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So you are in Thailand's capital city, dreading the awful traffic,
and unsure of where the buses or limited metro goes? There is a simple
solution, that unbeknownst to you, you've heard from the moment you set
foot in Bangkok: Motorcycle Taxi!
You can see them parked alongside any major road, distinctive in their
colored jerseys and plastic helmets, waiting for the next fare to pay for
their passion. Once you define the objective and the rate, climb on the
back, slap the spare plastic helmet on your head and get ready for the
best adrenaline rush money can buy!
Yes, plying the streets, at speeds exceeding sanity while weaving a
dodging through the idling cars like they were potholes on a backcountry
road, motorcycle taxis are the only civilized means of transport in this
Asia banya.
Oh, don't think motorcycle taxis are just for the brave and stupid.
Everybody in Bangkok takes 'em to get around this congested city. Near the
airport, I watched stewardesses, fresh of a Thai Airlines flight, climb on
'em in mass, to zip home after work. Professional men in suits, ladies
riding sidesaddle in skirts, and all manner of random passengers take this
efficient mode of transport around the city.
Yours truly, after pitching fits stuck in Beijing taxis who were to
afraid of the police to swerve, much less cut lanes, usually laughs with
maniacal happiness as the drivers take me across four lanes of speeding
traffic, just to cut off a bus for the exit I need.
(Whoops! Actually, Mom, I always take the taxi-meters, full sized
Toyota/Honda cars, wearing my seatbelt and urging the driver to exercise
caution.)
The other morning, as I sailed along to the Cambodian Embassy to apply
for a visa, I took the shots at the left. Then, that night as I saw a
friend off at the airport, I took the night shots below. Click on each one to
see a larger version (you can do this to any photo on my website,
actually).
I hope the photos can convey just
how amazing the ride really is and I urge anyone who visits Thailand's
capital to try 'em. |
