Bangkok Taxis
 

Ok I'm getting serious now about prepping for our trip to BKK in January. As we are staying at the Plaza Athenee (its Thai enough for us and we got a great deal thru Hotels.com) we will be taking taxis a lot. In the past we used the skytrain but on this trip I think we will be using more taxis. Question- I'm making up cards that have the destinations of where we want to go in both English and Thai characters. Do the taxi drivers read Thai well??? (maybe a dumb question but I need to know).

Yes, they read reasonably well - better than bus drivers, about 60% of whom are functionally illiterate. However, as addresses can be close to useless, maps often work better for letting the driver know where you want to go.

Curious why you're not using the Skytrain this trip, since it's a very short walk from the Athenee.

Thais can be map challenged so it can also help to be able to direct them to a well known landmark or hotel in the area you wish to go. Unless you have problems with access or mobility, the Skytrain or subway would always be my first choice for getting around inner Bangkok because of the horendous traffic you can encounter.

i rely on the doormen to tell the taxis where to go and get conceirge to write out further directions... it works 75% of the time... otherwise just have a nice ride... olive will tell them off if they rip you off

greetings from england btw... my africa report is almost done on the africa board if you have interest

By map I did mean a simple diagram showing where you're going in relation to major landmarks. I've never met a taxi driver that was challenged by these, and it's certainly less challenging for them than detailed written directions. Almost every business in Thailand has one of these maps that they can fax to people trying to find them. Tourist places print the map as part of their advertising in magazines.

Getting lost is part of the fun. Let the concierge or doorman write out destinations. It will work out fine. We are also staying at the Plaza Athenee. I anticipate a mixture of taxis and skytrain.

The only time we used a taxi while staying at the Plaza Athenee was to go to the Suan Lum night market - the taxi driver did not have a clue on the ride back where the PA was. We told him to take us toward the Vietnam embassy - that one he knew...

Skytrain is really not that far from the Plaza. I just walked past it the other day, when going to the American Embassy. I didn't realize just how close it really is to the station at Phloenchit. I wouldn't think taxis would be all that necessary, BillT.

Carol

The wife does not do well walking in the Bangkok heat so using the skytrian will depend on how long that walk really is for her. Short for you may be long for her- such is life!

You can work up a pretty good sweat walking to the skytrain from the PA but it's not the 5-minute walk that is difficult, it's the stairs to the loading platform...

Thanks Craig - thats what I suspected and as such we will no doubt be taking taxis.

In my brief experience, taxi and tuk tuk drivers did not do very well with maps and were hardly better with landmarks. We stayed at the Silom Centrum and asked the drivers to take us to the point where the end of the sky train and river came together - by pointing at the map and attempting to explain it. Also we showed them a card for the hotel. It was comical how most of the drivers were unable to bring us to the correct location. Be sure to get a price for the ride prior to embarking!

dgunbug, that's the Bangkok taxi game. When dealing with things like tuk-tuks where you have to negotiate the fare, it's in the driver's interest to make the destination look difficult to find or get to, so he can ask for more money. I rarely take tuk-tuks any more in Bangkok, because they invariably ask for more money (sometimes a lot more) than I know a metered taxi will cost.

Metered taxis will generally get you where you want to go. However, there are taxis that hang around hotels and try to negotiate fares rather than use the meters. Avoid them at all costs.

We've stopped taking tuk tuks in BKK long ago. Taxis are cheaper and much more comfortable. Always make them turn the meter on. If they don't get out of the car.

(Craig... my apt hotel is 2 minutes to the ESCALATOR up...not the stairs!)

One other point, some places in BKK are difficult to get to (Adelphi is an example) because of the long drive down Sukhumvit to a place to U-turn, should you be on the "wrong side of the road" in the taxi. I now tell drivers I understand why we are driving PAST soi 8 (while on the odd side of the road) to make the U-turn at Asok station. It's OK once you understand traffic patterns. But yes, tuk tuk drivers negotiate, and if someone doesn't know distances and traffic in BKK, they might think they are getting a deal in a tuk tuk, but the taxi would in fact by cheaper, and air conditioned, and much more comfortable! Altho, I love the excitement of a tuk tuk ride, with the wind in my hair, my hands clinging tightly to the side rail...

It's not the excitement you are feeling, Carol, it's the asphixiation.

jump in a taxi keep your mouth shut and let olive do the talking

LOL Kathie. I remember 20 years ago, when I used to take tuk-tuks a lot (this was before metered taxis). Whenever I got where I was going, I'd always wipe my face with a hankie, and be amazed at how black the white hankie was.

lol Kathie... You are probably right! But when I jump off, I often think.. "what a ride!" And then, of course, there are the motorcycle taxis. If you followed my April BKK thread, you know how THAT one went! (never again)

Bob... "keep your mouth shut and let olive do the talking".. Karen has trained you well! haha