Tuk-tuk │ NEX-7 & SEL18200LE │ 21mm, ISO 160, f/6.3, RAW Why is it that after a nice, relaxing holiday fuelled with great food, drink and sun, that within 10 minutes of being back in the office... we dream of another holiday? Well, not quite, but you get the point. After a lovely 10 days in Thailand, we're back in Tokyo. Arriving back on the Sunday after around 18 hours of continuous travel (more on that in another post), waking up to squeeze into a commuter train at 7:30am in Tokyo wasn't exactly the most appealing prospect.
Had I still been in Bangkok, I'd have taken a tuk-tuk to the office. This is the nickname for the simply beautiful, loud (both in colour and sound) automatic rickshaws littered throughout Bangkok. They're great way to get around, especially between 10am and 3pm, when the sun is simply relentless. The process is a simple one. Being a 6ft2 white male, I was never more than 2m from a tuk-tuk driver pestering beckoning me to ride. You said "how much to _____ ...[points at map]" and he replies with "200 [baht]". You then say "no no, too much. 50." This continues until one of you give up (don't fight over 20 Baht - €0.50). Basically, don't pay more than 200 and don't ask to go more than a few km. Get a taxi for that. Our very old driver had no teeth (and probably no licence), but neither were a concern as he tore through Bangkok at about 40mph in between all the taxis, tuk-tuks, goat, cows, foreigners, durian fruit, and all local people eating. Awesome stuff.