Cautious Driver

I tried not to take it personal when the taxi driver quickly slipped on his face mask as he saw me, the foreigner, approaching. When I got in the cab, one of the first questions the cabby asked me was where I was from, and even though this is an inquiry I regularly get in Bangkok taxis, I couldn't help thinking that he wanted to check to see if I'm from North America, home of the dreaded swine flu. For a little harmless fun, I faked a couple of coughs. At least now he can believe he protected himself from a contagious foreign customer.