Our First Tuk-Tuk ride - Day 1

Driving on Sidewalk to avoid traffic

To say the traffic in Bangkok is horrible would be a huge understatement! It does not matter which direction you are going or which street you are on, you are not going anywhere. See some of my traffic pictures below. The traffic is not even dependent on the time of the day. For instance, when our taxi driver brought us to our hotel at 10PM on a Thursday night, he made a wrong turn one street too soon. It took him 45 minutes to be able to turn around and drive to our hotel. Also, since Bangkok is an old city, the streets are not on a grid. This also makes it difficult to get around.

Motor scooters waiting at light

There are motorcycles and scooters everywhere! There are almost as many of these as there are cars. Also, it is not uncommon to see 3 or 4 people on one scooter. Sometimes, you will even see little kids ridding on them. Today, I saw a mother with a 4 year standing on the platform of the scooter, and a 5 year old sitting sitting on the seat holding onto the mom. Sometimes scooter drivers will drive in the oncoming traffic lane if it is empty (sometimes even when its not if there is enough room). They also will ride on the sidewalk when traffic is stopped. The motorcyclist also drive between cars. Its funny, at stoplights, all the motorcyclists bunch up in the front of cars waiting at red-light. There can be up to 40 motorcyclists at any given light.

Getting around Bangkok, other than the subways, you basically have three options. First, you take a cab. These are pretty cheap. Unlike the states, you can negotiate the rate. For instance, we took a 30 minute taxi ride to the airport and only spent 10 bucks. If he had the meter running, it would have been a lot more. Second option is a motorcycle taxi. Not for the faint of heart. We haven't tried it out yet and probably won't. Its funny though, you will see women in business skirts sitting with both their legs on the same side of the motorcycle. I guess if they straddle the taxi motorcycle, they will give everybody a show. The third, and by far the most fun,way of traveling around Bangkok is by way of a tuk-tuk. A tuk-tuk is basically a motor cycle with an enclosed truck-bed attached to it. The cabin does not have doors, windows, or seat belts. Other than being fun, they are really cheap. Plus, the driver can zoom in and out of traffic with them. Click on the play button to see a videos of the ride. 

In Thailand, they drive like the British. By which I mean they drive on the opposite side of the road and their steering-wheel is where our passenger seat is located. Driving on the opposite side of the road poses potential risks for American pedestrians. Mainly, when we cross the road, we always look left. Here, the cars are coming from the right! I also put some random pictures 

By the way, if you are wondering where I get the time to ride these posts, its because we spend a lot of time waiting for and on trains and airplanes. 

Us in the Tuk-Tuk

Tuk-Tuk Driver

Traffic

Traffic

Traffic