Getting Around Bangkok
Enlighten others!
Getting around Bangkok
Before you get into Bangkok, it is good to understand what type of transportation is available. Most make this mistake, as I did, and find themselves in a fairly difficult city to navigate through with no idea what their options are. This normally generates wealthy taxi drivers. There are many different types of public transport, but the usual visitor or resident uses only eight of these: Meter Taxis, Tuk Tuks, buses, canal boats, river taxis, motorbikes, the BTS (sky train) and the new MRT (subway).
Let's begin with Tuk Tuks. Aren't they cute, those little three wheeled taxis, colorfully painted and featured so much on anything to do with Thailand? They are very cute until you get stuck in the traffic, behind the number 36 bus at about 2:00 in the afternoon and suck down more fumes in 10 minutes than the average smoker does in a life time... you'll say to the kids, isn't this fun....while your kids bury their heads in their Dad's armpit because it smells fresh compared to the air around them. Okay, try a Tuku Tuk once, don't go too far and then give them up as a bad idea. Out of Bangkok they're much more fun. Tuk Tuk drivers should be haggled with, the price fixed in advance, and generally you'll always get ripped off, so take a taxi. Taxis (with 4 wheels) come in two flavors--metered and no meter, although a few non meters actually have a meter concealed behind a panel in the dash board below the radio.... Taxis are great. Sit back in air conditioned luxury and watch the Smiths die of carbon monoxide poisoning in a Tuk Tuk. If the driver of a Taxi objects to use his meter then tell him to take a hike, get out, do not be suckered.
Check where you are standing, see if your outside a nice big hotel, then walk up the road a bit and wave down a taxi. Unlike in the US or Europe, taxi drivers do not have to pass any tests to become taxi drivers. Within a few days of being in Bangkok you will know Bangkok better than many Taxi drivers.... Again if the driver does not seem to know where it is you are going, get out. One other thing--make sure you know where you are going and have a rough idea of the route, or else a less honest cab might take you on a tour of "the short cuts". If you're going a long way, take the toll way. It costs between 20 and 40 Baht, (you pay) and will save you hours of travel time. Taxis at the airport cost an extra 50 Baht. And yes there is a regulated taxi stand at the airport outside the main meeting zone. Don't be suckered by the taxi and limo touts that nag you as soon as you get off the plane.
Buses--once upon a time there were red buses, blue buses, green buses and Air Con buses. Then came micro buses and then deregulation and now there are so many buses that I really don't know what they all are... Anyway if you are going to use a bus GET A BUS MAP. Then always use Air Con buses unless where you are going is not on one of their routes or your on such a tight budget that 8 Baht to 15 Baht per person may cause you to have to go without food. Other buses vary from 3 Baht up to 20 Baht. Don't bother asking the conductor about where you want to get off. To them you are a lower life form. All passengers are--ask another passenger. A word about getting on and off buses: Do it very FAST. Buses, on occasion, don't stop at the bus stop. They "slow" in the middle of the road and let off a stream of potential roadkill in the middle of the traffic. Okay, I exaggerate a little, but when you get your stop make sure you are already near the door and can sprint for it. Don't expect the people getting on to make way. That kind of common sense tends to fail people using the buses. The objective is to get on fast and get a seat before anyone else... Which brings up seats.... May the best man win.
Motorbikes. Yeah.... Want to get somewhere fast, take a motorbike taxi. Married with kids? Get life insurance and a damn good helmet.
The majority of motorbike taxi drivers will make it their sole intention to scare you to death, to see if they can squeeze their bike through a gap that is obviously closing up faster than they are moving and to see how fast they can go on an open stretch of road... They have no fear (or sanity).... Your life is in their hands and you'll soon wish it wasn't. If you happen to be tall, keep in mind that your knees will stick out much farther than the knees of a Thai, who is probably pretty short. Don't worry though, you will get used to them bouncing off of cars as you pass.
It is the law in Thailand that all bike riders MUST wear a crash helmet.... Some of the helmets you see wouldn't project a toddler falling off a 3 wheeler. Thai law says you have to wear a helmet, but as far as the law is concerned, it can be made out of paper. If you intend to use motorbike taxis a lot then get a good helmet. I did. It saved my face when the inevitable eventually happened and I slid across the road after being side swiped by a pick up truck. If you can avoid motorbike taxis, then do. If you are in Bangkok for long enough you may eventually get to learn which motorbike taxi teams (yes, they work in teams) are safer than others (or luckier than others). Word to the wise: go for old guys. If they are still alive they are most likely pretty good at their job, and your odds are better. Same logic, stay away from young kids with the custom parts all over their bikes. Common sense really... Check out the bikes they are driving. A scratched up wreck will be a good hint that the driver has kissed the tarmac a few times, a brand new bike, a green horn still waiting for his first brush with death.... If you're on a bike and the driver is driving like a nut, tell him to stop and get off.
The canal boats in Bangkok are actually pretty nice. They are similar to buses in that you have to be quick about getting on and off, but they are very fast compared to other forms of transportation, especially during rush hour. I have yet to find a good map of the canals. The best thing to do is just watch for the canal when your in a taxi. When you go over a bridge and you see the canal below, make a mental note. If you are on the east side of the city, and you know you need to go to the west side, and you are also armed with the information that the boat runs east--west, then get on it and ask someone. Even if it doesn't take you exactly where you are going, at least your on that side of town and you didn't have to sit in traffic for hours to get there. The traffic is normally the worst in the city center. If you can avoid it by sitting on the boat then it's really a time saver. Sure, they get crowded, the water smells a bit, and you will normally get a little splash from time to time, but the folks are friendly and it is quick and cheap. I pay 18 Baht to go from Mall Bangkapi to the world trade center--a trek that would normally run me 100 Baht in a taxi.
The BTS and the MRT. Fast, clean, efficient and new. You will see it on any map in the city and it's really a no-brainer. Pay the lady, get your ticket, and its about as first world as I've ever seen (at least compared to anywhere in the United States or Europe. Makes you wonder how they do it...)
Now, all that's left is figuring where to go? Have fun!
Contributed by jason
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