Last Friday was the night I fulfilled my goal of using all of Bangkok's modes of transportation.
So far the main mode of transportation I've utilized has been by far and away the taxi. Not as 'glamorous' as back in the States, when being able to even afford such a ride made me feel richer than a poor college student; however, here taxi rides (when shared with others) cost about the equivalent of about a dollar. But after about a hundred taxi rides to and from EVERYWHERE, they lose their appeal and become more cumbersome than exciting.
So besides the taxi there's also the sky-train and the subway (which I coincidentally took today too) -- the BTS and MRT, respectively. They are very clean and efficient, albeit a bit more expensive per person, but they definitely get you where you need to go in a fraction of the time. If I lived downtown (or close to it), I probably would use the BTS almost exclusively. It's the best way to avoid traffic, which I hate.
And of course there's the river taxis......it's just like it sounds -- a boat that provides transportation up and down the river. However, I must say that this is more like a river bus instead of a taxi. These boats can fit about a hundred people and it costs about 16 baht-ish. I took these when I went to the Grand Palace. It required going from taxi to BTS to river taxi, but eventually, I made it to the Palace (with much walking too!). I've only taken these to and from the the Palace (which I seriously doubt I'll be going back to anytime soon), so I think that'll be the last time on the river for a while.
Regular buses have become a frequent way of travel for me out in Bang Na. I usually take it a couple times a week at least. Mondays are Thai lesson days, so we usually hop on the 48 or 46 and ride down the dusty road to the YWAM about 15 minutes away, depending on traffic. And now that I know how 'quick' and cheap it is to take the bus, I take it to the mall. A lot. 8 baht goes a long way here.
But finally, against everything expats have been saying, I took a motorcycle taxi. The motorcycle taxi that people filled my mind for two weeks with morbid accidents and bodies being dragged down the highway or hands being clipped off by a passing semi. Yes, I took one of these. After a horrendous regular taxi ride that should have only cost me 45 baht since it was five minutes down the road, ended up costing me 120 baht and the guy didn't even drop me off at my destination because he had no idea where I wanted to go. Yup, he stopped and asked for directions twice -- by the second time, I got out and sat at the bus stop helplessly. Thank goodness for the moto-taxi driver chillin out there, otherwise I would have been screwed. I asked him if he knew where Bang Na Villa was, hopped on the back of his bike and we were off. Against 6 lanes of traffic. On the highway. He was surprisingly a very careful and gentle driver though, and took it easy on the rough parts. It totally wasn't as bad as everyone made it out to be, and I was thrilled to have gotten over my fear. I look forward to my next encounter. :)
Now that I've taken every mode of transportation available in Bangkok, I feel like a real Thai. I made sure to look like a pro on the back of the bike -- cool shades, Thai purse, and Thai sandals -- yup, I had it all figured out.
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