2:14 p.m. - 2002-03-28
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Thailand = hot = hell?
No, not hell, though it was hell when I got here. But I'll get to that in a moment.
Sydney was awesome. Had a great time with Sue, and it was so nice to be with a friend. As soon as we met up, it was like we had never really been apart for months on end. The first day there, we went to a neat, up scale market, and I must admit, I went slightly crazy. I've been fairly good about not buying a lot of crap so far, but I felt I needed a couple of trinkets and a book, so what the hell. Anyhow, it was a very cool market. We walked around the town for a little while longer and then headed back to the hostel.
That night, we met up with my Danish friends from NZ and we all went out to this 24 hour bar called Scruffy Murphy's. Very fun. We were out until all hours of the morning (about 6 am), dancing the night away. I don't often dance the night away, but I was in the mood that night, so I did. Good for me.
The next morning, well, it wasn't so good. Tired, hungover, tired...I'm sure some of you know what it's like. We were supposed to go for a ferry ride with a friend of a friend of Sue's that happened to be in Syndey as well, but the idea of being on water just didn't really appeal to us. So, we did coffee on the waterfront, and then Sue and I went back to the hostel for a nap. Naps are soooo nice, don't you think?
That night was pretty quiet, we met up with the girls again and went to another bar, but didn't stay long. It was quite amusing, however, this bar we were at. I figured out it was a pick-up joint for people in their 30s, and unfortunately, people in their 30s just don't have the same grace of 20 year olds when it comes to picking up. It was quite funny to watch. Almost as funny as watching some of these guys dance....because, oh my goodness, they couldn't have danced their way out of a paper bag. ANyhow, it was funny.
The next day was my departure day, so after a nice lunch, Sue accompanied me to airport, we had a couple of beers and said our good-byes. It wasn't so bad...I'll see her in a month and half in London.
The plane ride was fairly boring...I tried to scam my way into a good seat, but it didn't work. The movies were ok...nothing terrible special.
It was when I got off the plane that things get interesting.
I get to the airport, and i was supposed to get a pick up from the hotel that I had reserved with 3 months ago. I say I was supposed to because they weren't there. I figured I would call them to see what was up. I finally get the number, and am dreading figureing out how the stupid public phones work, when a lady who was organizing taxi rides offers her help. I say I want to call the hotel, and she starts dialing up on her cellphone. How nice, I think to myself. I figure out the hotel doesn't have my reservation, so I book again and they say they'll send someone to pick me up. Great, I think. I hand the phone back the to "nice" lady, who responds with
"Now you pay me."
"Um...ok. how much?"
"100 baht" (About $3.70)
"Um...ok. Sure, I only have this 1000 baht bill."
"You wait here, I get you change".
"Yeah, I think I'll keep this until you get your change."
Lesson #1 in Thailand - Always re-confirm your reservations.
Lesson #2 in Thailand - Absolutely nothing is free.
I finally get the hotel, and it turns out to be a really nice place. I've got my own room, with my own bathroom and tv and air conditioning. It was sweet.
There are about a thousand more little stories like this I could tell you right now. But I think I'll leave that for the next update. Until then, wish me luck.
=)=)=)
