Hello! This is Machiyama from Monosus Thailand.
It's already been a year and a half since I started living in Thailand, and I'm gradually getting used to the things that felt so new to me when I first arrived. However, there are still many things that I find strange, things that make me go "Huh!?", and things that give me culture shock!
So, I would like to share with you the things I feel as I live in Thailand, in the form of my own thoughts about Thailand. In this first instalment, I will focus on the transportation situation! I hope you will enjoy this side of Thailand, even just a little.
Confused Traffic
Before coming to Thailand, one of the images that came to mind when I thought of Southeast Asia was a scene of a huge number of cars and motorbikes waiting at traffic lights. When I arrived in Thailand, it was actually like that. In addition to regular cars, there are also many taxis, motorbikes, and buses, so the traffic volume and exhaust fumes are huge. In this article, I will introduce some surprising traffic conditions in Thailand that I have noticed.
taxi
Taxis in Thailand are colorful. The ones I usually see are pink, green, yellow, etc.
It is a two-tone yellow and green color, but there are apparently at least eight other colors, including blue and pink.
By the way, the two-tone yellow and green taxis are privately owned taxis, and the rest are company taxis. Some people say that privately owned taxis are more likely to have bad service, but I personally don't think there's much difference.
Cheap introductory price
The starting fare for a taxi is 35 baht, or just over 100 yen. That's too cheap! If you want to travel within the city center, it will be roughly 40 to 100 baht, depending on the distance and how crowded it is. A distance like that between Shibuya and Shinjuku in Japan will cost about 50 to 60 baht. That's about 150 to 200 yen in Japanese currency. As a result, people tend to rely more on taxis for transportation, and Japanese people living in Thailand tend to walk less. I am one of those people...
In some sense, it's equal?
In Thailand, drivers have a stronger say than in Japan. When taking a taxi, the passenger first tells the driver their destination, and the driver is free to decide whether to go there or not. If it's OK, they nod, if it's NO, they shake their head. From my personal experience, I think the probability of being refused here is about 30%. And there are various ways and reasons to refuse a ride.
I don't want to bend
The destination is close. Less than 5 minutes away. But he says, "Sorry, I don't want to turn off the road we're on now!"
far
This reason should be easy to understand. However, depending on the driver's mood and the person, what constitutes a "far" distance can vary greatly. Sometimes it's such a simple distance that you don't understand why they would refuse, and it's just a matter of going straight for one stop. They'll say, "Ahaha, I can't go that far! (laughs)," make a gesture in front of your face, and leave... So then you have to ask, why do they keep the red light on for empty cars? Who on earth would they let you on!!
It doesn't stop in the first place
I see the red light indicating a vacant vehicle. I raise my hand and wait. The taxi passes in front of me at full speed (or maybe even accelerates?) as if I'm not there. ... The most common problem is probably the one where the taxi doesn't stop in the first place. So why is the red light on? I always feel the same way. At first it was annoying, but now it happens so often that I'm used to it.
Yellow taxis are supposed to offer good service, with the selling point being that they never refuse passengers, but for some reason I have been refused entry by a yellow taxi before!
100 baht
When you hail a taxi and tell them your destination, they may ask for 100 baht. This is like declaring that you won't use the meter before you even get in, so they are definitely trying to overcharge you. This almost never happens if you live locally, but you may occasionally come across this in tourist spots or when it's raining heavily and many people are using taxis. If you are traveling, be careful if they don't show any signs of using the meter. Even so, when you convert it into Japanese yen, it may seem like an okay amount!
The map is all in my head
Most taxis in Thailand are second-hand cars that were probably running in Japan a long time ago. Of course they don't have navigation systems. During the ride, you will often be asked questions about the roads. Do you make a U-turn? Is it okay to turn right at the next road? Like that. Sometimes the driver will almost take a wrong turn, or actually make a mistake. At such times, there are many scenes where you have to give directions, like, "No, no! Turn right at this traffic light!", so you can't just sit back and let the driver take you. It is essential to always display the map and your current location, and check that the driver is trying to turn properly when you are approaching a turning point.
I love to chat
I can speak enough Thai to give directions in a taxi. But I don't have enough Thai to carry on a conversation. While I was in a taxi, someone suddenly spoke to me in Thai. I thought they were asking me where we were going, so I leaned forward and asked, "What? What is it?" The driver had an earphone in one ear and seemed to be talking to someone on the phone... And he was laughing with a laugh. It didn't seem like it was work-related. It's common for drivers to have personal phone conversations like this while on the job. Well, as long as they drive safely, it's fine!
Uber
An app service that has been introduced in some areas of Japan. It is a service where ordinary drivers who are registered with Uber can earn some extra money by picking up passengers like taxi drivers when it is convenient for them. With Uber, passengers can pinpoint their destination on the app's map, so I use it when I'm not confident in my ability to accurately convey my destination to the driver in Thai.
"Where are you going?"
The moment you get in, you will most likely be asked, "Where are you going?" What? The driver should know the destination because you specified it on the map... or rather, the destination is already displayed on the other person's smartphone (the driver's mobile phone screen can be seen from the back seat). No, no, the map is already displayed! Please, look at the map...!! I use it because it is difficult to tell the driver my destination, but they don't care about my convenience.
*Additional note: I recently learned that Uber drivers only know the destination when they arrive at the place where the person who requested the ride is. Sorry for all the trouble! I can understand that. But I wish they would look at the map as much as possible... When I told them I wanted to go to the airport in this usual flow, they said "Jinro?! (Seriously?!)". Even though it's the airport, it's only about 30 minutes away!
Beginner driver
In fact, Thailand does not have strict driving schools like Japan. In fact, it seems that you don't even need to go to a driving school, you can just learn to drive from friends or family and pass the test. (I checked with the staff and it seems the rumors are true...!) Moreover, the practical test only has 3 steps, which is very easy compared to Japan. Therefore, there are a lot of drivers on Thai roads who are very bad at driving, very reckless, or drive incredibly fast. Even though it's a general road, if it's not crowded, they will drive as fast as the highway. And what's even more scary is that there is of course no practical practice or test on the highway...
Back to Uber! The criteria for registering as an Uber driver are unclear, but it seems that even beginners can register. In my experience using Uber, I have encountered several people who were clearly beginners at driving, and they kept glancing at Google Maps, which was dangerous, so sometimes I have to give directions while I'm in the car.
Bike
Motorbike Taxi
The driver is wearing a helmet, and the passenger is not (without a helmet). This is normal driving in Thailand. The driver himself doesn't seem to have any doubts about the strangeness of the situation, so it's refreshing. So they should at least try to drive safely... or not! In fact, their driving makes me feel unsafe.
To begin with, the roads are not that good, so I accelerate at incredible speeds over the bumpy roads, frequently changing lanes as I try to overtake other motorbikes and cars. I've already experienced enough thrills, and I don't want to take my life for granted, so I've decided not to ride as much as possible from now on. As an added bonus, many motorbike taxi drivers have GoPros attached to the top of their helmets. I wonder if some of them are flying to make the footage more thrilling...
Over capacity
It's common to see families with three people, including a small child, or three young men and women riding on bikes. I've also seen a family of five riding on a MAX in the city.
Car carrier
There are often people riding on the bed of the truck. Even if they are not guarding the luggage. It is hot outside and the sun is shining, so I don't think it would be an comfortable ride, but it looks like a bit of fun.
It carries many things other than people.
Attach anything to your bike
There are many street stalls in Thailand, and although they are set up in the same place every day, the structure of the stall is not left there. It seems that they bring it in every morning and take it back somewhere every night. How do they move them? They fix the stall and the motorbike and drive the motorbike normally on the road. It looks difficult to turn, and I often wonder if it is dangerous, but for them, this is everyday life.
train
There is no timetable
There is no timetable, but the trains come at surprisingly regular intervals, about every 5 minutes, and at most every 10 minutes.
Commuting rush hour
It gets pretty crowded during rush hour. Even so, Thai people don't try to cram people in even more when the train is already over capacity. Japanese people try to get on until it's about 110%, but Thai people try to wait for the next train if it's only about 80-90% full. In Japan, people rushing to work feel like they can't be late no matter what...! But in Thailand, you don't get that feeling at all. Mornings are stress-free!
The escalator is fast
The escalators at stations are especially familiar to me, but when I first came here, I would fall backwards if I wasn't careful. Now I feel that the speed of escalators in Japan is not fast enough.
Posters prohibiting the bringing of items into stations
Durian has a strong smell, so it is prohibited to bring it into the country. It is interesting that the poster pinpoints this fact. *I also noticed recently that this poster is only displayed during durian season.
The "Balloons" above are balloons. It's surprising that balloons are banned in Thailand! The balloons you occasionally see in Thailand are round and large, so maybe they're just a nuisance.
Priority mark
Inside the train, you can see markings that are unique to Thailand.
If you see a monk, offer your seat to him! As an aside, it is said that if a woman touches a monk, all the virtues she has accumulated up to that point will be reset to square one, so women should be careful not to touch them carelessly.
Maybe we should just add Japan and Thailand together and divide them?
What did you think? This time, I focused on transportation. There may have been some parts that sounded like a complaint, but please forgive me. Thailand is very free compared to Japan, but there are some parts where I feel that Japan is a little too strict. I feel that if Japan adopted some of Thailand's laxity, it would be just right. And maybe Thailand could do with being a little stricter! There seems to be a movement to tighten up enforcement.
We hope to continue introducing Thai things in a variety of genres in the future!