pre-bangkok, february 2009

This is coming in kinda late... but I figured that I should put down some of my notes from my Bangkok trip before I recount my excellent Australian adventure.

So here it goes, some of the highlights, beginning with pre-trip amusement:

Location: LCCT, inside boarding hall
A short exchange that I had in the terminal pharmacy:

Me: (to someone in a uniform tunic) Dik, you kerja kat sini ke?
Penguin: Ya
Me: Saya nak tanya kalau you ada stok contact lens solution tak?
Penguin: Cuba tanya kat kaunter depan, I tak kerja bahagian tu.

Note: the pharmacy was tiny and had 4 shelves and aisles...


Location: LCCT, pre-BKK
A scene at the perfume and cosmetic duty-free shop:

In the corner of the shop is a bargain bin of nail polish with a large sign hovering above it that says: "NO TRYING PLEASE". A sales girl is seen rushing over to the bin, repeating what's written on the sign to a middle-aged Chinese lady with coifed hair, a loud floral-printed shirt and white polyester pants; "AUNTY, no trying PLEASE!". The lady coolly and carefully finished the edges of her pinky nail, capped the tiny bottle and placed it back in the bin and calmly walked away like nothing happened, leaving the poor sales girl seething in exasperation.


Location: LCCT , pre-BKK
Scene at boarding gate:

A long queue has formed by the time I arrive at the boarding gate. Just to be sure that I hadn't confused the queues in the congested hall, I walk up to a counter and asked if the queue is for Bangkok:

Exasperated Counter Girl: No, it isn't
Me: Oh, it's for Macau then...
Exasperated Counter Girl: No, it isn't either... we haven't called for ANY flight to board yet... (and she proceeds to roll her eyes)

Kiasu mentality: I must be close to the front of the queue as possible.
Herd mentality: Oh look, everyone's queueing... let's queue too

Nevermind if the queue isn't the right one.

And after re-reading the rest of my notes for Bangkok, I realised there wasn't really anything else momentous about it that I should want to recount. Except for the fact that I have never had so many massages in such a short time... total of 5 hours in as many days... blissful, it was...