2 Fast 2 Furious in a Tuk-Tuk

The first seven minutes of my tuk-tuk ride was terrifying. My life was flashing before. I was sure I was being taken somewhere to be sold, I wondered how long it would be until someone realized I was missing since I was travelling alone and no one back in Korea knew my flight schedule, I wondered if I would stay in Thailand if I was sold as a sex slave, or if I was going to be sold to some European drug lord and be illegally transported overseas. My parents always told me I have an overly imaginative mind.

My homie cruisin' the streets on Bangkok like a boss

The first stop in this adventure was a jewelry store. I looked and smelled like a homeless person and I had barely enough money left to get back to Inje. I'm sure they knew from looking at me (or smelling me) that I wasn't going to buy anything, but I pretended, as did they. I left and was brought an ever bigger jewelry store. A gold store to be more specific, THE gold store of Bangkok (at least that's what I was told). I don't know who my tuk-tuk driver thought I was, a grungy celebrity with money pouring out of my bag? With his broken English and lots and hand motions I finally figured out that that for the new year, certain companies were offering gas discounts for drivers who brought them customers. And the customers had to stay for at least 15 minutes, which explains why he would push me back into a store every time I left too early. We also stopped at a really fancy tailor's store, and I totally would have gotten some new clothes, but I was leaving that night, and again, I had no money. And I got yelled at by an Armenian guy because he said I wasted his time because I didn't buy anything. Rude.

Primtime Bangkok traffic

Anyways, cruising around Bangkok was a trip. I saw Bangkok like a local (kind of), saw a lot of city I wouldn't have other, and most importantly, I bonded with my tuk-tuk driver. He knew very little English, I knew even less Thai, but I laughed hysterically with fear and adrenaline fearing for my life, as he swerved between cars at top speed, and he would smile in return. Good times.