You know the scenario: It's a lazy afternoon, and with nothing better to do, you hop into your car and drive to one of Bangkok's many shopping malls/lifestyle centres/hypermarket chains/trendy cafes. You spend some time walking around, doing a bit of shopping, and eating 10 servings of whatever the latest food craze is.
After many hours well-spent/wasted (depending on your point of view), you head back to your car and are driving out of the parking lot when suddenly an alarming realisation comes over you and panic strikes… you forgot to stamp your parking ticket!
A series of thoughts run through your head: Oh crap. It's too late to go back and get it stamped. Maybe it won't be so expensive. Perhaps I can show a receipt to prove I spent money in lieu of the stamp. What regulations are listed on the parking ticket? Oh crap. Where is the ticket? Oh no, I'm approaching the parking attendant's booth, I better think of a good explanation fast…
Unfortunately, it's very rare that you'll be able to get out of this one. The parking ticket is the divine being and the corresponding stamp is its holy incarnation.
If you haven't gotten your parking ticket validated, you'll most likely have to pay a ridiculously high fee. Fair enough, as many places make their money from parking charges. But what stands out to me is how seriously both drivers and attendants uphold their parking ticket responsibilities.
As a car owner and driver, you have certain obligations. First and foremost is trying your hardest not to run anyone over or crash into another vehicle. A close second is protecting and rearing your parking ticket as if it were your firstborn.
Some places make the process unnecessarily complicated. You may have to go to the 72nd floor of a different building to find the person who wields the mighty parking stamp. You may receive a plastic card and a paper ticket that both have to be validated at opposite ends of a mall. You may get your ticket stamped and spend lots of money at the location, but still have to pay a parking fee. And don't even think about losing your parking ticket!
Although Bangkokians wouldn't win any awards for their driving skills, they seem to abide by this process pretty well. It's quite interesting how dependable people are when it comes to parking tickets and all its convoluted rules, but may still find it difficult to meet deadlines.
Frankly, I think "stamp bhat" is the most revered phrase used in Thai society. You're reminded to do this by the attendant who gives you the ticket, the staff in restaurants, salespeople in department stores and the cashier who rings up your goods.
Parking booth attendants also exhibit an admirable resolve. No amount of sweet-talking will get you out of an unstamped ticket. Showing a receipt won't cut it either. You will pay the price if need be, and they'll round up to the nearest hour no matter what!
If only this same reliability and steadfastness was applied in other facets of life, who knows how far we could go!