After 27 hours of planes and airports I arrived in Bangkok, Thailand around 11:30pm, about an hour later than was originally scheduled. I had made plans to meet my friend Haven who had just finished a school term teaching English. My original plan was to take the Skytrain from the airpot downtown where I would meet Haven. I had told him I would meet him around midnight, however by the time I had made it through customs and gotten my luggage it was around 12:30. The Skytrain closes at midnight so I needed to take a taxi into the city.
I went to a pay-phone and tried calling Haven. However, after talking with some Thai officials it soon became apparent that he had mistakenly left out a digit in the phone number he gave me. Luckily, I was able to access the internet in the baggage claim and left him a Facebook message saying I was going to catch a taxi to the train station, hoping to God he would check the internet this late at night.
I went outside the airport and was approached by a man asking where I was going. I told him the "Central Station." He said, "Ok, I know," and helped put my luggage in the back of his car... which was not marked as a taxi. Never take an unmarked taxi car. You would think that after living in Southeast Asia for one year I would know this, but people do stupid things when they're flustered. (Travel Tip #1: If you find yourself in my position in Bangkok, take a metered taxi. A metered taxi should cost around 250-400 baht or around $10 give or take.) Once this car had driven me about 15 minutes away from the airport it stopped in a remote area where apparently the taxi "office" was and where my driver told me the price of the trip. It was $100 to take me into Bangkok.
I told him absolutely not, I was not going to pay him $100. I didn't even have that much money on me. However, since they had driven me to the middle of nowhere I couldn't just get out and call another cab. I ended up paying him that amount of U.S. currency I did have on me, $40.
So which train station did I want to go to? The "Central Station." The driver told me there are two train stations in Bangkok. Did I know the name? I did not. All I knew is that it was the station where the Skytrain went to. The driver said, "OK," not too assuredly.
It was around this time that I began thinking I had really screwed this trip up. For some reason I had thought I could just go to Thailand and things would work out. For one, I didn't even know if Haven had gotten my Facebook message or if he thought I had gotten a hotel and therefore went back home to bed. It was around 1:30am, one and a half hours after the time I said I would meet him. Two: I didn't even know if I was going to the right station. Three: I was paying way much money way too soon, at this rate could I make it two months in SE Asia? I kept trying to think of a Plan B. Were hotels even open now? I had no idea. I knew nothing about Bangkok. I had not planned ahead to say the least. (Travel Tip #2: Buy a book about the place where you are traveling to, it is always worth it.) Worst case scenario I would have to sleep on the streets in Bangkok.
The drive from the airport into Bangkok takes around 45 min to an hour. Especially at night it was difficult to tell how far into the city I was. At one point we stopped at a red light and looked over and saw a red-head with earbuds in looking out into the traffic. I frantically rolled down the window and yelled out "Haven!" I opened the car door and Haven saw me. I can't remember the last time I've been more overjoyed and relieved to see a familiar face. The taxi pulled to the side and we got my luggage out. Haven had decided to go to an internet cafe after waiting for me at the train station. It was then he saw my Facebook message and came back, catching me just in time.
My trip could only get better from there.
No comments:
Post a Comment