The ride over

Thursday, 15 Feb 2007 | Journal

Last night at 7pm I was ready for departure. I had everything packed and was sitting at my desk watching tv. I had already packed my computer, because I didn’t want to hold up everybody already inside when the minibus arrived. I was being way too punctual. After about a half hour, I was called to be informed they were going to be a little late. After about an hour and a half I called back and informed about status. They were on their way. This was 9pm. I finally left my condo 4.5 hours (!!) late.

Nat and her sister were already inside, I was the last to be picked up for my convenience. Nat had told me she would get a good seat for me and I did get the best seat in the bus. She had also told me of course I would be able to read on the minibus. Well, I could but not without turning on the big overhead light waking up pretty much everyone. So being the nice guy I am, I didn’t.

The bus was full of Thai, of course. And when the sun rose just when we were getting to Kalasin, it turned out there was also a rooster in the minibus. I started laughing and shook my head, much to the amusement of the other passengers. They started laughing even louder when I told the rooster, who would not shut up, that I was going to eat him if he didn’t settle down. All in good fun of course. He was probably going to be eaten soon anyway!

So what did I do for the 7 hours I was in that cramped seat which arched back rather awkwardly? The first hour I watched one of the Mission Impossible movies, in Thai. Surprising how much you actually understand, makes you wonder how important dialogue is in Hollywood movies. After that? I wrote a few emails and for the rest of the trip tried to (but didn’t) sleep a little and gazed outside. Aside from nature and houses, I saw car accidents and markets (open at 3am! and many of them!) and was pointed at by people riding along in the back of a pickup truck. Sometimes horribly dull, sometimes things that me raise an eyebrow such as the butcher stalls I saw where a half goat or something would be dangling. Uncooled and all. In the morning hours I even saw people ‘walking their water buffalo’. We arrived at the hotel at 7, I went to sleep and now am sitting by the pool waiting to be picked up to go to the market for some shopping.

Oh and then there was of course that mad farang at the gas station. We stopped for gas and drinks somewhere in the middle of nowhere. And there was a farang sitting on a bench there. He looked weird, so I steered clear of him. But he noticed me and approached me by yelling “HEY!” … I said “I have to go to the bus”, but that made him jump up and walk over. And just stare at me. I took out the iPod earbud (not mine!) to listen to what he had to say. He just stared at the earbud. I waited for about 30 seconds and then, as I was pretty sure he would punch me in the face if I made any sudden moves, told him I had to get back to the bus as we were all leaving. He followed me and stood next to the bus, stared at everyone inside. People were mumbling “pii baa” (lit. ‘crazy brother’) and soon we departed. I’m quite sure he wasn’t drunk. You have to wonder what a guy like that is doing over there.