Sawadee! After a 15.5 hour flight to Hong Kong and connecting to another 2.25 hour flight – I arrive in the “Land of Thousand Smiles” — Thailand. As I exit Customs, I see a  man holding a sign with my last name and flight number. I approached him as I have arranged for a car to take me to my hotel in the city centre. After he welcomes me, he tells me that he is ready to take me to Pattaya, which is a beach city on the eastern seaboard that is around two hours away! After much discussion (and…