Chuck Bao
5/16/2008, 04:21 PM
I got the driver from hell this week. I don’t know why, but it seemed to get personal and progressively worse through the week.
He started out fine, well actually better than fine. On Monday, we were looking for a place to eat and he stops in the middle of the road to ask the policeman directing traffic about his restaurant recommendations. That’s pretty much beyond the call of duty, in my opinion. But that worked out better than okay: that policeman did happen to know a pretty good restaurant.
It turned really ugly yesterday when we had three hours between appointments and I asked the driver to take my colleague and me shopping. We were only about two city blocks away from a great used and rare book shop we wanted to go. He ignored me and we went past it.
My colleague, who is my company’s chief economist for Southeast Asia, decided that since we already drove past the book shop, we should go back to my office instead. The driver ignored any and all instructions from me. He had his schedule and nothing was changing that.
I’m very ashamed to say that I was laying into him pretty thick with the best put-downs I could think in Thai language, as he stopped no less than four times to ask directions within the Ministry of Finance compound. I shudder to think what the security guards at the Ministry thought about the very rude foreigner shouting: "why don’t you listen to me, we go back to the company office, now!"
I lost my cool and certainly a lot of face. Anyway, we arrived at the location and our driver seemed so satisfied and triumphant and defiant. That is except we were still two and a half hours too early for our appointment.
So, I complained to the company head driver and they told him in very clear terms that he has to do what I say.
The driver replied that he would but he didn’t think I was speaking to him. That’s odd because I was shouting and in Thai language and my colleague is from the Philippines, so I wasn’t shouting at her. The Ministry of Finance security guards heard the “let’s go back” part and understood that, I’m sure. I saw them understand that.
Today, it got much, much worse. First of all, he was supposed to pick me up. But, he forgot that part. He may have thought that his day would be much more pleasant without me. He did have to return for me, so I probably ruined his day.
We were already late and he made a very, very poor route decision. I bit my tongue. Then, we got lost within the Siam Commercial Bank office building complex. I bit my tongue until he wanted to drop us off as far as possible from where we should be.
I finally got him to listen to me because there is only one visitor entrance into the bank and that’s the main entrance. Well, d’oh.
Everything is going so much better and we are in route to the afternoon appointments, except Mr. Driver Guy decides to run a red light. There is no reason for that. We are neither hours early nor hours late this time and we should be like relaxed.
A traffic cop pulls us over. Our driver goes all crazy on the cop. Shouting and stuff. And, we take off!
Apparently, that cop radios down the road for the next traffic cop to stop us and he does. More shouting and stuff. And, we take off!
I’m like OH MY GOD, we are on the run. Ms. Regional Economist and I are getting really frightened about the possibility of a car chase.
We do make it to our appointment and on time. And, we are really happy about that.
When we get back to our office, I’m offering to pay the fine for the driver with the proviso that, in the future, we pay on the spot and try to keep the drama down a bit.
But, I still don't want this guy.
Oh, I get really, really bad karma played out for shouting at the driver.
Tonight coming home on my bike, I get hit in the hands, arms and face by the plastic arm at the office building parking toll booth. I could have stopped in time, but I got distracted by the toll booth attendant yelling at me to “watch out”.
I deserved that.
Okay, your turn. What is your crazy driver stories.
He started out fine, well actually better than fine. On Monday, we were looking for a place to eat and he stops in the middle of the road to ask the policeman directing traffic about his restaurant recommendations. That’s pretty much beyond the call of duty, in my opinion. But that worked out better than okay: that policeman did happen to know a pretty good restaurant.
It turned really ugly yesterday when we had three hours between appointments and I asked the driver to take my colleague and me shopping. We were only about two city blocks away from a great used and rare book shop we wanted to go. He ignored me and we went past it.
My colleague, who is my company’s chief economist for Southeast Asia, decided that since we already drove past the book shop, we should go back to my office instead. The driver ignored any and all instructions from me. He had his schedule and nothing was changing that.
I’m very ashamed to say that I was laying into him pretty thick with the best put-downs I could think in Thai language, as he stopped no less than four times to ask directions within the Ministry of Finance compound. I shudder to think what the security guards at the Ministry thought about the very rude foreigner shouting: "why don’t you listen to me, we go back to the company office, now!"
I lost my cool and certainly a lot of face. Anyway, we arrived at the location and our driver seemed so satisfied and triumphant and defiant. That is except we were still two and a half hours too early for our appointment.
So, I complained to the company head driver and they told him in very clear terms that he has to do what I say.
The driver replied that he would but he didn’t think I was speaking to him. That’s odd because I was shouting and in Thai language and my colleague is from the Philippines, so I wasn’t shouting at her. The Ministry of Finance security guards heard the “let’s go back” part and understood that, I’m sure. I saw them understand that.
Today, it got much, much worse. First of all, he was supposed to pick me up. But, he forgot that part. He may have thought that his day would be much more pleasant without me. He did have to return for me, so I probably ruined his day.
We were already late and he made a very, very poor route decision. I bit my tongue. Then, we got lost within the Siam Commercial Bank office building complex. I bit my tongue until he wanted to drop us off as far as possible from where we should be.
I finally got him to listen to me because there is only one visitor entrance into the bank and that’s the main entrance. Well, d’oh.
Everything is going so much better and we are in route to the afternoon appointments, except Mr. Driver Guy decides to run a red light. There is no reason for that. We are neither hours early nor hours late this time and we should be like relaxed.
A traffic cop pulls us over. Our driver goes all crazy on the cop. Shouting and stuff. And, we take off!
Apparently, that cop radios down the road for the next traffic cop to stop us and he does. More shouting and stuff. And, we take off!
I’m like OH MY GOD, we are on the run. Ms. Regional Economist and I are getting really frightened about the possibility of a car chase.
We do make it to our appointment and on time. And, we are really happy about that.
When we get back to our office, I’m offering to pay the fine for the driver with the proviso that, in the future, we pay on the spot and try to keep the drama down a bit.
But, I still don't want this guy.
Oh, I get really, really bad karma played out for shouting at the driver.
Tonight coming home on my bike, I get hit in the hands, arms and face by the plastic arm at the office building parking toll booth. I could have stopped in time, but I got distracted by the toll booth attendant yelling at me to “watch out”.
I deserved that.
Okay, your turn. What is your crazy driver stories.