I have been in Thailand almost a month now, and after a while you start to get used to things that you really shouldn’t; the quite bizarre barely gets a second glimpse.
Thought I would snap a few things this morning, no special effort required…
So… the first picture is just one of those Thai ‘Utility Vehicles’ kitted out as an ice cream van, then a motorbike, then a tuktuk. Look again, what’s driving the motorbike?
Chiang Mai, Thailand - some random examples of bonkers
Chiang Mai, Thailand - some random examples of bonkers
What the well dressed fisherman is wearing this season…
Chiang Mai, Thailand - some random examples of bonkers
So Mr Vanatanasonboom, do you still maintain that you had full control of both market carts in a public street at 20 MPH?
Chiang Mai, Thailand - some random examples of bonkers
Yesterday I wrote a tongue in cheek post about the traffic here and the apparent lack of accidents; well last night the magic ran out for one individual.
Walking up to the main road, we heard those two unique sounds of a car accident: the screech and the sickening thud. When we arrived a few seconds later the scene was of a meeting between 2 of the most popular modes of transport in Thailand: the pick up truck and a small moped.
The moped was crushed under the front of the truck and a kid in his early 20′s was lying unconscious on the pavement. Someone was attempting CPR, but fortunately he started (or was already) breathing. That guy disappeared so we stayed with him and just tried to keep him comfortable and conscious.
There was a crowd gathering, and apparently there was a debate about whether an ambulance should be called because who would pay, before a decision had to be made I could hear a siren and one arrived – pretty quickly actually.
I think the kid will be ok, there were a few cuts and bruises and the main injury seemed to be a badly broken leg – very misshapen below the knee. But, you can’t really tell, could be other injuries…
One thing is for sure; you will never get me on one of those mopeds (again). They offer no protection at all, and its not how good you are, its everyone else around you, those trucks are pretty big.
Despite the apparent chaos and danger of Thai roads there seem to be few accidents (compared to what you might expect).
This is because every person, vehicle and ‘thing’ is protected by an invisible force field; foreigners are bestowed with temporary protection powers just after immigration – although it is wise not to test this too forcefully…
Thai traffic
Lamp posts however need extra ‘repulsive protection’; as of course their job description states that they must remain at the road side during their working lives.
This extra ‘repulsive protection’ is provided by attaching 3 Justin Beiber CDs to each post; who knew…
Lamp post protectors
Hard to image that someone would be happy to win this!
Miss Elephant Contest
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