I have been used to spending a minimum of 3 hours on the road from my university days. And this is not in the good ‘stare out in a melancholic stupor while the rain makes pretty patterns on the window’ sort of commute. It was hell on the road, breathing in carbon fumes,cigarette smoke and the stench of sewage mixed with sweat and breathing out the most innovative curse words known to man. Riding the scooter is not as fun as the Italian movies make it out to be.
Sometimes the nightmare scenes would have music playing through earphones. This was cut short because of how unpredictable traffic was in Bangalore and how quickly people move from the right of the “lane” on to the footpaths. That’s not to say that all of my life’s commuting was nightmarish. There have been moments of great enlightenment. Still, you can imagine that traffic in Bangalore is the 7th level of hell! It really is!
Since moving to Bangkok though, I’ve rediscovered a love of letting someone else do the driving. They have an elaborate Sky Train and Metro service that connects you to almost all of Bangkok. The BTS is the skytrain system and the MRT is the underground metro system and they teach you a thing of two about life. Having travelled extensively on the London Underground, I find the Bangkok Mass Transit system to be more … laid back.
You don’t have men in suits cursing at you if you accidentally stood on the left instead of the right (OH MY GOD IT IS THE END OF THE WORLD) and everyone seems to walk at their own pace so that the heat doesn’t smudge their makeup. I’m all for leisurely strolling and zen like stances so this is a big plus in my book (except when you’re in a rush and are likely to knock down 25 petite women on your way). And while you get crushed in due to the morning rush, you are taller than most people and so can read your book at leisure.
YES, I CAN READ WHILE TRAVELLING. FWORD YEAH!
I cannot understate how amazing it is to be able to carry a book into an air-conditioned carriage and zone out for 20 minutes while you get pulled in to a spectacular story. In London, sight seeing (aka subtly watching Hot Dudes Reading on Trains) was my pastime. Here, the sights are so few (if you count out all the sexy legs strutting around) that you can actually get into reading. I have read more books in the two months I’ve been here than I have in the months coming up to my move!
I am winning at life!
Okay, enough showing off. What have you been reading lately?
Also, if you have time, check out The Girl Who Wasn’t There and Other Poems on Amazon and give a shout out to my friend Kevin Morris from New Author Online.
This Labyrinth I Roam 
I won’t hear a word said against London Underground. There is nothing more delightful than traveling on a boiling hot summer’s day, on a crowded tube train, enjoying the sweet perfume of those who haven’t showered for a week or more. I also love the way in which some people swing their bags in gay abandon on public transport. It demonstrates their joy at being present in the great city of London. In fact I am considering bottling the scent of the London Underground and selling it. Riches await, or not as the case may be! Thanks for mentioning my book. All the best. Kevin
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Haha. It is somewhat of an acquire taste maybe. But coming from India, I found that the many rules that guide the Underground just appealed to me. If it were India, you can only imagine the chaos and the thrash everywhere. But having lived in London for a short while, it became easy to see why people were so grumpy so early in the morning! 😀
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I have my own story about the London Underground, but I won’t share it here because I want to stay in a good mood. Of the three or four books that I have started, the only one that is keeping my attention is “In the Heart of the Sea” by Nathaniel Philbrick (soon to be a major motion picture (as they say)). It is a good (non-fiction) read.
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Haven’t heard of that book but I’m doing quite well re: your challenge. I hope I can finish it by the end of the year. You will have to tell me about the London Underground story soon!
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The book is non-fiction about the voyage of a whaler. The incident is said to be the basis for the final scenes in Moby Dick. I’m not reading it as part of my challenge, but because Cindy wants us to read it. I’ll explain more about that later.
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Reblogged this on By the Mighty Mumford and commented:
YEAH…TRAINS…AND READING BOOKS!!!! 😀
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