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Driving with a Taxi is still a very affordable version of transportation in most parts of Asia, even in Singapore or Hong Kong.
If you’ve ever been using a Taxi in Bangkok (which Asia Traveler hasn’t?) you probably can relate to Ali’s observations of the various types of Taxi Drivers. Ali over from Thai Tales is a happy Londoner Gal, living it up and teaching in Thailand’s capitol.
Much of the characters she met there might even be similar to Taxi Drivers in most of today’s Metropolis Cities on our planet; but Bangkok is truly a special kind. Besides flanking down a limousine, you can still have here the original Tuk-Tuk Taxis, even though those vehicles are slowly but steadily getting close to extinction.
Ali sorts her Taxi Drivers into
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Talkers (both Thai and English!)
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The Silent Types
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Spitters
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Speed Freaks
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Slow Pokes
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Flirts
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Worshippers
I remember having the pleasure to meet one of those Worshipper Types in Singapore a few years back. He was Pakistani, but a surprisingly strong Catholic! The whole drive from Woodlands to the CBD area he tried to convince and convert me to Christianity, even though I didn’t ask for it and surely didn’t show any interest at all for quite a while. After 30 minutes of listening to his motor-mouth babblings, he got me started as well and we were arguing and struggling the next 10 minutes about religious questions, the Virgin Mary, the meaning of the Crucifix, cannibalism and the eating of bread and wine and suffering for whole mankind and those kinds of controverse things.
The end of the song was: he missed the 3 or so exits to Chinatown and we were doing the bigger round via Suntec. It doesn’t pay to argue with Worshipper Taxi Drivers, I can tell you!
Here is the full version of Ali’s story, go check it out, it’s a great read!
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You are a strong brother, Chris. Half an hour in silence while he plyed his evangelic wares and finally wore out your cool exterior? I hope next time you try another tactic, of course without being too impolite.
“Oh, I’ve made a terrible mistake. I must get out immediately. Pull over, pull over. Please! I must get out!”
Of course don’t act TOO crazy, the guy might be armed and try to subdue you with more than the word of the Lord.
All the best, to you Chris. Nia ;)
I seem to only ever have conversations about football with taxi drivers. They sure love football.
I am a tourist guide and sometime I need the driver guide for my client in BKK,may be you can joint business.Please contact me too.
Thanks.
I went to Bangkok before. Most of the drivers don’t even know how to speak English. The only way to communicate with Driver is to use the non-verbal conversation. Quite hard to understand huh
Probably next time you can introduce some multi-languages driver to me