Whistles at the Ready

Thailand is awash with what must be one of the most pointless job roles in the world - the parking attendant. Usually dressed in the uniform of a guard, complete with cap, the parking attendant can be found in almost any car park in Thailand. They will be heard before they are seen - the high pitched toot of a whistle blown over and over again signals their presence. Parking attendants seem, in fact, to be surgically attached to their whistles, like a child with a beloved toy. The whistles rarely leave their mouths, blown without abandon, whether the situation necessitates it or not. I can just envisage the scene at Parking Attendant School: a classroom of men, whistles at the ready, waiting for the teacher to mimic a car approaching them. All at once, every single man in the room (for it seems to be a job only men are allowed to do, I am as yet to witness a female parking attendant. Perhaps we don't have the lung capacity) blows for all his worth. End of lesson, certificate given to all.

Often, the role of the parking attendant isn't even to assist in directing you into a space, they merely stand at a bend in the road in the car park, helpfully pointing you around said bend. Just in case that bend completely confused you, causing you to crash in a mad panic. Then again, I suppose that isn't an entirely ridiculous scenario. This is, after all, a country where the right cash in the right pocket will earn you a driving license. You only have to witness the terrible driving on the road here to appreciate that perhaps, for some, the shrill sound of a whistle is music to the ears.