I had a lot of problems to translate this chapter. Let me know if there's something you don't understand... so I'll try to write it in a different way. Thanks.


CHAPTER TWO

The city is swarming with people and transport night and day and it's easy to be caught for hours in the traffic.

Outside of the building the first thing they feel is the oppressive heat but less compared with the first time they went out of the airport in their Asian trip. It's a strange sensation... but now they've got used to it.

The group of friends is coming back in the hotel, some of them grumbles because they'd like to visit other nightspots, but Grant convinces them of coming back in the hotel to rest as in few hours they will meet Doug in the hall of the hotel and mostly Riley will pilot the plane from Singapore to Rook Island.

On the other side of the street they notice some tuk tuk free in single file, waiting to take customers around Bangkok.

The group of friends walk across the street, after checking left and right side is free many times.

It's one of the first advice they got before their arrival in Thailand...

"... don't forget that in Thailand they drive on the opposite side of the road compared with us. You run the risk to be sure to walk across the road in the right moment and to find yourself in front of a car. Be careful, check everything around you before to walk across, always."

While Grant is negotiating the price with the owners of the tuk tuk, his friends are taking a seat, two by two, in each tuk tuk, when they notice at the end of the file a special one.

A wave of one of friends is enough so they catapult themselves on this tuk tuk. The longest tuk tuk they ever seen since they are in Bangkok, it consists of 8 seats.

They take a seat and then they yell to Grant "what are you waiting for, come on, come one", laughing and joking.

The hotel isn't far from there. Bangkok is full of life, it doesn't sleep, never.

Streets are very busy, many tuk tuk speed towards everywhere.

Each owner is proud of his tuk tuk. All tuk tuk are different, if it would be possible to take a photo of each tuk tuk in Bangkok, it would be impossible to find two identical photos.

After 20 minutes the group of friends is in front of the hotel. As soon as they enter in the hotel, they point out that figure standing out clearly against the ceiling. It's a huge Christmas tree, decked out with intermittent lights and stained little balls.

It's Christmas time in Thailand on December, in spite of the group of friends' clothes. They stand open-mouthed in front of this huge Christmas tree as it would be the first time they see it.

Grant, Jason and Riley keep close together. They look each other in the eyes. Saying nothing because it seems they read their minds. They keep closer, embracing each other, with bright eyes. This is the first Christmas time after their father's untimely death. The rest of the group attend this touching scene in reverent silence.

After few minutes the group's enthusiasm raise again, they line up in single file, like a human train, singing softly the song they were dancing on in the club before they have forced to rush away because Thai guys.

They repeat over and over:

I fink u freeky and I like you a lot

I fink u freeky and I like you a lot

I fink u freeky and I like you a lot

I fink u freeky and I like you a lot...

they move in unison, on break dance style, like robot.

In the hall there are other persons. Who look at them with shocked expression, thinking they behave incorrectly. Who look at them with amused expression, joining the human train. Who look them with threatening expression, enjoining silence.

The human train doesn't stop its journey and it walks towards the stairs. The persons who joined the human train leave it before it goes upstairs.

The human train reaches the destination while someone peeps out from the adjacent rooms. Keith and Vince are the first friends leaving the human train. Riley and Oliver are the following ones, while Grant, smiling, says: "Riley go to sleep immediately". Then Jason and Liza reach their room and at last Grant and Daisy their one.