Desperate times in Bangkok, Thailand

I arrive in Bangkok with no reservations. This is the first time I've done this. A true backpacker move that I haven't had the guts to make. I've heard the main tourist road is called Kaosan Road, where all the backpackers stay. The first two days are spent pretty much in my prison cell of a room with a stomach ache. Between feeling sick, I explore the area a bit and walk around on the main road checking out the tourist market that lines it. It's kind of nice to be in a tourist area again instead of rural Cambodia where I'm constantly stared at for being white. Don't get me wrong, I still think I like Cambodia more. On the second evening of being in Bangkok I realize that my ATM card has gone missing. It hasn't been stolen because there are no unauthorized transactions on it. I'm down to my last five dollars and getting hungry. Fortunately, my dad has given me an emergency credit card. Unfortunately, nobody takes credit card so I have to go on the quest to find an AmEx office to get cash. The next morning I awake to deal with the problem. I buy a yougurt from 7-11 to get me through the morning. Then I find a cab driver who says he knows where the address is that I have presented to him. We negotiate a rate of ten dollars with two stops. Stops are either at a tailor, jewelery shop, or travel agent. When a cab or tuk-tuk driver drops a customer off to look around, he gets a gas card from that company, so tourists pretty much can't get in a cab or tuk-tuk without being bothered by the driver to go to these places along the way. The good part is that it reduces the fare for the passenger. So I agree to doing two in order to keep the fare at ten dollars.
Chan, the driver, takes me to the location I have provided on a piece of paper. We can't find American Express. He makes a few calls on his cell phone and finds out where it is. I insist on going back to the hotel so I can re-group and work out exactly what to do after calling my dad. When we arrive at my hotel, the cab breaks down. When I call my dad he tells me I'm being ripped off with the cab fare. Oh, hell no, nobody rips me off anymore. I decide I need to go to the AmEx office we have located, so I go back on to the street to find Chan. He introduces me to his cab driver friend who will now take both of us to the AmEx place across Bangkok. I ask him if we can use the meter in the cab instead of negotiating a rate. He says it will be more expensive, and I say I'm willing to take my chances. By the time we reach the AmEx office, which is way further than the original failure location, the meter is at a mere three dollars. My dad was right about being ripped off. I go in and get my money, and return to the cab drivers. From the back seat I point at the red numbers on the meter, and in my most calm tone say, "Chan? What are those red numbers?" "That's the fare." He replies, very matter-of-fact. "So you seriously overcharged me this morning." I accuse. "No, I didn't." He insists. I proceed, again in my calmest tone. I've read it's very un-Asian to lose your cool. "The place we went this morning was nowhere near as far as this, yet it was way more expensive." I persist. He argues that it wasn't but we both know the truth. "How about this Chan, I'll pay you ten dollars, but we have no stops. I think that's fair." Chan becomes somewhat outraged and and says "What happened? Now all of a sudden you got your money things have changed? I helped you a lot this morning making calls to American Express trying to figure out where they were located. I can't believe you're doing this to me!" I approach in a crisp tone, "You are the one who has severely overcharged me, so if you want to talk about who has done what to whom, then you have definitely screwed me over. I am willing to pay a bit more for all you have done for me, but not that much." I ask his friend, the current cab driver, if six dollars would have covered the rate to get to where Chan and I went this morning. He says that it would, so I've trapped Chan with his own friend. We later agree on a smaller fee, but with two stops since he was really counting on them. I do my two stops for Chan, and then they drop me at my hotel with very few hard feelings. For the next few days I see Chan hanging out outside of my hotel among the cab drivers playing checkers. We always say hi, and smile at one another. Oh, Chan, you're as forgiving as a puppy. Or maybe I'm the forgiving one.