Tuk Tuk Ride, Bangkok, Thailand

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Before I landed in Bangkok I knew that I have to see at least the big temple palace and the lying Buddha and to eat some grasshoppers and maggots if I can get some. But let’s start at the beginning.

The fourth big city: Bangkok. I did not know what to expect. Before I went for the trip I decided to spend the weekend in Vietnam just because I liked what I heard about Vietnam and it’s people from good friends who spend a vacation there a couple of years ago.

From Thailand I had no pictures except of drugs and sex tourism. Just before the trip I bought some guidebooks from Malaysia, Vietnam and Bangkok/Thailand. When I looked at the pictures in the Bangkok guidebook I almost regretted my decision. Colorful and most exotic temples and busy night markets.

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But before we entered the temple we decided that it’s time for a tourist trap. We went for a Tuk Tuk ride. Of course they did not like to bring us straight to the temple palace but offered us a trip on the river including lunch to cover the time till the temple opens at 3pm. We travelled through the place were the boats leave but during the Tuk Tuk ride I decided that the thing is just overpriced and we deiced not to take the boat trip. When we told the driver he was not very happy but agreed to bring us back to where we started. He said that he can offer us the ride for free o if we are willing to visit a shop. We do not need to buy anything just to spend a couple of minutes there.

It was a cloth shop with nice suits and the offered to taylor one within 2 days. But I was flying to Manila the next day so that was no option. I promised to come back next time. After that the driver asked us to visit another shop before he brings us back. Because I did not want to spend my precious time in Bangkok in shops I ask the driver to bring us straight to the temple. When we arrived it was no surprise to me that the temple was of course open. What made me angry is that it closes at 4pm. No chance to see the temple if we had spend the time on the boat trip! Exactly the same thing happened again when we walked for the Lying Buddha. But this time we already knew. Here is the travel tip of the day. When in Bangkok don’t trust anybody. They are telling you straight lies to get you into shops. They try to sell in a very aggressive way. Of course the can not force you to buy something but they can potentially ruin your day.

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But how was the Tuk Tuk ride? Let me put it this way. When it’s almost 40 degrees Celsius and very humid it’s not a good idea to travel in an open vehicle. It’s hot, it’s bumpy, it stinks and it’s loud as hell. Of course there are some serious safety features on board: There are braking lights but they are inside of the vehicle. If the passenger is taller than 4 feet there is no chance for the following traffic to see it. There is a sharp iron fence where the airbag should be but there is a garden hose covered steal bar you can grip to avoid that you fall out of the Tuk Tuk in bents. It’s as comfortable and cosy as being pushed around with a sharp stick.

After sightseeing we took a taxi.

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