by Brenda Obert

Created on: September 14, 2008

Joys of Riding the Bus

Bangkok, Thailand, a beautiful city, has been in the news recently because of the riots, but in 1973 it was a haven of peace in an area of the world torn by war. I arrived there on New Year's Eve and set about finding a place to live and setting up house. My husband, a pilot in the US Air Force, was stationed in Thailand for one year on a remote tour. His mission was to support the conflict in Vietnam. His base was a four hour bus ride north of Bangkok. He came down to the city most weekends.

We had fun exploring the city, seeing the sights, trying new restaurants, shopping for unique gifts. Transportation was interesting in Bangkok. You could walk, take a taxi, take a"tuk tuk", or ride a bus. Bangkok is a big city; walking is ok for a while. Taxis had no air conditioning and, compared to other modes of transportation, were expensive. "Tuk tuks", three wheeled gas powered golf carts were less expensive but not as safe. That left riding the bus. After finding out it cost only two and a half cents to ride the bus, I got a schedule of the bus routes in the city. Our sightseeing around Bangkok often turned into adventures. We rode the red number 19 to the Sunday Market to see cobra and mongoose fights and shop several square miles flea market. We rode the white number 11 to the Thai Damairu, a huge mall to shop, or across town to see the Reclining Buddha. Another bus took us south to the beautiful Thai Rose Garden.

Even when my husband wasn't with me, I rode the buses around town to run errands and take care of business. There were several advantages. First, of course was the savings. At only two-and-a-half cents you could ride around all day for a fraction of the cost of a taxi. At ground level the air pollution was disgusting. The exhaust from busses roiled into taxi windows and enveloped passengers in thick black stinky smoke. When riding on the bus, you could enjoy fresher air above the worst of the pollution.

Locals found it fascinating that foreigners would ride the bus. I learned much about the culture of the Thai's by riding the bus. One day I hopped on a bus and looked around for a place to sit. I spied an empty seat next to a little man with a shaved head, wearing saffron robes. I made a beeline to sit down. Before I reached the seat a young man jumped up from his seat quickly plopping himself next to the little man. He pointed to his empty spot. Confused, I sat down in his vacated seat. When the little man got off at the next stop,

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