SHANK'S MARE

For those of us that choose not to own or drive a car in this town there are several forms of transportation readily available at extremely reasonable prices. 

There is the pedi-cab. This seems to be
favoured by Thai seniors and tourists wanting
a new experience. One negotiates the cost
based on distance.

The tuk-tuk is a faster way to go, albeit much much
noisier and the drivers weave in and out of
traffic at high speed. These are not for
the faint of heart.

The Samlow is the cheapest and easiest way to get where you're going. They are canopied pickup 
trucks with a bench seat along each side. Different colours denote different routes in and out of town.
The most common red ones are in town and there are lots of them.  One stands by the side of the 
road and waves one down. If you are the 1st passenger you tell where you want to go and
the driver will generally quote a price for getting you there directly. However, he will pull over and 
pick up other flaggers and if they are going in the same direction the fare then
becomes 20 baht per passenger. That's about 70¢.

Noni and I use the samlows when we'e going longer distances or have parcels to carry. 
Most of the time, however, we use

shank's mare.
Walking here can be a real challenge in itself. There are sidewalks but ........

...... sometime's they become parking spaces ........ 

..... or they get crowded out by food stalls or are broken and cracked ....

..... or just peter out altogether in favour of commerce ........

business comes first

or important promotions by the mayor

or a tree

or the telephone or electric utility
Are they live ???????

Sometimes dogs take up a share of the space and have
a nap and, you know to let sleeping dogs sleep

 So, the average walk is a series of ups and downs (there are some very high curbs)

twisting and balancing, stopping and starting and bending and jostling.

In other words, a brief walk can be a real workout. 

Comments welcome.