Lucky number 9

In Thai culture nine is lucky. It means to move forward, so it's connected to prosperity, and advancement.

My stay in Bangkok is off to a good start - I moved into my new apartment, which is on the ninth floor, yesterday on 9 March, and signed my contract about 9 o'clock. Bring on the prosperity!

Mind you, on my way to the apartment - in fact, right out front of the apartment - my cab driver decided he'd take a look through my bags while I was getting change for him. Everything was still there, so clearly nothing he saw interested him.

My new apartment is pretty cool. Small, but cool (I have to stop using that word in Thailand - it's quite hot actually). It's brand new - I'm the first person to stay in this apartment. en suite bathroom, air con, about 70 channels of quality cable entertainment (most of it in Thai), faux gold curtain rod ends, and a brand new mattress made out of recycled concrete.

I like it. It's nothing special, but it's my first overseas address, and it means that I belong here now. This Soi is my home.

Yesterday was also my seven year anniversary in this job - the longest I've worked anywhere. That feels kind of lucky too.

To celebrate, I caught my first moto-taxi to work this morning. It's not that far from the office - I've walked it in about 20 minutes - but I don't like walking into the office sweating like an angry hippo with a hernia. It's not the impression I'm hoping to leave of my visit to Bangkok.

For those who've never been to Bangkok before, moto-taxis are small motorbikes - usually mopeds - that helpful Thais in orange vests let you climb on the back of, so that they can take you to your destination. You can go anywhere from just down the street to the train station, to across town if you're game.

There are two benefits to the moto-taxi: 1. they are cheap (you can get a lift down the street to the train station for the equivalent of about 35 cents Aussie); 2. they are super fast because road rules appear not to apply to them.

Benefit number 2 means that they weave in and out of traffic, across lanes, onto footpaths, even into on-coming traffic, all in the name of getting you to your destination as speedily as possible.

So how did my first moto-taxi ride go? Something like this:
"Weeeeeee! Ahh - Aaaahhhhhhh!! Weeeeeeeee!"

Guess which bit I had my eyes open for?

As with a lot of things here, sometimes, it's best not to know what's really going on, put your head down, and hold on. I stepped off the moped in one piece about two minutes after leaving the front of my apartment. Worth every Baht!

D.

PS. Mum, if you're reading this, I just made that last bit up for the blog OK? It didn't really happen.

I had my eyes open the whole time...