Same Same

Bangkok traffic is notorious, and with bloody good reason. One evening we forgot about this, and found ourselves in the fourth tuk-tuk we haggled with, begging for haste. This chap was quiet at first, and then got talking. The conversation was full of twists and turns, as was the drive. Here was the kind of driver who hated stopping, even if this was rush hour. Every traffic jam we came to, he would weave through the cars. When, inevitably, weaving was not an option, he’d just get off that road, into a side street and change the route. This happened again and again and again- it was confusing but bloody entertaining.

“You from?”
“From India”
“Oh, India!”
(Yes)
“Not many India people here”
“Oh? You don’t meet many Indian tourist?”
(What about the hordes of shoppers, I thought)
“India people no wonny”
“Sorry?”
“India people no wonny”
“Huh? No…worry?”
(oh…he means we Indians are a carefree lot)
His lifted his hand and rubbed his fingers together in the universal sign for bank notes.
“India people no money. No MONEY”
“Oh-no money! Ha!”
(Huh?)
“Ha ha! Yes, Indian no money…like Thai”
“Ha ha”
“Falang have money”
“Ha ha, yes no money. So you give us discount on tuk-tuk fare”
“Ha ha ha”
Lots of ha ha.
I realise now I’ve no idea what was so funny, actually. ‘We’re poor sods, you’re poor sods’.
Same same.


farang* - tourist/westerner in Thai