StreetSmart's posts with tag: lesson
 WANTED: a morning person energetic, dedicated and FEARLESS enough to teach the grumpiest expat in Sukhumvit a LESSON he shall never forget~!!
This is Carl Harrison, the first victim (as far as everyone knows) of Mr. Grumpy in the Oriental Coffee Shop (located on the 5th floor Emporium).
 And this what happened to him:
May 24, 2008 Emporium, Friday morning 10am, food floor, Oriental coffee/cake shop. I went in there for breakfast, all seating is on stools in the window and there were only 2 other customers in there and plenty of seating. Ordered my food, sat at the stool and read the paper. 10 mins later I head some raised voice behind me in a "complaining" sort of way, then this guy in shorts/shirt, 50ish, blonde/grey hair, glasses grabs another paper and slams it down next to me. He slams his phones down and mumbles. I was staring him by this point wondering why someone can be so damn unpleasant to staff and in front of people at that time in the morning, and if he looked at me I would have asked him why he was having such a bad day.
Anyway, out of the corner of my eye I noticed that he sharply and quickly pushed my bag further towards me when he had the space for 4 seatings. Soon after the waitress brought his food and again he did some Italianesque gesticulating and mumbling, which I couldn't hear. But I could hear him on the phone (again speaking fairly rudely in Thai then English). This was a businessman who had the manners of a chav.
I stayed for an hour and assumed this guy might have just lost a big contract/been cheated on/got locked out of his condo or something equally as bad. Oh no. As I went to pay he quickly summoned another waitress and again fairly loudly gesticulated towards my plates, but not quite loudly enough for me to hear from the counter. All waitresses looked uncomfortable with this guy and I was in two minds whether to go up to him to ask him why he was taking it out on people.
Then came the reason: he liked to sit in my spot every day. Yes, that's it. He was absolutely devasted and blatantly rude because he was a businessman regular and I was in his regular seat, so he was mad at the girls for not reserving it..and mad at me (or any other) that would be ONE seat further up than himself that day.
I had to laugh in both disbelief and suppessed anger at hearing this, at which point he STILL didn't turn around or make any eye contact. Maybe he was too important. The amazing this is, there is no way he would have acted like this at home...he would be hated wherever he went and probably banned. Unfortunately and embarrassingly for me, he was English.
All I know is that I WILL be there on or before 10am on Monday and Tuesday sitting in that very same seat again and will await his reaction with glee. __________
Can you guys buh-liiieeeve this farang loser~~?!?!
Anyway, read on:May 26, 2008 Update: it happened again this morning as I expected! Got there 10am for their superb breakfast and coffee. A middle-aged ex pat couple were in the middle seats and so I sat in "his" place which was in the corner next to them.
Sure enough, just 2 minutes later I head a commotion behind and the women next to me turn around and then asked me why he was so upset. He made his feelings quite clear by loudly stating to all around him that "that place was reserved" before slamming down his paper and storming out before anyone could comment. The couple were amazed when I told them the story.
One hour later I was still there and sure enough he came back with his little gf/wife. As soon as he saw me he went mad again with the nearest waitress saying that he'd told her 4 times to keep that place reserved for him. The security guard came into vision. At this point I called him to come over and talk to me about it instead of the staff but he stormed off again.
I called the waitress over to apologise for HIS rudeness but said that I would be sitting wherever I wanted. She took it in good humour and said it nearly happens every day with this workaholic guy that likes his own way.
All I know is that I need to give this guy a piece of my mind. He acts like a bully towards the staff and tries to with customers. Therefore I intend to be there tomorrow, Wednesday and Thursday etc.
If you want to see this guy's unbelievable reaction and tell him what a kwai he's being go to the 5th floor of Emporium into the restaurant area, look for Piri Piri Chicken and next to that is a glass fronted cafe called Oriental Hotel Shop. Go in there where the till is looking out the window and sit down there on the far left space right in the corner next to the coffee machine. I will most certainly be there at 10am, taking my time. __________ A repeat performance this morning again. He had called the manager beforehand to lay out his breakfast in "his" spot before he arrived. When I got there I chose to sit there and the staff were very amused to move his food.
5 mins later I heard him say "I give up with you!" loudly to the manageress before stomping off quickly.
10 mins later he telephoned the cafe from downstairs and asked the manageress to go down and speak to him! She came to warn me that she will be saying that she can prepare his breakfast but cannot prevent other customers sitting in that seat, and that Khun Carl chooses to sit there. She was worried that he may come up and argue with me...to which I asked her to tell him to come and see me.
10 mins later she came up without him and told me that he was going to complain to Oriental Hotel top brass that he was a 5-year regular and that he wanted that place reserved for him every morning and lunch (including weekends), so the manageress (very polite girl) was worried. I informed her that he can have his place if he arrives before me or if he comes and talks to me. She said he didn't wish to talk to me, but only to the staff and they should set the rules. I sense a coward.
I told the manageress to report this situation to her boss before he does, and that I will be on hand if they have any questions. In the meantime I will be there each morning in that place until he stops his bullying tactics against the staff and general mentalism. Next time I'll be going up to him, probably tomorrow morning.
No matter how long it takes he waits at another cafe downstairs and comes up get his place, which is most likely what he did when I left at 11am. __________ 28 May 2008 Yep, I shall be there tomorrow morning and will take a photo. I put the story on a big ex pat message board and it seems a lot of people are going to be playing him at his game to test his reaction. Immature maybe, but this guy is really rude.
This morning I got in at 10am and a few customers were milling around the food floor. As I came out of the lift he clocked me and nearly RAN to his spot. I did not participate but instead walked around and went to sit near to him 20 mins later. He was quiet as he got his spot, but not only that...he removed 3 stools from near him so no-one else could get near to "his" space.
There will be a few earlycomers over the next few weeks if I can't get there earlier myself. At the moment he just thinks he's competing with me :-) __________
Are you guys giggling yet~?! This guy is really something, huh~?? Anyway, so by this time Carl's sob-story was getting so many hits on the internet... Mr. Grumpy was becoming quite famous (or should I say NOTORIOUS~!!).30 May 2008
Guys and girls, it's been 2 days and the Grumpy Old Man hasn't been there. He calls the cafe every morning to tell them what food to prepare, and on Thurs he called to say he's travelling out of the country for a meeting and today he called to say he was playing golf. He has comfirmed his place for tomorrow morning. I will be there, others may join if they want.
On Thurs 4 other random people turned up to gauge his anger, today 5 people. Shame it was an anti-climax.
On another website I have posted the same story just for entertainment's sake. 340 replies and 11,000 people have read it, hence some showing up. I think they will occasionally to play him at his own game. He wants his own way and so far he thinks it's just me testing him...he will have a surprise when other random people end up sitting there at 10am.__________ June 1, 2008
So far in most days 3 people plus myself have turned up, but 2 days he didn't show up (he calls to tell the staff to lay out his breakfast if he's coming) then yesterday he was the first one to his place.
Tomorrow I will be there, but if he sees me on my way he'll virtually RUN to get to his place cos he knows what I'm doing. If a stranger is in his place he will be very pissed off, but it means getting onto that floor before 10am. In any case, I'll be there.__________
Someone asked Carl if Mr. Grumpy has OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder): I don't think he's OCD...he just likes to exercise control at this one particular place according to the staff there.
I saw him there on Sat morning, he was first to his "place". Basically he knows that people are playing him at his game so somehow makes a special effort to get there before opening time (not sure how). At the weekend he got is secretary to telephone and reserve the place for him, and she was not "no can do" so she got grumpy too. When he came in he said he doesn't want to reserve the place, but just calls for them to put out his breakfast when he's coming up from ground floor...and that if anyone wants to sit in his place tell them that he's already come and is at the toilet (which is lie), so he's sneaky - he basically still tries to reserve it.
However, on the weekend he was apparently extra-polite to the staff which they said is unlike him, so maybe he's a changed man after realising that people are not agreeing with his attitude. However, he says he WILL be the first there each morning, so I'm guessing that if he doesn't get his place he may well get angry again. I was there this morning but he was out playing golf (he calls the cafe every morning at 9.30 with instructions!).Someone else asked Carl how is it possible that Mr. Grumpy is able to beat everybody to the "special stool" at the cafe: They open at 10am and at most entrances the security guards have it well timed to open the gates dead on 10am. However, from the car park and using the lifts it is possible to sometimes get onto the 5th floor earlier, which is what he must do. If he knows I'm vying for that seat he will virtually run when the security guards let people in! haha
A guy on another board had a good idea: he told me to arrive at 11am most days so the man won't try so hard to be early. Then all of a sudden many people off here plan it out to be there 10am for a few mornings in a row! If he thinks I've stopped competing he'll slow down, but I'm sure he'll get mad with anyone at all taking his seat unexpectedly.
However, after 700 replies and 30,000 readers on another board, the man is still 3-0 up and beats anyone turning up to get his spot! (I think about 3 or 4 people turn up each morning...no idea).
Pretty sure he doesn't have OCD because the other cafes he frequents in Emporium all know him but he doesn't have a "space" he likes in them. He just likes the feeling of VIP and control in that one. Jack's just kidding about him working at the Brit Consulate, he's a CEO of some company but so far not sure which one. One thing's for certain, he's no people person!__________ June 4, 2008It is possible he has read the story in Thaivisa (over 30,000 views so far) or been told about it, as the staff say he is now being much more polite...who knows.__________ June 11, 2008Yep, I went once and it was by chance that his taxi broke down and he was later than me, so I took the stool right next to his in the corner to test his reaction to a close proximity public encounter. He turned up, squeezed into his place, made his calls (seems like he's a stock trader), ordered some people to do things like NOW on the phone (arrogantly), but was otherwise unresponsive to my being there and civil to the staff. Before he would have got mad that someone was sat so close, but I still need to test if can now withhold his temper if someone takes his actual place...
__________
What happens next~?? There's still no update yet...
The thing is, I am so NOT a morning person, so I can't compete for Mr. Grumpy's seat in the morning... ANY VOLUNTEERS~~???This is how Mr. Grumpy looks like (this pic actually wasn't taken by Carl... someone else heard about this amazing story, went to the Oriental Cafe and took the pic~!!).
Behold, Mr. Grumpy on his favorite stool:
 *shudders*
 "As Good As it Gets"; Sukhumvit-style~!!streetsmartsukhumvit@gmail.com  sukhumvit  bangkok  thailand
I am NOT fond of walking inside Sukhumvit 24 (for those of yo u who don't know, Sukhumvit 24 is the soi of my beloved Emporium). It's always sooo crowded, no matter what time it is (except maybe Songkran haha). It also gets flooded when it rains heavily. Worse, it's got no pavement~!! So when you're walking there, various kinds of vehicles will pass oh-sooooo-very-close to your skin you can actually feel the HEAT from them~!! (And no, the feeling is totally not the same as spa steam treatment~!!). But anyway, y'all know that I hate hot weather (and I hate WALKING in hot weather even more), as mentioned HERE. "So how would you enter Sukhumvit 24, then??" some of you might ask. The answer, my dearies, is MOTORCYCLE TAXIs. 
These guys pictured above are a heaven-sent for Sukhumvit 24. Why waste time and money in a TAXI or car when you can cut down your "traveling time" to mere minutes~??
As mentioned in my "Local Transportation" photo album (check it out ), the motorcycle taxi drivers of Sukhumvit 24 are in a  league of their own. They're true professionals who can swerve between vehicles in the blink of an eye. They’ve got their own smoooooth rotation system to make sure that passengers are quickly “matched up” with drivers. What's more, they don't overcharge (unlike the greedy chumps in the next soi - Sukhumvit 24/1, pictured right)~!! And they can bring you from the pak soi (mouth of the soi) to the end of the soi in about THREE MINUTES, I kid you not~!! (They've saved my super-late ass countless times~!!). One look at my high-maintenance hair, and some of you might scoff, "YOU take motorcycle taxis~?! You with your dresses and high heels~?! Don't make me laugh~!!!!" 
Aaaah ~ but you underestimate the SSS~!! I've been living in Sukhumvit since childhood, therefore I can now proudly call myself a LOCAL (by the way, for those who also aspire to be a Sukhumvit LOCAL, click to check out "I'm From Sukhumvit - How To Be a Local"). I now possess the elusive, special and rare Sukhumvit skills crucial for surviving on this road... and one of these vital skills is the ability to ride a motorcycle taxi gracefully while wearing a miniskirt/tight dress/high heels. Here are the directions: 1). If you're right-handed (like me), carry your bag on your left shoulder. If you’re left-handed then go the other way. 2). Approach the motorcycle from its left side and sit side saddle (I once saw a farang woman with a short sundress trying to sit with each of her leg hanging on either side of the motorcycle~!! Truly a sight to behold~!! In the end, she actually grabbed the middle hem of her sundress and swung one leg over the motorcycle~!! The perplexed expressions on the motorcycle drivers' faces were just PRECIOUS~!!). 3). Place your right foot on the passenger footrest (pictured below) and let your left foot hang a few inches off the ground.
4). Bend your left leg so that you won’t scrape your shoe – or worse, foot – on the ground (one time, I almost lost my left sandal coz the motorcycle driver turned too close to the pavement and it hit my sandal – my sandal actually FLEW away and *almost* fell into a manhole~!! I had to tell the driver to stop and limp like Cinderella on the asphalt to retrieve the said sandal). 5). With your right hand, hold on to a small hand rail that usually exists either below or beside the motorcycle seat (pictured below). If the rail isn’t there, don’t panic – just hold on to the edge of the seat). 
6). Keep your torso flexible and soft while the motorcycle is moving; this will ensure that you can keep your balance and won’t fall. Don’t try to fight the movement; just go with the flow~!! 7). More often than not, the motorcycle driver will take it upon himself to bring you fro m point A to point B using the fastest, shortest route possible (Buddha bless ‘em~!!), but this means he will swerve between moving vehicles and come within CENTIMETERS from throbbing sedans, pickup trucks and SUVs. Keep in mind that the driver will usually estimate the available space where the motorcycle can squeeze through using HIS OWN BODY SIZE, therefore you gotta make your body at least the same size as his, if not smaller (long-legged male farangs are the most vulnerable) *VERY IMPORTANT: keep your kneecaps tucked in and close to the motorcycle~!! Once you master the above steps, you can build up your skills and try these WHILE SITTING AT THE BACK OF A MOVING MOTORCYCLE: - let go of the rail and use your right hand to hold your hair to keep your hairstyle intact - answer your cellphone and chat - rummage through your bag (which is hanging from your shoulder) to find your purse, and then open it and count your money to pay the driver - wear a tight miniskirt plus high-heeled sandals, sit sidesaddle and reapply your lipstick while holding a mirror
(Only genuine PROs should try this last highly-sophisticated move~!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) ********************************* On one particular busy afternoon in Sukhumvit 24, I was (again) on the back of a moving motorcycle… when I suddenly noticed that the driver was saying something under his breath.
At first I thought he was muttering to his cellphone (using one of those hands-free thingies), but his voice was getting louder and louder. I couldn’t decipher what he was saying at first, due to all the traffic noise around me. Then he suddenly shouted (very loudly for all the world to hear), “Namman man pheng thammai mii rot yeu jang leeeeuuiii~~~!!!!” (roughly translated into, “Oil is so expensive, how come there are so many cars~~~!!!!”). 
P.S. Did anyone notice that there’s absolutely no mention of HELMETS at all~??
Vroom vroom~!! sukhumvit bangkok thailand
 The heavens have finally smiled on me and sent a steadfast, brave soul to be my “lab rat” for the mind-boggling, notorious and oh-so-mysterious “testicle massage”~!!
Now, I'm suuuure that some of you will remember that many months ago, right here on this SSS site I’d posted some pictures of this very *COUGH COUGH* “unusual” massage shop sign, which I found when I was walking in Sukhumvit 26: 
Read my (imaginary) conversation between the shop’s receptionist and customer HERE. Ever since then, I’ve been looking practically EVERYWHERE and asking EVERYONE I know (with testicles) if they would be willing to “volu nteer” and try it out. Oh sure, they would giggle and laugh, declare that they’d be totally up to it, but NO ONE actually had enough balls (pun TOTALLY intended) to REALLY go through it. Until NOW. Lo and behold… a FEARLESS HUMAN BEING (with testicles~!!)  finally stepped forward and valiantly declared that HE would offer his testicles for this most fascinating massage (in the name of science, of course)~!! 
So there we were, standing in front of the “Smile Teen Massage” shop in Sukhumvit 26, when the door suddenly opened and a woman (the owner?) cheerfully greeted and ushered us into the Twilight Zone… The inside part of the massage shop looked like a typical massage establishment, except for the “menu”, which offered several types of testicle massage services such as “moisturizing gel massage and testicle”, “Thai massage and testicle” and “cherry extract body lotion and testicle”. Hmmm… My brave lab rat decided to go for the “Thai massage and testicle” (1 hour, 600 baht) AND a Heineken beer (80 baht). I, the one without testicles, de cided to just sit and wait at the “lobby”. I chatted with the owner for a bit. “Do you usually get a lot of customers?” “Today is a slow day,” she said, “due to the ban on alcohol because of the election” (it is worth noting that despite the so-called ban, the shop still sold a Heineken beer to my lab rat~!!). “But usually we do get quite a lot, around 8 to 9 pm.” “Who are your customers?” I asked. “Most of them are foreigners. It’s very rare to see Thai customers come here,” she said. “Japanese?” I asked (the menu had Japanese font). “I’d sa y about evenly divided between Japanese and farang customers,” she said.
(*NOTE: While I was waiting, I also observed two more customers – a farang man and a Middle Eastern one). Then the phone rang and she answered it. I could hear that the call was from a potential customer (she did mention that the shop also offers “outside” services). In the meantime, I was given a whole bunch of magazines to entertain myself. I was also invited to watch some *ancient* Sylvester Stallone movie playing on the TV.
One hour passed and my lab rat finally came out, looking very healthy and pink and glowing (hmmmmm… looked like he had a GREAT time, I thought). I was mighty curious to find out how the testicle massage went, so after we left th e massage shop, I quickly whipped out my notepad (journalist-style~!!) and started asking questions. *WARNING: some of the info that is about to be disclosed here is pretty graphic. If you’re easily offended, I’d advise you to stop reading NOW. On the other hand, if you’re curious about this “special” massage (and perhaps wanna try it out yourself sometime in the future?)… then READ ON~!!!
******************** ********************
Well, in short, my dearest BLR (Brave Lab Rat) wasn’t really impressed (2 stars out of 5~!!). Such a let-down~!! Reasons: 1). He wasn’t  given the chance to actually CHOOSE his masseuse, which is actually pretty standard procedure in a place like this. BLR felt that this was misleading advertisement, because this massage shop’s website gave the impression that customers would be able to choose a masseuse from a “menu”.
2). His masseuse looked more like in her thirties (another misleading advertisement~!!). “Definitely NOT a teen”, BLR said (OUCH). 3). The aircon in his room was way too cold. It actually had the potential to freeze any mortal to death, especially if you come out of the shower dripping wet (taking a shower before and after the massage is also standard procedure in a place like this).
4). The Heineken beer, which was advertized on the menu a s a beer bottle, turned out to be a mere beer CAN (yet another misleading advertisement again~!!).
5). The masseuse claimed that she has only been working in the establishment for two months (she was working in a sarong factory before; of coz this new type of job pays WAY better); so perhaps this was the reason why she wasn’t very talented in the REAL (no hanky-panky stuff) massage department – before getting to serious business she’d apparently massaged BLR’s back and torso, but BLR found her skills to be extremely lacking.
6). The masseuse was also not very knowledgeable about what she was doing. When BLR asked her what the difference between the “oil and testicle massage” and “Thai massage and testicle”, she replied NONE whatsoever – apparently she would use the same oil for BOTH massages~!! (Go figure~!!).
Worse, when BLR asked her, “What kind of oil do you use?” she claimed ignorance. BLR then took a peek at the oil bottle and found out it was "tea tree oil". SIGH~!! I find this to be quite scary - would YOU expose a precious, sensitive part of your body to a complete stranger who doesn't really know what the hell s/he is doing~?! We're talking about the FAMILY JEWELS here~!! (GASP~!!)
“I’ve had hundreds of (REAL) massage; and on a scale of 1 to 10, I’d giver her a 3. Way too soft; no pressure at all,” BLR said (I’d commented that clearly regular customers don’t come to this massage shop to undergo the REAL massage experience - to which BLR replied, "That's true, but I've experienced many more better massage and hanky-panky combined~!!").
Of course BLR got his “happy ending”, but when he tipped his masseuse 400 baht, she actually COMPLAINED, claiming that customers usually tip her 500 baht~!! (The nerve~!! ). “Good fun, but not really worth your money,” BLR concluded. “The actual testicle massage was very gentle. Just some stroking, with an occasional tiny squeeze. No eggs got broken~!!” For someone who’d expected more fireworks, I can honestly say that I’m feeling just a taaaad bit disappointed.
Aaaaaall these months searching for a “volunteer”; only to end up with nothing but a mere glorified hand job (yawn). But at least I can finally put my curiosity to rest.
NOW YOU KNOW.
streetsmartsukhumvit@gmail.com
P.S. Anyone interested in asking more (detailed) questions, please contact the valiant BLR yourself at http://drfeelgood.multiply.com P.P.S. This noble experiment also has a “connection” to this blog entry. sukhumvit bangkok thailand
Street Smart Sukhumvit is depressed. And it's all got to do with three things: the rain, an old lady and the whole freakin' world.
This is what happened:
So there I was, deeeeeep inside Sukhumvit 39, coming out of a condo and grumbling under my breath because it had rained earlier ("It's only February, for Pete's sake~!! It's not supposed to rain yet~!! I haaaate getting my feet wet~!!").
The condo's friendly security guard approached me and asked, "Do you need a TAXI?" I said yes, and he asked, "Would you mind if an old lady rides with you?"
"EH~?!" I didn't expect that. "What old lady?"
He pointed to the guardhouse where a tiny old woman was sitting. "She needs to go to the pak soi (mouth of the soi) to the main Sukhumvit Road. Can she come along?"
"Oh, sure!" I said. He thanked me profusely and went back to the guardhouse.
I finally got a close look at the old lady - carrying a handbag in one hand and a red plastic bag in the other, she was extremely old and frail, with silver hair held back with bobby pins. She was wearing a soft pink blouse and holding tightly to the guard's arm for walking support. My heart went out to her.
"Nhu, are you sure I can ride with you?" she asked me with a tiny voice. Her face, though deeply wrinkled, had a cheerful and open expression.
"Yes, sure, no problem," I assured her.
"Where are you going?" she asked.
"Thonglo," I said.
"Oh, good," she commented. "My house is in Sukhumvit 67, so I can just get off at any bus stop."
I smiled at her and the guard said, "I'll get you two a TAXI."
Now, to those unfamiliar with Bangkok's TAXIs - TAXIs are very plentiful in Bangkok... unless of course:
1). It's the Songkran holiday (in which Bangkok becomes a ghost town, thus making finding a TAXI more impossible than winning the lottery).
2). It's raining (then the usually jolly, warm and considerate TAXI drivers turn into money-grubbing, whiny spoiled brats pickier than Tom Ford and Naomi Campbell combined).
Five (count 'em F-I-V-E~!!!) TAXIs came and they aaaaaaaaall refused to take us~!! Some didn't even slow down, stop and ask us where we'd like to go. Noooo... they just sped by without even a glance~!!
Five minutes passed... ten minutes... fifteen minutes. Then suddenly a TAXI (with passengers) came and entered the condo's compound~!! What a coincidence~!!
"Chok dii, leu-i (what good luck)~!!" I happily remarked as I watched the two passengers come out of the vehicle. Knowing that the old lady had difficulty walking, the guard said, "Wait here, I'll tell the driver where to go," and approached the TAXI.
In the meantime, I slowly maneuvered the fragile grandma so she would be facing the correct side of the TAXI.
But the TAXI just passed us by~!! I thought the driver didn't see us, so I quickly knocked on the TAXI's window, but there was no effect. The driver kept going and left us in the (wet) lurch~!!
"WHY~??" the grandma asked in such a way that my heart almost broke.
"Erm... I dunno..." I told her. "Maybe there's bad traffic up ahead."
So we waited again.
When another 10 minutes passed, the old lady said, "We can start walking to the intersection. Maybe there'll be more TAXIs there."
"Yes, good idea," I agreed, and told the guard that we were just going to walk to the intersection, about 15 meters away from the condo.
Well, the road was slick with rain and the traffic was very busy.
"Should I hold your hand?" I asked the old lady. She passed me her red plastic bag to hold and said, "No, just keep your forearm steady; I'll hold onto it."
I did as she asked but her grip was tight and shaky at the same time that I became very paranoid she would fall if she stepped onto something slippery. What's more, vehicles kept zipping past us. The old woman's legs were so weak and quivering I was afraid she would collapse any minute~!!
We were moving at a snail's pace while my brain was racing one kilometer per second... trying to keep her steady... thinking of other ways to reach the pak soi... wondering if we could take the songtaew instead of TAXI...
We reached the intersection and prepared to cross the street. Luckily, the light was red, so we tried to walk as quickly as possible to reach the other side of the road before the light turn green.
Suddenly, I spied the red light of an empty TAXI declaring "waang" (free/unoccupied) and made a desperate wish to all the deities in the cosmos that this particular TAXI driver wouldn't refuse to take us.
I flagged down the TAXI and quickly opened the door.
"I will get off earlier than you, so you better go into the TAXI first," the grandma said and I complied. I quickly got off the pavement, jumped into the TAXI, put down my bag and her red plastic bag and stretched my arm to her to help her get inside.
"Hurry up~!! Hurry up and get in~!!" the TAXI driver shouted. "The police might see me blocking the traffic~!!"
The old lady panicked. She tried to step down from the pavement and enter the TAXI at the same time. As a result, she banged her head on the TAXI's door frame.
"Oi, hua taek (broken head)~!!" she said.
"Omigod," I said. "Are you OK??" She finally managed to bring her whole body into the TAXI and rubbed her head. I quickly shut the door and the TAXI sped by.
"Driver, she's going to Thonglo," said the old woman. "But I need to get off at the bus stop on Sukhumvit."
"OK," he said. "But erm... are you sure you can get on the bus~?!" You're old and frail~!!" (I silently agreed and wondered).
"No problem," the grandma claimed. "Bus drivers usually feel sorry for old people, so they stop and wait for me." (I was more thinking about how come this old and fragile woman was traveling alone without any help).
Luckily, the main Sukhumvit Road wasn't very jammed, so when we reached a bus stop, the TAXI stopped to let the grandma out.
"WHO is she~??" the TAXI driver asked me when we were on the road again.
"Erm, I dunno her," I said.
"Auw, then how come she was with you~?!" the driver asked, confused.
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