in BK is so organised and much more straightforward than we expected. Even so as we make our way from the lower station to the sky-train, I look around bewildered. I see the entrance of the station we just came from - but I can't see the entrance to the other train line. Alex starts shepherding me towards what looks like a passenger overpass as I start bobbing up and down to try and see the illusive station. Alex chuckles as I finally look up and let out an audible "Ohhhhhh!". I had missed the simplicity inherent in the name. 

Sky Train - Bangkok's train in the sky. This keeps Alex entertained for hours.

photo by: rjhintz

3.

Our sleeper train rocks into Surattani a good hour and a half late – but no one seems particularly worried. Thai Time they tell us. We look around for our connecting bus company. They flag us down immediately and usher us on to the second of two waiting buses. Everyone on-board seems confused but the one lady who speaks a spattering of English seems pretty sure. So are we until 30 minutes later, barely into our 4 hour bus ride, when the bus pulls onto a dirt track and all the Phuket travellers are ordered off. 

Somewhat concerned now, the seven of us are sheparded onto a small tuk tuk without an explanation, which takes off down some sketchy backroads. Together we start joking about how bad this could possibly get. Joking... Five minutes later the driver stops on an empty road and waves for us to get off. Nobody moves. He waves again and starts to slowly drive away. We jump off quickly, as our driver speeds away and we settle in for what will become a 5 hour wait for our connecting bus. 

Thai Time indeed. 

photo by: nemone

4. 
“Name? NAME?” our taxi driver bellows.

“T..Tasha”

“no you not t..t..tasha….you TASHA!!!! NAME!!!!”

“TASHA!”

“Yes yes good good! Where are you from TASHA!?!?!”

“Australia”

“Oh! Are you from Melbourne-Sydney? I love the Melbourne-Sydney! You had woman, now you have man”

"WHAT?!?!?"

"You have man now. Man good for country yes?...but women good too. Pierce Brosnan love the women. Bond....I is bond, Brosnan super cool man number one"

Alex leans forward and whispers to me "Are you getting any of this"

Surprisingly I nod. I think I'm starting to get this city.

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