I Don't Mean To Complain, But...

[Lordfoul]

chanchao you saw right, The metered taxis are replacing the old songthaews (slowly) there are only three I think in the city now. The reason you don't see mass protests by the songthaew drivers is because they are all part of the same mafia.

/sm

[chanchao]

> With the correct decals on your car and with a Thai driver one

> can take the shortcut through the Air Force base to CNX. I alway

> have my neighbor, who is a mia noi of a Thai general, drive me to

> the airport taking that route.

Good news: You don't need to be Thai and you don't need military connections to use that road.. I have a sticker on my car and driver through there myself regularly. (Even the car is in my name.) They usually have a fixed time period (forgot when) when you can apply for the tag to put on your windshield. There's this office half way down that road, where you need to apply with ID (passport or ID card for Thais), 50 or 80 baht and then make up some reason why you need to use that road.

(Visiting your favorite Maekong wholesaler in the CMU area seems almost enough reason. ;-) In my case my girlfriend was studying something at CMU.

Cheers,

Chanchao

[chanchao]

> chanchao you saw right, The metered taxis are replacing

> the old songthaews (slowly) there are only three I think in

> the city now. The reason you don't see mass protests by the

> songthaew drivers is because they are all part of the same mafia.

I see.. I (and most people I suppose) wouldn't want to see the red buses go though.. They're cheap and rather convenient, never have to wait long for one.

But as for the meter taxis, what is the fare structure like?

Also if they're part of the same Songthaew-club of drivers then at least they will know their way around town very well..

Cheers,

Chanchao

[cutethaigirl]

As above is completely true. It is not completely elite:-)

Note you do not need a sticker for a motorbike.

What you do need is:> valid insurance, tax. Not more that two people on the bike, a helmet on the head of each person on the bike. IE be completely legal. Maybe that is why not many bike users up there.?

Also the road is only open til about 8pm at weekends or 10pm sometimes or?? who knows but ostesibly it is a private road and the laws of Thailand are enforced and then some.

If you are in the Pattaya area and visit the Naval Base at Sattahip it is exactly the same but evenstricter. Forms and badges there too. But worth it for the great restaurant at low price and a clean environment.

Funny how applying the rules has that effect? No deaths reported on the road at CM nor Sattahip during Songkran either.

Wavering on the topic now......

CT

PS hope my use of long words is correct and spelling ok?

[Lordfoul]

From Chiang Mai Mail

Taxi Meter - Call Nok - tel. 09 261 4290- 20 baht for pick up, 30 baht for the first 2 km and 4 baht for each subsequent kilometer.

I think the Red truck militia could be reduced to a tenth of it's current force and still be effective ... and I might actually be able to make it down huay kaew road without any near death experiences.

/SM

[Snark]

deleted

[Ajarn]

"I think the Red truck militia could be reduced to a tenth of it's current force and still be effective ... and I might actually be able to make it down huay kaew road without any near death experiences."

1. If the red trucks actually went places instead of cash diving in mid city. Ask them to go out any rural road a single kilometer and you end up paying another 50 baht.

2. Huay Kaew is designed for providing that adrenaline rush, isn't it? Why else would there be 1 3/4 lanes in either direction (promoting motorcycles to drive on the saidewalks) and during rush hour, the 20-30 minute wait to get through the lights turns potential saints into homicidal maniacs. I am suspecting this is actually an exotic form of entertainment. Like kids who hit their heads against things because it feels good when you stop.

(I once encountered traffic backed up from Niemenheiman to past CMU-2 kilometers-due entirely to how the police were manually operating the traffic light. It took 40 minutes to make it through that intersection. Way to go, guys!)

It seems to me that the traffic is always smoother when the cops are gone, and there are no controls. Thai-style takes over. When I was teaching at CMU, I used to use the intersection at huay kaew-Super every day. This was before the traffic lights and police booth, just a chair at the corner, sometimes manned, sometimes not. As I approached the intersection, if the traffic was backed-up at all, it signalled police control. No cops, and everyone just worked it out as usual.

If you ever get stuck at the head of one of these police-controlled ques, count the number of cars that pass through the intersections in say, 1 complete cycle. If you compare that to the flow at an equally busy intersection without any controls for the same period of time, I think you'll find a noticeable increase in traffic flow...Police cause traffic.

[chanchao]

> If you are in the Pattaya area and visit the Naval Base at

> Sattahip it is exactly the same but evenstricter. Forms and

> badges there too. But worth it for the great restaurant at

> low price and a clean environment.

Yes, and also the Airforce base at Prachuap Khiri Khan, where Ao Manao is. Also a very good place to visit.

> Funny how applying the rules has that effect? No deaths reported

> on the road at CM nor Sattahip during Songkran either.

Ah.. so.. I guess if the whole of Thailand was owned and ruled by the military then everything would be much better..? ;-) I think they've experimented with that before. (Just kidding)

> PS hope my use of long words is correct and spelling ok?

No worries, I'm WAY to sexist to judge cute Thai girls just on spelling ability. Your spelling looks awesome to me! But then again, what do I know, I just learned English in school just like you did. Don't take my word for it.

Cheers,

Chanchao

[chanchao]

> "1. If the red trucks actually went places instead of cash diving

> in mid city. Ask them to go out any rural road a single kilometer

> and you end up paying another 50 baht.

When sticking to busy areas there's a good chance of more people wanting a ride. And when there's people wanting a ride, there's a good chance they're going somewhere where the driver can easily accommodate and find a sensible route.

When you want a driver to commit to a long distance and/or something out of town, then he will find less other people wanting a ride, and after committing himself to drive somewhere very specific, the chances of him being able to accommodate the new passenger's destination also become less. So he wants extra.

So, tip from uncle Chanchao: For a long trip, its often better to take TWO Songtaews for 10 baht each for a total of 20 baht, and connect at some hub-like place. (Kad Luang, Central, the city gates and all come to mind). Or suppose you're going from the Night Bazar to Nimmanhaemin: Then you'd take one to Central (popular route, no problem getting 10 baht) and then at Central you take another one that's already going up Huay Kaew to Nimmanhaemin.

Tip 2: Rural roads out of town: This is where the yellow and other colored songtaews come in. These are even cheaper, mostly 6-7 baht for short distances, and you can also make them take a slight dive off their main route for some extra baht. No use trying to get a red bus to go to Tesco Lotus for even 20 baht.. But you can easily get one to Chiang Mai gate for 10, followed by a yellow bus for 7.

Cheers,

Chanchao

[meadish_sweetball]

Chanchao, as my Thai drummer friend used to assert me: "You de maaaan." (He would also wear sunglasses at night.)

Yes, and also the Airforce base at Prachuap Khiri Khan, where Ao Manao is. Also a very good place to visit.

I am pretty surprised you've been there as well. We actually sneaked in, naughty us, farangs trying to hide behind the Thai and pretend like it was raining when we passed the post on the way out. Anyway, a fun experience it was, and a very pretty beach.

Appreciate your tips on switching rot daeng and leuang! Just out of curiosity - what nationality are you - Dutch, Belgian??

[chanchao]

:-) But sneaking in is MUCH more fun and a more rewarding experience.. ;-) What happens at Ao Manao / Prachuab Airforce Base is that the guard directs you to a little office where you register by filling in your name and stuff and then leave your passport or other ID (drivers license, etc) for which you get a number tag to pick it up again when you leave.

It's not that much more involved than visiting a friend's house in some gated community housing project. Still, I'm sure that sneaking in does add to the experience..

Cheers,

Chanchao

[meadish_sweetball]

Yep, sneaking is fun and surely adds to the taste of apples and plums at any rate, but the truth is, now that you reminded me of the process, we snuck not only for the ###### of it, but because our passports were back at the backwater beach we were staying at (the Ao Manao trip was just a spontaneous thing as we drove around Prachuab proper - and when we realized we did not bring our passports we just decided to give it a go anyway).

[sabaijai]

Re the kawng bin auto sticker: I've had one for the last three years running and think I only paid 40 baht each time for the sticker. You have to apply in Nov-Dec. As I recall the sticker is good from Jan to Jan, but they're not ready for pickup till March. If you have one from the year before, you can use it up till March of the current year even though it's technically expired.