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Published: February 20th 2010
Sean's tuk-tuk
they are so called because when they are running, that's the sound they make - tuk, tuk, tukWednesday is our first full day in Bangkok and we started with breakfast at a local cafeteria kind of place tucked into the back of a supermarket. It turns out the back entrance to the supermarket/cafeteria is directly across the side street where our hotel, City Lodge, is located.
It only took us 3 tries to locate the back door from our hotel. We’re pretty smart, huh?
Our first daytime adventure was a 3-hour tuk-tuk ride around Bangkok. A tuk-tuk is a motorized death trap that is sort of cross between a golf cart and a rickshaw. Most of them are propane-powered with the driver in the front and room for two (three if you squeeze or if you’re small) in the back. There’s a canopy-type cover to ward off most of the sun’s rays and the air conditioning is au natural.
The driver, Sean, claimed it was his “happy day” and that he was 45 years old today. We sang Happy Birthday to him and that seemed to please him. We asked for a ride to a couple of specific sites to admire, but he was much more interested in taking us to tailor shops, jewelry shops,
City Lodge
they told us this is a"boutique" hotel -- I'm not sure what that means, but you'd have to use your imagination -- also the traffice out front and the hidden enterance to the supermarket. and travel agencies where, if we would spend 5 minutes, he would receive a voucher for 5 liters of gas for his tuk-tuk. After about our fourth stop at tailor shops where we could get 3 silk suits, 3 extra pair of pants, 3 shirts, 3 ties and a partridge in a pear tree for $129 US, we (mostly the hairless wonder I’m with -I was willing to give him one more chance) told Sean to either take us to where we wanted to see the sites, or take us back to the hotel. He pleaded for one more stop, and we told him NO! Back to the hotel it is. No more horsing around. He dropped us a few steps from our hotel and we paid him the 30 Baht he quoted for the 3 hours, plus a 67% tip to bring the total to 50 Baht (about $1.50 USD). While still a rip-off, it was much less painful than the rickshaw experience in Beijing a year ago where Cheryl and I were taken for about $100 USD.
It was about noon and we had noticed a Beer Garden a couple of blocks back with free internet access.
Victory Memorial
From here we can can catch our minibus south. You can also see the source of some of the exhaust fumes and in the upper right is a Sky Train going by. We walked back there and found them to be very friendly and they had good prices on meals as well. Also, with free WiFi, we were money ahead when we walked in. I booked the hotel that we’re in because they have WiFi in the room and I foolishly thought that means free internet access. Once we checked in, I found that the hotel charges 550 Baht (about $17 USD) for 24 hours of internet access.
After a little snack, we went shopping and got Loren a hat (I think he looks like a schlub in it, but then he always looks like a schlub) and a belt for me to replace the one I left at the Minneapolis airport.
Thursday, our second full day in Bangkok had us going to see the Victory Memorial and check out the minibuses that run down the coast of that long sliver of land that hangs off Thailand. We heard of a nice laid-back town call Hua Hin (although I heard it as “walk in”).
The rest of the day is reserved for wandering around Bangkok in the heat, humidity, fumes and traffic to look at who knows what. We included a stop at our favorite snack bar so we could use their internet connection to make our reservations four our next stop, Hua Hin.
The heat and exhuast fumes here in Bangkok are quite oppressive. The picture of our hotel shows you a representation of what the traffic is like here and this is a side street.
Our intention was to visit my friend in Cambodia starting on Friday, but he has not replied to my email from over two weeks ago as to whether we can come see him. Since he hasn't replied, we decided to take the advice of a fellow traveller and go to a small coastal town, Hua Hin, some 250-300 kilometers (180 miles) to the south where the King has a summer palace. Sounds like it could be a nice little resort town. We just have to catch the Sky Train (elevated light rail) to The Victory Monument, get a shared minibus to Kiri Khan (some 250 kilometers away) and a taxi the final 30 kilometers (20 miles) to Hua Hin.
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Shelly Conlin
non-member comment
$1.50???
That is all you gave him for schlepping you around to those nice tailor and jewelry shops for three hours? Next time give him $3 and he can buy his own propane. Better yet, buy me something nice at the next jewelry store. Of course, can your really trust a guy from Thailand named "Sean"? Were his parents Irish? Sounds like you two are having fun and are still alive. Keep searching out those snack bars! Shelly