Today's Internets - "It's this stuff I can do without."

Ben Groundwater | The Backpacker | Thailand: 

"So it's for all of these reasons that I feel I can justify this, a break from the madness, a holiday from my holiday. Time to relax. 

 If I'd needed any sign that this was a good decision, it was presented to me in the form of a Bangkok taxi driver. I jumped in his car at the airport yesterday and pointed at the meter that he'd failed to switch on. "No meter," he said. "Too much traffic, very busy. You pay 400 baht." I sighed. "Can we just use the meter, please?"  He grumbled, rolled his eyes, and switched it on. 

By the time we arrived in Sukhumvit, it had reached 250 baht. The driver faced me, hand outstretched: "With tip, that's 400 baht." 

 It's this stuff I can do without, at least just for the two days I'm going to be in Bangkok. So I've withdrawn from the travel experience. I've battened down in a fancy resort to drink pina coladas by the pool."