Mopeds, Tuk-Tuks, and Elephants

After a long weekend of travelling, I’ve decided to quick reflect on the array of transportation Thailand has to offer. I may or may not have already made it clear that in Thailand it’s not uncommon to take many different modes of transportation during your travels. Thailand’s modes of transportation include the following: mopeds, tuk-tuks, song-tows, buses, subways, taxis, vans, ferries, long boats and yes, elephants. Don’t get me wrong, I cannot wait to drive my Mazda and blast my music; but part of me is going to miss all these crazy modes of transportation in Thailand. I’ll miss riding in a tuk-tuk for the fact that we were able to fit 9 people in one Halloween night and they are just down-right awesome!

I’m going to miss riding on the back of a moped because the ride is so thrilling and you get a great thigh workout from holding your legs up when you ride side saddle with three people.

Who would have ever thought sitting in the back of a pick-up truck aka song-tow would be so fun and exhilarating, especially while being chased by wild elephants in Khao Yai National Park.

No tour bus ride will be able to beat the post-Chinese New Year dance party celebration Katie and I had with our Thai students, loud music, and disco balls. I also will probably miss all the surprise Thai goodies and snacks the bus companies provide. However, I won’t miss having to worry about “Kevin” aka my notebook jumping out of my arms and out the door of the Suphanburi – Ayuttaya bus.

 I’ll miss the random conversations and smiles you get when you hop in a taxi in Bangkok, but I won’t miss the time that is wasted getting through Bangkok’s awful traffic.

Even though the van drivers from Democracy Monument get Katie and I back to Soongsumarn rapidly despite Bangkok’s traffic, I definitely WON’T be missing those “oh god, how did we not just get in an accident” moments.

Despite having to take 3 or 4 of these different modes of transportation in order get on a a ferry to one of Thailand’s beautiful islands, I will definitely miss the view of the sparkling Gulf of Thailand and green mountainous islands that is seen from a ferry ride.

 I think what I’ll miss most about ways to get around this unique country is the elephants :)

There’s just something about driving down a busy road in Suphan looking out the window and seeing a man riding on an elephant amongst cars, buses, mopeds, and tuk-tuks that makes me recall “this is Thailand” and I realize how different Thailand is compared to the U.S. I definitely won’t be seeing an elephant walking down the streets in America.