Boxing Directions.

Today I had a typical (expat) Thailand experience. I've been trying to sort out some boxes to send some stuff home ahead of me. I've been to UPS, DHL, and Fedex and they won't sell boxes. I've asked friends but no one seemed to know where I could get a suitable box to put some winter clothes and books in. I went to the post office and they said one box was about 100 Baht. That's about $3.20 which when you consider the cost of living here is pretty outrageous. It's about 5x the price of the average dinner.

I asked Lucy and she was very helpful. Our conversation went something like this:
K: I've been trying to find some boxes for when I move, do you know anywhere you can get them?
L: Oh yeah, if you go down Suthep road during the day there's a guy outside that sells them.
K: What, near where they have the market at night?
L: Yeah, on the road by the university.
K: Like in a shop on the left hand side?
L: No, he just sells boxes. On the right hand side, from the road.
K: Are you sure?
L: Yes, of course!

I was a little confused by her directions and thought I'd be driving up and down for ages, so I didn't even bother going over until today when I was in the area. Sure enough there is a guy, and he's dead easy to find because he's surrounded by a ton of boxes of every size. This is how we give directions here. There's a guy who does a thing and you can find him on this road at this time of day. It still makes me laugh. These things seem implausible a lot of the time but then I always wonder how I can be so skeptical when it almost always works out.

I hopped back on my motorbike and drove away with a flatpacked box for 15 Baht.

Anyway I have the boxes and seeing as I leave here a month from tomorrow I will get to packing prontissimo. Getting it to the post office fully packed will be another adventure.