第1167期:Bangkok Transportation - Part 1

Todd: Okay, so, I'm here with Jerri, and we are in Bangkok, Thailand, and she's Thai. And I thought we would talk about the interesting transportation systems of Bangkok.

Jerri: Yes, very interesting.

Todd: Yeah, Bangkok has so many ways to get around. So, the most common, of course, is the BTS.

Jerri: Right.
Todd: This is the over rail train, right?
Jerri: Yes.
Todd: And then there's the MRT? Okay, can you talk about them?
Jerri: Yeah, so, these two are the new forms of transportation in Thailand. Well, not so new. I think about ten years now we've been having them. But they're probably the most common way to travel into the city. The sky train station is now expanding quite fast, so it's going to, like, other parts that are outside of Bangkok for the outer cities - for people from the outer city to travel into the main business district areas. Yeah, and the price range from 30, 35 baht to, like, 100 baht depending on how many stops you have to take. But it's becoming more and more popular, and so the rush hour, it's quite - it gets quite hectic. I think it can be regulated a little bit better. But I think, yeah, they're working on that.
Todd: Yeah, I work in Tokyo and Bangkok both, and when I - when I first came here, the trains were empty. The BTS...
Jerri: Right.
Todd: ...and now they're like Tokyo.
Jerri: Yes.
Todd: They're on the same level of packed-ness. It's crazy.
Jerri: Right. Yes, yes.
Todd: Okay, so then how about the world-famous Thai taxis and tuk-tuks?
Jerri: Okay, yes, for sure. So, I'll start with the tuk-tuks. The tuk-tuks are probably the most interesting way to get around town. You see them a lot in Bangkok because they attract tourists. So, you can get them - yeah, they usually - the thing to be careful with is that there's not really a fixed price, so you can get a little bit...
Todd: Scammed.
Jerri: Scammed, yeah.
Todd: Yeah.
Jerri: But, yeah. So, I would recommend just asking the locals, like, how- how much would it cost, like, from to get here to there, so you know, like, a little bit about the price range. But if you're - if you're here in Thailand for the first time, it's definitely the way to travel around. You get the wind in your face and, yeah, it's really nice. And then the taxi meters are also - there's more and more every day. And, yeah, it's - it's - it's, like, any other country, I guess. It's air-conditioned, and then the meter starts from 35 Thai baht.
Todd: It's true. It is like any other country, but I would say they're very unique in their colors. So...
Jerri: Oh, right. Yes, yes, yes.
Todd: ...they have the very beautiful technicolor that you only see in Thailand. Yeah.
Jerri: So, it goes from pink, green, bright-yellow, and they're all very bright, so...
Todd: And orange, correct?
Jerri: Yes, yes, yes.
Todd: And they look so beautiful, actually. Yeah. Actually, going back to the tuk-tuks, one thing that's - I think - is interesting is that, obviously, they're used for tourists, but also local Thais I see use them kind of to transport a lot of bags and stuff. So, like, if they need to move a bunch of stuff...
Jerri: Yes.
Todd: ...like bags, or they need, like, I don't know, supplies for a restaurant or something like that...
Jerri: Right.
Todd: ...you'll see tuk-tuks moving things around.
Jerri: Yeah, absolutely. And there's like different - different tuk-tuk sizes. So, some of them are - are more for like transportation, as you mentioned, and then we have more of, like, the bigger - similar to tuk-tuks, they're called songthaews, which you see in, like, the small little streets in certain neighborhoods that people need - just need to get to the main road.
Todd: Can - now, can you describe what a songthaew looks like?
Jerri: Yes, absolutely. It's like a truck but with a big open area in the back for people to hold onto the rails, so, yeah. I'm not sure if you can imagine the picture but - in a tuk-tuk - you get to sit - it fits about three people max...
Todd: Yeah.
Jerri: ..but songthaew - the back, the open-air area fits about 20 people.