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Johnnie Walker Unleaded

In America we buy gas by the gallon. Back in the 70s during The Gas Crisis there was an ill-advised attempt by the government to switch over to the metric system, which fortunately didn’t last long. As a country we really aren’t too skilled at math. Trying to retrain us to think in tens just didn’t work. But did confuse the issue of how expensive gas had become. I’d kill for those prices these days.

In Bangkok, you occasionally run across an actual gas station. I’ve seen a few in and around Chiang Mai too. Pretty much anywhere else in SE Asia, gas is sold by local entrepreneurs sitting in shacks alongside the road. The gas comes in 1-liter bottles, usually in a liquor bottle, the brand instantly recognizable even with the label removed. Those are called fifths in the U.S. So I guess a fifth of a gallon equals 1 liter? If so, I think I just came up with the perfect way to teach the metric system to my countrymen!

Not an unusual shot for me to take, I think I have a shot of the local gas seller from just about every SE Asian country I’ve visited. This one is from Cambodia, just outside Siem Reap. The local version of a stop and rob, the vendor was doing a brisk business in gas, oil, and assorted knick knacks. If he’d been smoking, this would have become a 5 star photo. Timing really is everything.

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