The art of "songtao" selection.

Without fail, I always manage to choose the worst taxi imaginable.

The best form of public transportation here in Chiang Mai (as the city lacks a decent bus or subway system) is by "songtao," the red pickup trucks that have benches in the back and a roof. At about $0.50 per ride, they are an easy and cheap way to navigate the city.

The interesting thing about songtaos is that they are like a shared taxi. This means that several people will share a ride and the driver drops them off according to who was first. The best situation is to nab an empty songtao, which means that you will be dropped off first, probably in a timely manner; however, there is no guarantee.

Here are some examples of recent songtaos that I have ridden in:

- one with wires hanging from the ceilings, making me wonder if my life was about to end by electrocution
- one that was empty when I got on but rapidly filled with eleven (eleven!) junior high girls, all chattering loudly
- one where I hopped on and arrived at my destination thirty-five minutes later (I was about ten minutes away when I started that journey)
- one with speakers blaring Thai music into the back of the cab at 7:30 in the morning

... and those are just in the past week.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining. I think that songtaos work admirably most of the time and they are certainly convenient. Also, the knowledge of the drivers is impressive. I simply have a knack for choosing the worst of the bunch. I'm sure some people pick the songtao that is clean, fast and empty all the time. Apparently, I'm not one of them.