Bangkok Taxi Drivers

I am sitting at a smoothie bar at the Suvarnabhumi International Airport. I am in Thailand for work and now on my way back to Hanoi. My first stop was in Phuket, which is in southern Thailand and a tourist spot that was hit by the tsunami. Walking along the beaches, you would never think a tsunami hit there or thousands of people died. Phuket quickly rebounded, businesses rebuilt, and the people came back. I had a wonderful time there and wished I could been there a little longer.

My next stop was in Bangkok and my journey to and from the city was not good, hence the name of this posting. Vietnam has the reputation for haggling but I was ripped off much more than I ever been, here in Bangkok. I am not sure if I had a sign on my head that said sucker, but all my taxis either tried to overcharge me, wouldn't put on their meters and with one I was trying to decide whether he was drunk or senile. I usually can stay pretty calm and be patient, but I for the first time here, was on my last nerve and made a small scene when I arrived at my hotel when the taxi driver charged me 300 THB instead of the 185 THB that was clearly on the meter and then conviently didn't have any money to give me change. I probably shouldn't have yelled, shouldn't have made a big deal, but I guess it's the principle of it all. I suppose I was just tired, tired of always having to put up a front to make sure people aren't going to take advantage of me. I am over it now and pleasent again. It is so true when they say it is usually the little things that take you over the edge ...

Wherever I visit in Asia, I am usually first thought of as a local. In China, I looked like a Chinese ethnic minority; in Lao, I was Laotian; in Thailand, I am Thai; and in Vietnam I just confuse people because I don't sound Vietnamese. Locals will usually speak to me in their native tongue and then when I reply I have to admit that I only speak English. Sure there is a Japanese look or Korean look and general appearances for different cultures, but my perception is people in southeast asia kind of all look the same ... perhaps my features are just cameleon-like?

It has been a while since I have posted. It has been busy here. I celebrated my 26th and stretched it to a weekend long event. Went to a nice italian buffet and a wine tasting one night and then the next night treated friends to dinner and drinks (in Vietnam it is custom for the bday person to treat everyone else). Ended the evening with good old Vietnamese tradition and went to a karaoke bar. My new favorite song to sing is 'Country Roads', I have retired 'I Will Survive'.

I really want to improve my Vietnamese as much as possible before I leave so I enrolled into Bach Khoi University and am taking a Vietnamese class three mornings a week plus meeting with my tutor once a week. If I don't learn now, I never will!

Time to go through security. Jessica was in Halifax and got to see the Brads and Amanda. I do miss my Halifax gang :) To everyone who was nagging me to post, hope you enjoy this one!