Tropical Punch Tour: Thailand Part 44
Friday, September 10, 2010
Bangkok, Thailand
On my last day in Bangkok, I just went shopping for souvenirs around Thanon Khao San. I bought a carved wooden mask from Bali for a whopping $9.00. I was so stoked on the intricate design / paint scheme. Near the beginning of this trip in Bali, I figured I’d be able to find one here in Bangkok, so I waited to buy it so I wouldn’t have to lug it around in my backpack for three months. I also tried to find one from Java, but the shops mostly stock the same ones from Bali, Thailand and Africa. After I savored one last succulent meal from May Kaidee’s, I went to wait for a bus to the airport. Just in time, that jerk the sky opened up and let loose with a non-stop downpour that soaked me to the bone.
I waited for two hours for various airport buses, but none ever stopped. I saw one drive by out in a middle lane and tried to flag it down, with no luck. Then I saw a bus number 15 go by and thought I’d catch the next one. I waited so long, with even less luck. Then a nice young Thai girl approached me and asked if I was trying to catch a bus to the airport. I said yes, then she recommended bus 556. It was so sweet the way she stopped to help. That would never happen in a million years in the United States. She was like a guardian angel. The same thing happened another time when I was trying to find a bus from the airport into Bangkok.
Exasperated and running out of time, I jumped in a cab and got a lift down to the airport rail station down by Siam Square. I was so stressed when the cab driver made a right turn, I kept asking him where he was going, because I thought he was taking a roundabout route to make more money. “I hate cab drivers!” I suddenly blurted out, but I don’t think he knew English well enough to understand what I said. Once I saw the familiar area of Siam, I calmed down, paid the driver, jumped out and walked the rest of the way to the train station. I was very pleased to ride the brand-new train and route. (The grand opening had been held just a couple of weeks before.) It’s so buttery and smooth, and only takes 30 minutes to get to the airport. The doors are odd, though–instead of gently sliding together, they slam shut like a pissed off family member down the hall.
Roll over photos for captions.
All words and photos ©2010 Arcane Candy.
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