Monday, June 16, 2008

Driving in Bangkok

You couldn't pay me to drive in Bangkok (Peter, you're insane).  For about the first week or so that I lived here, I was convinced that there were no traffic regulations.  Just like most things in Thailand the "anything goes" philosophy seemed to apply here as well. 

Getting used to driving on the left side of the street would be a headache in itself, let alone getting used to the fact that drivers pay no attention to speed limits, weave in and out of traffic aggressively, and make new lanes for themselves by riding the dotted lines when they need to be somewhere in a hurry.

Oh, and the familiar unsettling situation of passing a bicycle in a single lane of traffic from back home is enhanced ten fold when you turn the bicycle into a motorbike that you might pass on your right or left, sometimes with a whole family on board... 

The car to motorbike ratio here is probably around 6 to 1.  They're everywhere.  Motorbikes are huge in Thailand.  They really deserve their own post.  I will make sure to remember that for a future entry.

Moral of this post.  Stay safe - don't drive in Thailand.

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