Bangkok Transportation

Transportation is very interesting in Bangkok. Apart from the usual scooters, cars and buses there are also a lot of water boats. These take the traditional form of a long wooden boat that has been made in this area for years. The Thai people being a resourceful lot decided that rowing with a paddle was not longer going to cut it and decided that an engine would be needed to really get ahead in the world. Not being able to afford boats with engines or even a conventional outboard motor, they simply strapped on an old car engine to the back of the boat and stuck a propeller on the drive shaft, while fashinoning a mechanism for balancing the engine on the back of the boat. Sort of Red-Green/Scrapheap Challenge/Monster Garage fashion/ I know a certain Eric Noble that would be most impressed by this, expect to see something in a similar fashion Puget Sound next summer.

Then of course there is the Tuk Tuk's. Small three wheeled motorized death traps. Not that they are really that dangerous, top speed is probably only 25MPH, but the old two-stroke engine that the maniac driver sits on puts out more pollution than you can possibly imagine. You would be better off inhaling the fumes of a sewage farm. Coupled with the fact that these three wheeled chariots of smoke and noise are really only for tourists and you are going to get either ripped off or taken to a selection of shops on your way, I would recommend that you stay clear of them. Unfortunately, the little lady enjoyed whizzing around Bangkok on back of this poor cousin to the Robin Reliant. Maybe I should buy one, could be handy in Tokyo I suppose.

Press play to watch the video.



-smele