This is what Google Earth shows the way to my house.
The red line is Phahonyothin road, a main road of Thailand from Bangkok to the North. It's my usual way to my University, malls and it's straight to the center of Bangkok.
The point that the red converge the blue is a bus stop, a market and it's an informal tiny taxi station which is necessary for people who live around the blue line, include myself.
The tiny taxi station
The blue line is an about-3.5-Km.-long road. (We call small roads that are branches of the main road "Soi.") It's where I need to rely on this transportation called "Pok Pok" or tiny taxi.
From what you see, There're seats for 6 people in the back of the coachwork. Three people have to sit opposite to another three and another one passenger sit beside the driver.
Riding in this car along the blue line takes about 15-30 minutes (sometimes it's even 45 minutes) to get to my destination, my house or the bus stop, depends on the speed that's the driver's satisfaction or the mood they're in.
Being a passenger of this vehicle type........ For many reasons, I can't say that it's quite safe.
Sometimes it feels like I'm riding a roller coaster; fast, extremely and scary. Sometimes it's like... it'd be faster if I walk instead.
Today I went out to a mall and took this taxi as usual. While I was on the car and it stopped at a red light, the driver of the car I took got off from his seat to check the tires. There's another car driver parked beside got off from his car to talk to him. Here's their conversation...
"How much they cost?"
"5,xxx Baht. I don't think there's need to get new ones."
"Hey.. be careful. It maybe explode like it has happened once."
"Yeah... I have no idea if we could even get to the market." (He meant the destination.)
"What if it explodes?"
"Well, though the last time that it exploded was while I was driving, but no one got serious injured from that."
Unexpectedly..., another passenger and I looked at each other... Well, we had nothing to say... since we had no choice to choose any other transpartations but only these thin tin cars.
At the end of the blue line, I have to get off the taxi and walk along the orange line. The orange is a side street to my place. It takes about 5-10 minutes to walk (about 500 meters.)
At the entrance of the side street, it once used to be called a "dangerous zone of Bangkok" !!!
During daytime on weekday, it'd be a bit quiet. But currently, thanks to a noodle shop, 24-hour minimart and food venders around, so during lunch time and weekend, there'd be many people there.
But if it's night time....... check out the below pictures...
Too dark to see??
OK, I'll use flash light...
Is it better now??
Maybe you can see clearer that it's bottomless??
Three lights along 500-meter side street..... Yes.. that's enough to call it a risky point...
Along this small road... I had bad experiences since I was young. There're several times I found sexual psychos. Once when my cousin and I walked along the street, there's a guy rode a motorbike and parked in front of us. He unzipped his trousers and showed us his ABC...!!!
Considering about my journey from the main road to my house, from the blue to the end of the orange line, and thinking about the safety the tiny cars provide us... plus the light side street..., I can't think of anything but move!!