If I happen to mention to Bangkok taxi drivers that I used to live in Chicago, the one thing that they usually associate with the Windy City is Michael Jordan, the legendary basketball player who led the Chicago Bulls to six NBA championships in the '80s and early '90s. My taxi driver...
In Thai, the word for pumpkin is fukthong which can be translated as golden squash. As a result of the reference to gold in the name, pumpkins are a symbol of prosperity in this culture. Occasionally, you can find the little real ones on taxi dashboards as a way to attract money, but ...
Less than one percent of Thais are Christian, so it's uncommon to see images of Jesus, the Virgin Mary, and other idols like these in Bangkok taxis. On the left is a representation of St. Christopher on an enameled medal, who, similar to certain venerated Thai monks, is believed to of...
While most Bangkok cabbies follow the teachings of the Buddha, the driver of this taxi abides by the slogan of WWE wrestler, John Cena, "Hustle Loyalty Respect". Of course, there are some major differences between the philosophies of the Buddha and those of a pro wrestler. While the B...
As a majority of taxi drivers in Bangkok come to work here from other parts of Thailand, there are many cabbies in this city who are kittung bahn , or literally in English, missing home. A lot of these drivers only have the chance to travel back to their province a couple of times per...
Need to sell your house in Bangkok? Want to buy some property in Thailand? How about a hotel in Pattaya? "No problem," according to my taxi driver today. As an unlicensed broker, he claims that he can find buyers and sellers for any type of real estate or property. And if you need a h...
One way to differentiate the various types of Buddha images is by their hand gestures, or mudras . This particular statuette hanging from a rearview mirror in a Bangkok cab depicts the Buddha standing with his right hand raised. Known as the abhaya mudra , this gesticulation represent...
If you head upcountry in Thailand, you'll see plaid cloths like this one all over the place, but it's not something you see in Bangkok very often these days. These colorful textiles known as pha khao ma are traditionally worn by men around their waists and have a multitude of other us...
Today was the first time I had to wake up my taxi driver. He dozed off at a red light and didn't notice that the light had changed green. This is unusual for Bangkok cabbies as they're normally wired on energy drinks and/or caffeine. On the other hand, considering that most taxi drive...
single pine-scented air-freshener dangling from the rearview mirror? Not in this taxi. The driver has been collecting coins, tasseled golden charms, votive statuettes, amulets, stickers, and plastic baubles for fifteen years. If he did have an air-freshener (which, I might add, he sor...
If you head upcountry in Thailand, you'll see plaid cloths like this one all over the place, but it's not something you see in Bangkok very often these days. These colorful textiles known as pha khao ma are traditionally worn by men around their waists and have a multitude of other us...
