Transportation in South East Asia

One of our greatest adventures (and also the most time consuming) during our South East Asian travel has been getting from A to B. In two short months, we have taken about every mode of transport you could imagine. We thought it might be fun to do a bit of transport "show and tell"...

Planes
Compared to any other airline we've traveled on, the ones we've flown in Asia have been the best in quality and service. We took Thai Airways from Hong Kong to Bangkok and actually had the most delicious Thai curry on board. We also took 2 flights on Bangkok Airlines in the region and even on the short one-hour flights, you get a meal-like snack, beverages and excellent service. Not to mention the warm little towels they bring you to wash your hands before your meals. We highly recommend these airlines if you find yourself coming to SE Asia!

Trains
We had one looonnnggg 20-hour train journey on two trains from the South of Thailand to the North. The Thai sleeper trains have very comfy beds and a little curtain for privacy (a nice touch). Eric also enjoyed the attention of a particularly cute "Lady-Boy" attendant on our night train. :)

The day trains actually serve you food and beverage just like you'd get on an airline. Once again, we weren't disappointed with the Thai curry and cookie snacks we got on board from the attendant driving her trolley up and down the aisles.

Buses
We took a whole variety of these, from aircon comfort buses to barely-held-together local buses prone to flat tires. On the nicer buses, we were often entertained (or slightly annoyed) by the blaring SE Asian music videos or variety shows (all VERY cheesy) that they showed on the TV at the front or played over the loud speaker. Features of most bus journeys also included:

• Cargo transport - buses transport motorbikes (sometimes in the bus aisle), live animals (mostly chickens and fish), large empty water bottles, vegetables, and pretty much anything else you can imagine either on top of the bus or somewhere inside - and maybe right next to you.
  
• Vendor stop - this is when local vendors race aboard to sell you BBQ fish or bird (I say bird b/c I'm really not sure it was chicken), rice, bread and other goodies we could not decipher. It's a mad dash where the bus is filled with loud voices bargaining and touting. The vendors put stuff on your lap to try and get you to buy. And then, before you know it, they all rush off and you are on your way again.


• Random stops in the middle of nowhere to drop people off or pick people up - it was not uncommon that the driver would halt to a stop and the "assistant" would get on the mobile to call so-and-so down the little dirt road to come out of their house and get on the bus. There are no rules or real bus stops and time schedules are "flexible." It's most enjoyable when you just sit back, relax and let it be part of the fun. Being in a hurry is not an option.
  
• Bathroom breaks - sometimes you had the benefit of stopping at an actual place with a toilet. Other times, it was boys on one side and girls squatting on the other - usually with no tree cover, which is okay with a skirt, but shorts are a little risque

Motorbikes
By far the most popular form of transport for the locals. Motorbikes are more affordable than a car/truck and can actually serve as the family minivan - in case you weren't aware. We saw entire families piled onto one motorbike (dad, mom and 2-3 kids). And these handy little vehicles are also good for transporting farm animals, bicycles, wood, and even bedroom sets (yes, we really did see that happen). The Asian concept of what is possible by motorbike and what is not (and what is safe and what is not) is entirely different from the Western perspective. Riding a motorbike is actually was quite a freeing experience - you feel very much in the mix of the local lifestyle and happenings.

Warning: many tourists wind up with a SE Asian "tattoo" due to the no-holds-barred form of traffic and the ever changing road conditions

Boat
We took many of these...and a whole variety - ferry boats, wooden canoes, fast boats, long-tail boats, slow boats, large tourist boats. There are so many rivers to cross and travel (not to mention sea travel in the islands) that we got quite comfortable with being on the water. And like motorbikes, the locals can transport just about anything on a small motorized wooden canoe including: motorbikes, sacks of food, livestock, etc... and sometimes way too many people than should safely be in the boat. But hey, it's all part of the local experience - we figured at least we knew how to swim if we had to abandon ship.

Minibus
When a local bus wasn't available, we often took a minibus. Sometimes these were specifically for tourists and they'd pack you in like sardines. And sometimes you shared these with the locals, where they also packed you in like sardines (could be intersting when a monk was on board because they are not allowed to touch women). But it was always an enjoyable ride if we could open the window and let the breeze blow on our faces as we listened to our ipods and watched the incredibly beautiful scenery pass by. And did I mention - minibuses are ALSO used for all sorts of random cargo transport...but if you've read this far, I think you catch my drift.

Bicycle
On a couple of occasions, we explored our surrounds by bike and get a little exercise in the process. We pedaled around the islands of Don Det and Don Kon in Laos and also explored the ancient ruins of Angkor Wat in Cambodia by bike. Both times, we had the enjoyable company of our Canadian friends Stacey and Cory.


Tuk Tuk
These little vehicles are a symbol of SE Asia and the drivers are notorious for scamming tourists. However, they are quite fun and if you are good at bargaining you can get a good deal. We found a nice little tuk tuk driver in Phnom Penh who became our personal driver over the three days we stayed there. He then referred us to his friend in Siem Reap who we were surprised to find waiting for us at the bus station with a sign! But that's how business works here and we didn't mind giving his friend a bit of business as well.

Sawngthaew
We have spoken about these trucks in several of our previous blog entries. This was probably our favorite mode of transport and a great way to mix with the locals. Most trucks have a route they tend to drive and if you are going the same direction, you jump in at an agreed fare. Along the way, the driver stops to pick up others who flag him down and drops people off where they tell him - sometimes at their front door. Like most other transport, the locals use the trucks to transport all sorts of cargo either on top of the roof, or smushed right in beside you. In Cambodia, if they ran out of room inside the truck, then people would start piling on top of the roof (we chose to stay inside).

Walking/Trekking
Yes, we did sometimes go by foot! We went on a few nice jungle treks and also explored some of the cities and towns on our own two feet!


Elephant
Ok, so maybe not the most practical form of transport, but we have to include it here because we so enjoyed our elephant experiences trekking through the jungle.



Other Transport We Didn't Take, But Thought Was Cool...
-Tractors (aka: "jumbos") used for transporting people and cargo on the flatbed trailer attached





-Pony and Ox carts: "same, same" (as they say here) as above, but pulled by animal rather than by little tractor.