Thursday, March 20, 2008

Safe from Harm

I get off the skytrain and jump in a taxi and go to work. I put in my 8 hours. Then, I get back into a taxi and head for home. 5 days a week. Sounds boring? Not if you're taking taxis in Bangkok.

For me, it's not so much about the view outside. It's more about what's inside the taxis in Bangkok; the menagerie of gods, goddesses, deities, and monk statuettes, flowers, and other trinkets chosen for their ability to protect the driver and the car, and to assure that the driver has ample passengers. Like me.

As the taxi slithers in and out of traffic, sometimes barely scraping by enormous city buses, I feel safe. Afterall, the taxi talisman are protecting me from evil spirits lurking in the outside world. I know I'll get to my destination unharmed, so I can retreat back into my own safe environment.