Getting Back to the Big Mango

The airline website tells me what time the plane gets into Bangkok and I stupidly believe them. The industry standard size carry-on luggage ensures that I don’t pack anything that is not essential. And if it is essential but won't fit, then sorry, like a wounded soldier, it gets left behind. I would rather buy it in Bangkok than have to wait for my luggage on the conveyor belt. Valuable time saving.

Fortunately, having a fast track pass allows me to not have to queue up at immigration that just so happens to be processing the latest 747 from India. With the heat of Thailand disguising my running induced sweat, I double time it trough customs, trying to blend in with a bunch of other people who have been waved through. Not that I have anything to hide, but if they were to open my case, I am sure it would take more that 15 minutes to re-pack all the items, and without my geometry set and theodolite, I would just have to put everything on that wouldn’t fit. – Thus making me sweat more.

I could stand and wait in line at the public taxi rank, but from upstairs, I can’t tell if I am going to waste valuable time going down the travelator only to end up in a huge queue of back-packers heading for KS Road, negotiating how far from KS road they could be dropped off from, and be able to walk the rest of the way, saving 20bht. Or dinner. I could try my luck and hopefully get a cab that is dropping off, but then I could have a problem like NR, who’s cab wouldn’t go on a meter and returns me back to the airport. Again.. I am in a clock here. But then, fuck the clock.. if I give him a 1000 will he put his foot down and run red lights like they do in the movies?

Only when I get to my final destination does it hit me that my schedule is worthless. Well, worthless being in such detail that takes me to specific hours. AM or PM are even too restrictive. The best I can hope for is to plan something, anything on a specific day. Usually my plans end up being pinned to a first or second half of a week.

Daywalker
You can read more about his adventures at
The Big Mango Bar blog