Bloody Cabby!

Some cab drivers here are just bloody attitudinal. Isn't it their job to just frigging drive wherever the passenger wants to go? One would think so, but apparently, not so in bloody Bangkok! It really annoys me when they use the traffic as an excuse, especially AFTER they picked you up and 50 meters on, they tell you they wouldn't go anymore because of the bad traffic. Wouldn't it be better for them to get stuck in traffic with a passenger who is willing to pay for the ride, rather than no passenger at all and STILL get stuck in the same traffic? Really don't understand their mentality. It's not like they could go anywhere either!

I got one of these annoying cabbies today on my way home. One could argue that I could have just walked it as I'm only a 10-15 minutes walk away to home from the office. The reality was, I had acute gastrics and decided to leave the office earlier, after having spent the night at "The Bum". There was no way I could have walked with the pain in my stomach. To top it all, it was pissing rain with thunderstorm all over. I'm just not gonna walk home in such weather , in my pathetic condition. This joker, having picked me up right outside my office building and agreed to go where I told him to, suddenly just stopped driving and decided to let me off after driving for about a hundred metres. He must have known that I was in no condition to walk in such a weather, especially not when I was lugging my handbag, my laptop bag, as well as a bag of meds emblazoned with "The Bum" logo and name on it. Obviously he wasn't sympathetic enough and even had the cheek to laugh it off and pointed me to a bridge where I could walk to. All he could say was "lot tit mak, mai pai". What an asshole. Fine, Mai pai, mai pay, then. The classic case of me cursing him under my breath, slamming the door as I got out and refusing to pay for the short ride even when he has turned on the meter when I got in. The logic is simple: why should I pay when you decide to change your mind and refuse to get me to my destination?

While I think my logic of not paying is fair (to me), I must admit that I do worry as I slammed his door and walked away, as I never know what the bugger's reaction is gonna be. This is Thailand and Thais are known for their malicious anger, especially when they lose face. One never knows if he decides to turn on you and play nasty. Anything can happen, and I count my blessings for the fact that he didn't hurt me for a mere 40 baht ride.

* lot tit mak, mai pai: literally translated as "very bad traffic, not going"