Kidnapped in Bangkok

Thailand kidnapping

After a long 3 1/2 hr long flight from Bali. We were happy to finally arrive in Thailand. We were in the 9th row on the plane, so immigration and customs went really quickly. We only have one day in Thailand before leaving tomorrow morning for Cambodia. So all we needed to do was hop a taxi to our hostel and eat some yummy street food and back to the airport in the morning. Easy peasy!

Nothing in Asia is easy peasy!

We have heard and read horror stories about Thai taxis. Sometimes they will tell you they know where it is you want to go. But as soon as you get away from the airport, they tell you an assortment of potential stories such as the hotel you booked isn't good. He would bring you to a better one. Or he may say he will phone for directions and after a fake call will say the hotel you booked does not have room. Or the usual trick of not turning on the meter and coming up with a much better price. Ya right! We thought we knew enough tricks to be ok. 

So we went to the "good" "reputable" taxi stand that is supposed to have reliable drivers. We told the ticket stand official person where we wanted to go. I had the address and a map also written in Thai so we would not have a problem. I also knew the trip with tolls should be no more than about $400 batt. 

We jumped in the taxi after squishing only 1/2 our packs into the truck because it was filled with stereo equipment. The other packs came into the taxi and we had them on our laps. Nice!

As we drove out of the airport. I asked dean from the back seat if the meter was on. Nope! ?

So he asked the driver why the meter was not on.? Driver says, no problem. Ride only $600 batt. No, dean tells him. Turn on the meter. We want meter price. The driver argues for a while. We say, no meter, no pay! So he very grudgingly while bickering in Thai presses the button to turn it on. We go through a till booth. He says to dean, you pay. So we do. 

Then continues his mumbling and complaining about something in Thai. We say, if you don't like the meter on, pull over and we will get a different cab. He starts driving slowly. Cars are passing us. We start getting that he's complaining the car is making noises. As if we and our bags are to heavy or something. He has a constant mumbling bickering thing going on and we hear words like airport, tire, heavy. Them he pulls over. He gets out and looks at the wheel. Gets back into car and says tire is not good. We also hear the word airport. We say, if car broken. Stop here and we get different taxi. No, he says. Airport and mumble, mumble in Thai. 

Then he makes a turn on the freeway and we start heading back towards the airport. What??

Colton says, I think he said we are going back to the airport!!??

Dean asks, where we go?!

 Airport, he says !!

No! No airport! Stop car. 

The driver ignores Dean. 

No, stop car! We do not go back to airport!!

The driver says more in Thai about airport and more Thai words. 

Stop car now. We say again. Right here or we will not pay you. 

Nothing

We do not want to drive 25 minutes back to the airport. Just to start again. The driver keeps complaining, keeps driving and will not stop. 

Dean puts stick shift into neutral and says in a loud scary mad voice. Stop car now. Let us out! 

Nope. He won't. 

At this point we decide we will have to go back to the airport and find someone who speaks English and find out what the heck is wrong with this driver. 

We sit back and wait. I wasn't scared or worried for our safety at all. Just ticked at the situation. I knew there must have been a reason this guy thought he needed to bring us back. 

Finally we arrived at the airport. We decided that whatever this guy said. We would quickly remove our bags from the car, find an authoritative  English speaking person and report this guy. Dean and the kids started removing the bags. Taxi man tried to say we should leave our bags. Ya, whatever. 

I walked to the ticket stand and asked to speak to someone in English. The driver went right to someone who looked important and I followed. I told the boss guy what had just happened. The driver told his side. The boss raised his eyebrows and shook his head. Apologized. Found us another taxi and driver. We shook our finger at bad driver and off we went, making sure this driver had the meter on like he was supposed to and understood that this was not our first rodeo. 

So yes. After an hour long taxi kidnapping, we are safely in our hostel. Dean and I went for some burn your lips off Tom Yum spicy street food soup and takeout McDonald's for the kids.