chiangmai trip, part 2... tuk tuk, anyone?

one of the most unforgettable experiences in chiangmai was the tuk-tuk ride. for the uninitiated, a tuk-tuk is a modified 3-wheeled bike, with seats at the back that can fit 3 poorly-nourished people, while the driver sits in front, maneuvering the vehicle via handle bars ala motorbikes.

since the ride is open air (with just a thin canvas as roof), there was quite a breeze when the driver zoomed by the city traffic. the nippy tuk-tuk can really fly if pushed hard, and it seems all tuk-tuk drivers are trained to drive with either their foot flat on the gas pedal, or lift up completely... no in-between business! mama had to shield me from dust and other small objects that slammed our way, as seen here...

here's how the view looks like from behind. if you notice, the picture is a bit shaky... daddy had a hard time keeping his arm steady to take aim... the tuk-tuk was just zipping about, weaving in and out of traffic, taking in each and every bump on the road... ouch, there goes another bump... ouch!

out on the roads, people seem to have accepted tuk-tuks as part of their life. i must say i didn't quite enjoy my first tuk-tuk ride, but over the days, we found the tuk-tuk to be quite a convenient form of travel... they're abundant, and they're cheap. and they get you from point a to point b in the shortest possible time. provided it doesn't rain, that is... otherwise, you'll be in for a very miserable time.

in case you were wondering, here's a picture of what a tuk-tuk looks like when stationary. when it's on the go, you'd hardly have time to take in the details... hehe!