Adventures WorldRace SethBarnes Sponsorship Giving

| by archiveworldraceblogs

Thailand- Morning Survival Guide:

No need to set an alarm, the combination of the hot sun, dogs barking,
and an elementary school band playing ‘When the ants go marching in’ will wake you up

Fill your water bottle full-  it’s
going to be hot, sunny, & humid

make sure to grab your own shoes from pile at the door


Walk a block in any direction and pick your fruit of choice for
breakfast


 
 
Now comes the tricky
decision. You will need transportation to your location for the day….
 
 
There are 3 options:
 

1- A MOTOR BIKE

The motor bikes are used by pretty much everyone in
the community. There is no limit on where they can drive, or how many people
can be on one. We’ve seen everything attached to a moped, including families of
5, infant babies sitting on the drivers lap, and carriages of any shape or size
attached to the side. Being the number 1 cause of death in Thailand, we are dissuaded from hopping on and off a motor bikes
like the locals do. Bummer huh?
 
 
  ____________

2- A TUK TUK

This is
a Thai taxi. They are all over, and look pretty much like mini trucks. You can
easily fit 6 or 8, but I’m sure, as with any form of transportation, there is
no limit. If you choose the tuk tuk route, make sure to get your Baht’s worth (Thai
money) and get a big group =)
 
 
 ____________
3- A PUBLIC BUS.

This is SUCH an adventure, cheap, and therefore my personal choice. Let me explain why…

Where do you pick up a bus? There are not established bus
stops that I have found. I’m sure they exist, but for humor’s sake, it is best to simply follow a main road going with traffic and flag one down if you see it…. kind of like hunting!
 
What does the bus look like? There are two main bus styles. Both cost 20 baht (approximately .75 USD), so no need to be picky. there is the westernized style bus with standing room, an isle, windows, and seats, and there is the truck style with hunching room, open air, and wooden benches. Again, don’t be picky- who knows when the next public bus will roll down the street.

How do you pay for the bus? It depends. Sometimes you pay at
the door, sometimes the driver of the ‘truck style’ busses will just hold out his hand to the people in the back- Otherwise you just have your 20 baht ready for
whenever the worker passes through. If you are sleeping when the money is being
collected, no problem, there is an established system for that- The worker in
the yellow polo will just rattle change in front of your face until you wake up
and hand over your due 20 baht.

Where do you sit on the bus? If there is a seat, feel free to
sit there. If there is room on the padded center in the front, feel free to sit
there as well. If there is any space on the wooden floor, firmly place your
feet there and reach for the nearest metal bar to brace yourself. If none of
these areas are available, there is always the step stairwell, or the hang off the side or back technique =) Like I stated before, there are NO limitations on
what means you use to transport yourself. If you pay your 20 baht, that bus is YOURS to your destination!
 
 
How do you get off the bus at your desired location? Simply start moving
towards a door, and yell a noise towards the driver… any noise really. ‘Kaaaaaaaah’
seems to be the most common. Really ‘Kaaaaaaaah’ seems to mean anything and
everything in Thailand; it is simply a word of politeness, so if in doubt…. ‘Kaaaaaaah’!
  ____________
 
Morning’s in Thailand are FUN! When in doubt, start your day with a pineapple for breakfast… and always choose public transportation. =)