Month: August 2008

It’s not unusual to pull into a gas station up here in the Northeast region only to find your favorite petroleum formulation (95 benzene, 95 gasohol [E10 / E20], 91 benzene, 91 gasohol, diesel, palm diesel, B5 [5% biodiesel], LPG [Liquified Petroleum Gas], and CNG [Compressed Natural Gas], which is one of the two kinds of NGV [Natural Gas Variation]) sold out, or in the case of 95 benzene, no longer being sold at all, or in the case of LPG and especially CNG, simply not yet available.
At the PTT station in front of my university (the uni actually owns it) this morning, they were out of everything (they sell 91/95 gasohol, 91 benzene, straight-up diesel, and 5% biodiesel fomulation). There were ad hoc “sold out” signs taped to each individual pump (maybe 24 in all) and the staff were all sitting around on the pump islands. They didn’t even bother telling the cars pulling in for gas that they were out, they would just laconically point to the signs in between slacking off and playing grabass with their coworkers.
It made me wonder why they didn’t just put a big sign up at the entrance so that people didn’t pull in and waste their time, but as they say, This Is Thailand.
P.S. Until now I’ve very rarely posted negative commentary on this blog regarding my country of current residence, for one simple reason – If there’s one thing I hate it’s the recent arrivals to a country complaining about this and that and I vowed never to be one of them long ago. Having almost been here two years now though, I feel I can begin complaining with a bit of authority. ; )
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Related link: Retail oil price list from the Energy Policy & Planning Office of Thailand’s Ministry of Energy