The Toll Roads of Alternate Thailand

The air shimmered as the portal stabilized, revealing a humid skyline that felt both familiar and utterly alien. This version of Thailand had the same golden temples and neon-lit streets, but above them, the toll roads wove through the sky like glowing veins. Hopping into a six-wheeled auto-rickshaw, the driver—who had iridescent eyes and spoke in a fluid mix of Thai and a language I didn’t recognize—handed me a small metallic disc. “Payment token,” he said. “Hold tight.” The on-ramp was a gravity-defying spiral, pulling us up into the sky where translucent tollbooths hovered, flickering in and out of reality. As we approached, my token vibrated, scanning itself against an unseen system. A digital chime confirmed the fare. No cash, no barcodes—just an agreement with whatever governed this dimension’s infrastructure. From up here, the city spread below in patches of jungle and mirrored skyscrapers, some reflecting impossible versions of the skyline that didn’t exist below. The driver grinned at my stunned expression. "First time using the Skyway? Don’t worry—just don’t drop your token. That’s how people end up… misplaced."