High Life Job Time

Today I have been delicately tramping Chiang Mai's east side, littering language schools and Christian universities with my qualifications and experience. At Payap university I asked a man where I could hand in an application, turns out he is the dean of students and was going to the big campus out of town where I could surely find something to do. So we got in his beige corduroy interior truck and drove 10 minutes on the highway. I did the applying thing and went to get a song thuew back to the other campus in town. well. the man says, "80 baht."
I say, "Kao rai?! 30 surely."
he says, "no, it is very far away, you must go this way and then that way and then around."
I say, "But 80 is too expensive I think so, how about 40 baht?"
he says, "only 80. All of Thailand, is 80. You don't want taxi you can walk to road and get bus."
I make a face like a stranded white girl in office clothes and I nibble my lip a little.
He walks to a table and pets a dog lying in the shade. Then I hear the clank of keys and he walks to the cab door.
"okay," he says quietly, "I go for 40 baht."
woop! But then, he tries to drop me off 500 meters away from where I want to be, turns around to me and says, "here bus stop."
I give him a big smile and wai right up to my nose, which tickles him immensely. He drops me off at the campus and I give him 40. He still overcharged me.

I have a job interview in an hour, for possible weekend work for the next few weeks.