Bangkok, Thailand (2)

Ever sat in a taxi, the traffic light was green, and then red, and then green again but there wasn't any movement to be seen or felt for quite some time (and I do not mean minutes)? That is rush hour in Bangkok, Thailand, in 2009, although it didn't feel much different in 1989 (around that time, a Thai politician suggested to keep all traffic lights in the city permanently on green) when a taxi driver, who had picked me up at the airport, on approaching Sukhumvit Road said: welcome to Bangkok parking. Now memories come back and among these a joke I had once heard: Want a lift? shouted a car driver to a friend he had spotted on the sidewalk. No, thanks, but I'm in a hurry, the friend replied.