Why Do Songthaews In Chiangmai Charge 20 Baht?

[uptheos]

The norm is you get a glass or whatever, could be a tin cup, walk over to the ice cooler, scoop up as much ice as you want and add water. If you're buying food, you can help yourself as much as often as you like for free. What are you expecting a butler service with an ice water decanter? Good grief man try to learn how the Thai's do things!

[rene123]

Great story, market trader. It is stories like that, that fascinate me about Thailand, and it ties in with a topic I started (and now closed) about enjoying the company of older men. People who have traveled around a while in Asia tell some fascinating stories. Some of them might even be true. I should take a recorder with me wherever I go and put it all in a book some day.

[rene123]

The norm is you get a glass or whatever, could be a tin cup, walk over to the ice cooler, scoop up as much ice as you want and add water. If you're buying food, you can help yourself as much as often as you like for free. What are you expecting a butler service with an ice water decanter? Good grief man try to learn how the Thai's do things!

Exactly. Hey, and I've only been here 5 months to learn that.

[uptheos]

The norm is you get a glass or whatever, could be a tin cup, walk over to the ice cooler, scoop up as much ice as you want and add water. If you're buying food, you can help yourself as much as often as you like for free. What are you expecting a butler service with an ice water decanter? Good grief man try to learn how the Thai's do things!

Exactly. Hey, and I've only been here 5 months to learn that.

How can anyone who has been here about 7 years, has a Thai wife, says he knows lots of 35 Baht eateries, possibly not know the routine for getting ice water in one of these places? He keep harping on about how Dukes & the River Market give him loads of water free, so maybe he does expect a decanter service.

Edited March 24, 2013 by uptheos

[JomtienEats]

i'm surprised to hear everyone so lovey dovey about the songthaews. a few years ago everyone thought they were the spawn of the devil, impeding progress, causing accidents and polluting the air. i guess they must have stepped up their PR campaign. What happened?

Perhaps they visited Phuket. There's an example of how bad public transport can be and would quickly serve to remind you how fortunate we are in CM.

Definitely seen improvements in the songthaews over the past few years - gradually upgrading to a more modern, less polluting fleet.