Let’s see… airplane, metro, taxi cab, Tuk Tuk, Rikshaw, sky train, bus, hitchhike on a motorbike, and hitchhike in a car, walking, scooter. We’ve never taken so many forms of transportation in one trip before.
Airplane: I think we spent a total of 25+ hours in the sky… It was painful walking past first class. We took six flights: four international, two local. The time lost flying from California to Thailand was a bummer, but it was nice to gain a day flying back home. Bring a book, just not a heavy one like I did, that was a pain in the butt to carry around while exploring Thailand.
Metro: During our 6 hour layover in China, we decided to make the most of it by leaving the airport. Note: you need to get a 24 hour passport, no big deal though. You get a lot of stamps on your passport this way. 😉 So we took the metro to the farthest city time would allow. You know those movies you see where everyone is squeezed onto the metro like sardines? We got to experience that. We also got to experience being the only white people in a one mile radius. It was fun. Read more about our pit stop in China HERE.
Taxi Cab: One way or another you will probably have to use a taxi. Just be sure to ask the drive to turn on his meter. If you don’t, you can easily get ripped off. Using www.taxiwizard.com.au/bus-charter can also help you save money when traveling.
Tuk Tuk: Our most common form of transportation in Bangkok, Thailand. They zipped around the city, each willing to drive you around for a different price. On one occasion our driver took us to three different spots and waited for us each time ready to bring us to the next destination. That was pretty fun. After scooters, Tuk Tuks were our next favorite form of transportation.
Rickshaw: Oh my gosh. While in Auttahya we thought we could rent some bikes to explore the temple ruins but no bike rentals were to be found. Then we saw guys renting Rickshaws. They are bicycles that pull a passenger in the back seat shaded by an umbrella. They fit one person per Rickshaw so we each got our own. How special. Once we got going it felt like a little race, each driver going at their own pace. I started in first but slowly my driver and I fell into last place. He was a short guy so he couldn’t reach both pedals at a given time. I found this to be especially funny. He also made sure to wave and say hello to every person we passed. He said hello to one woman riding her bike next to us probably ten times. This was a very amusing experience for all of us.
Sky Train: Recommend it! It’s a quick way to get from Bangkok airport to wherever you’re going within the city. It’s like the metro only better.
Bus: We took a two our bus ride from Bangkok to Lop Buri. It stopped several times to pick up passengers until we were completely full. The people sitting next to us liked to practice their English with us so we talked about temples, monks, and monkeys.
Moped: By far our favorite form of transportation. It made getting from one place to the next very easy. We could go wherever we pleased, we didn’t have to haggle prices, and it was always available. It was our first time renting a moped or scooter. It provided a freeing experience; we will definitely be renting one again in our future travels.
Hitchhike on a motorbike: A stranger motions for us to hitch a ride. We were tired so we agree. What?! We say yes to a lot of things in other countries. So we squish onto his two-seater motorbike and hope we don’t tip on our way to the monkey temple. First time hitchhiking. Our very next form of transportation would be hitchhiking again. I guess we got accustomed to it quickly.
Hitchhike in a car: We met a cool couple in Lop Buri who were headed to Ayutthaya. It was our next stop and we weren’t looking forward to deciphering how to get there by bus so David blurted, “Do you think we could hitch a ride with you?” Poor people. They were gracious and kindly said yes, but later told us they had never picked up hitchhikers and were contemplating if we were shady people. Haha. We still keep in touch. Thanks for saying yes!!
Walking: Before we had a scooter we did a lot of walking. If it was a long walk we just took a Tuk Tuk. ♦
