Planes, Trains and Tuk Tuks?

Planes, Trains and Tuk Tuk’s

Well, here we are on a flight out of Asia. Over the last four months, we have been on quite the array of transportation. Many people wondered how we would get from here to there on our trip, so here is Asia transport in a nutshell. Plane, train, subway, tram, taxi, tuk tuk, bus, minivan, long tail boat, mototaxi, sidecar, pickup taxi, cyclo, bicycle, scooter, ferry boat (big and small), inner tube, kayak, elephant, bamboo raft and a lot of use of our feet.

Many of the modes of transport we took here, would not pass vehicle inspection back home, but at the same time, many of the types of transportation and how the systems worked here are more efficient and much more environmentally friendly than anything back home. For example, five people on a scooter is much more efficient than two people in an SUV.

Throughout Asia, there are many sights, vehicle wise, you would not see at home. In Laos, it is very common to see someone driving a wagon down the street using their tractor (looks like a roto-tiller without the tines) to pull the wagon. All throughout Asia, the motor bike is the most common form of transport and they certainly get the most out of their vehicles. Tim won the family bet of who can spot a motorbike with the most people. Tim won with a total of five people on one scooter. You will see motorcycles used like we would a pick up. Numerous times we saw people with ladders or stacks of items on their scooter. Our favorite was in Saigon when we were passed by a scooter with a full size sofa stood up on end tied to the back of his scooter. Other times, people pass you with crates and crates of eggs tied to their scooter. One hiccup and there will be a heck of a mess.

I always enjoy the transport in Asia; I think Tim has also developed an appreciation for the many different ways one could get around (although his favorite is driving his own scooter).

~Jeff~