Driving In Pattaya

Ilang taon din ang pinagsamahan namin ni Khenzo sa Pilipinas. Kasama ko siya lagi kahit saan ako magpunta. Madalas nga, kausap ko yun. Kinukuwentuhan ko nang mga frustration ko sa office kapag nasa parking lot lang kami. Minsan sinisigawan ko kapag gusto ko lang maglabas nang sama nang loob o galit. Hindi ako iniwan nun. Especially yung mga emergency cases. Naasahan ko siya nang maraming beses kahit minsan, tinotopak din siya, pero subok na subok na ang aming ibang klaseng pagsasamahan.

Khenzo is my car in the Philippines.

As mentioned in my previous entry, before I left the Philippines, kumuha ako nang international driver's license just in case I will drive here in Pattaya. I thought it will take a long time pa nga for that to happen. I thought matatagalan uli bago ako mag-drive. I thought mami-miss ko nang sobra ang humawak nang manibela. Pero nung dumating na yung sasakyan nang cousin ko a month after I arrived here, nakapag-maneho na uli ako. We call her "mimi". That's the name of their car. 

I'm used to driving a manual car. It was my first time to drive an automatic. And yeah, it's easier. You're just like driving a bump car. Just gas and break. But what made the transition difficult for me was the position of the driver's seat. Sa Pilipinas, sa kaliwa ang driver's seat. Ang pang kambyo mo, kanang kamay. Dito sa Thailand, ang driver's seat, nasa kanan. Kaya good thing at automatic yung car kasi wala namang kakambyuhin sa pagmamaneho. It's just drive, neutral, reverse, park, and that's it.

The other day, I had to bring my good friend at the Bus Terminal dahil pauwi sila nang Pilipinas. I had to drive his car at ihahatid ko pabalik sa bahay nila. Pasuyo lang. And guess what, it's a manual car. I had initial hesitations kasi nga, right seat, so kaliwang kamay ang pang kambyo, eh di naman ako kaliwete. I had to drive test first before we left. So far, naka survive naman ako. Nakauwi naman ako nang buhay. And I'm happy to say that I'm officially good in driving here in Pattaya. I just know I am. Hehe.

Mabilis din ako kumabisado nang daan. Malakas kasi photographic memory ko. Mabilis kong matandaan yung mga nakikita ko lalo na pag naulit. Marami na akong alam na pasikot sikot and driving in Pattaya is not that so difficult. Para din kasi sa Pilipinas. Their traffic rules are just like us. If you know what I mean. Kaya kapag naiiwan si mimi sa bahay, lumalabas lang kami ni nana, drive around, pick-up Ray, pasyal pasyal lang. I'm just happy that Von Viajero is now an official Pattaya driver. I just missed the feeling of driving a car. Hehe.