The Lowly Pickup Truck

[maikee]

As the motorbike... the little Honda Wave type cycles running around with 3/4/5 people on one bike... seems to be the economical transportion device for transporting up to an entire family to/from the market, school, etc. I'd have to say the lowly little pickup truck has got to be the lifeblood of Thailand.

All who have been to Thailand must have seen (either on the road, or beside the road turned over) the pickups that have been stacked 3 meters high with whatever. Well, I just got back from Thailand and had an amusing 5AM drive to Bangkok International from a couple hours north of Bangkok. I saw my share of stacked to gills trucks, but I also remember 3 different pickups carrying things that made me laugh, or shake my head.

1. 5am on Sunday must be the magic time for all the workers, or whoever they are, to be transported into Bangkok. I saw a large amount of pickups literally stuffed with people (moreso than the usual "taxi" type truck). My fiance's brother was even suprised by all the people and wondered where they were going. Anyway, one particular truck had people bleeding out onto the tailgate that had been let down.. There was a rope tied across the opening, and one fellow had his feet dangling down to just above the road with the rest of his upper body resting full on the rope while he slept!

2. Standard ratty old pickup transporting a ~5 to 6 meter and at least .5 meter in diameter palm tree with the dirt/root ball intact. Looked like it was about on the verge of doing a 100kmh wheelie down the expressway. At least it made the steering pretty light.

3. I never would have thought you cold put 9 Honda Wave motorbikes (1 high) in the back of a small truck... guess if they would have been second hand there probably would have been at least 18.

What are some of the interesting things you have seen being shipped in the back of one of these pickup trucks?

maikee

[siam]

As the motorbike... the little Honda Wave type cycles running around with 3/4/5 people on one bike... seems to be the economical transportion device for transporting up to an entire family to/from the market, school, etc. I'd have to say the lowly little pickup truck has got to be the lifeblood of Thailand.

All who have been to Thailand must have seen (either on the road, or beside the road turned over) the pickups that have been stacked 3 meters high with whatever. Well, I just got back from Thailand and had an amusing 5AM drive to Bangkok International from a couple hours north of Bangkok. I saw my share of stacked to gills trucks, but I also remember 3 different pickups carrying things that made me laugh, or shake my head.

1. 5am on Sunday must be the magic time for all the workers, or whoever they are, to be transported into Bangkok. I saw a large amount of pickups literally stuffed with people (moreso than the usual "taxi" type truck). My fiance's brother was even suprised by all the people and wondered where they were going. Anyway, one particular truck had people bleeding out onto the tailgate that had been let down.. There was a rope tied across the opening, and one fellow had his feet dangling down to just above the road with the rest of his upper body resting full on the rope while he slept!

2. Standard ratty old pickup transporting a ~5 to 6 meter and at least .5 meter in diameter palm tree with the dirt/root ball intact. Looked like it was about on the verge of doing a 100kmh wheelie down the expressway. At least it made the steering pretty light.

3. I never would have thought you cold put 9 Honda Wave motorbikes (1 high) in the back of a small truck... guess if they would have been second hand there probably would have been at least 18.

What are some of the interesting things you have seen being shipped in the back of one of these pickup trucks?

maikee

on a par with that tree,4 standard size yanks has to be tipping the wheel base payload

[Spee]

What are some of the interesting things you have seen being shipped in the back of one of these pickup trucks?

Can't recall anything specific about pickups, but on my last trip from Phichit to Ayutthaya, there were about 18 of us stuffed into one of those minibus/vans that are designed for about 12. Then there was the luggage! Ugh, what a tight squeeze for a long drive!

I'm a "rather healthy sized" bloke and once myself and my fiancee's two brothers were in the back of a very tired tuk-tuk, along with our packs. I think we almost ended its life trying to climb a couple of overpasses in Ayutthaya. Going downhill, no problem, going uphill, about 5mph at full throttle. I was waiting for a piston to come flying out of the exhaust!

[mbkudu]

Toyota pickups are the best. If the Afgan army can launch huge surface to air missiles from the beds of them, they must be rock solid.