Happy Chinese New Year

Happy Year of the Horse!

Thai Taxi Mythology

In Buddhist and Hindu mythology in Thailand, there's a host of creatures that are part human and part animal, or sometimes these beasts are made up of a combination of two or more critters. Today in the taxi, the driver created his own mythological creature out of two talismans. It has the head of a tiger on the side of a fish. I guess this is what you would literally call a catfish.

Taxi Rules

After I read the driver's list of rules for his passengers posted on the back of the seat, I asked him about it. He said that he was tired of customers eating in his cab, leaving trash behind, and hurling in the backseat. He's hoping that his sign will deter his patrons from making a mess in his vehicle. I didn't have the heart to tell him, but I don't think drunk passengers who can't see straight will read his decree before retching out their guts all over the inside of his taxi.  

Southern-style Thai

The taxi driver who gave me a ride today hails from the South of Thailand where these characters stuck to the console in his cab originate. These three figures are from Nang Talung, a type of folk shadow play that involves puppets made out of cut and perforated leather. Typical characters include demons, comedians, hermits, gods, and royalty, and the themes range from family conflict to the adventures of a wandering hero. At one point during the ride, I looked up at the driver and realized that he resembled one of those guys with a big belly and a long pointer finger.     

Roar of the Tiger

In Thai culture, those who possess the symbol of the tiger generally want to obtain some of the attributes of this creature, including strength and fearlessness. Images of tigers are commonly seen in Thailand in the form of sak yant tattoos and on magical yan cloths, but in this case, the taxi driver stamped an ink depiction of a tiger on the back of his seat. It seems that he's warning passengers that they better act properly or else he'll get ferocious.        

Burmese Taxis

I just returned from a trip to Yangon, Myanmar. It turns out that taxis are a good way to get around there. They're plentiful and many of the drivers are quite friendly. Some of the cabs even have Buddha statuettes, fresh flower garlands, and other decorations, including flags. Unlike the taxis in Bangkok, the cabs in Yangon don't have meters, so you need to haggle sometimes. The fares generally cost somewhere around 2000 or 3000 Myanmar kyats within the city limits which might sound really expensive. But we're actually talking about only two or three US dollars. Not a bad price for getting around town.  

Roll of the Dice

Thais seem to appreciate anything that's considered "classic", so I guess it shouldn't be too surprising to find fuzzy dice dangling from a rearview mirror in a Bangkok cab. These automobile accoutrements have been around since the 1950's. Like most of the other decorations and charms in Thai taxis, they're yet another symbol of good luck. Even more auspicious is the fact that the dice are showing "snake eyes".      

King and Father

Today marks the 86th birthday of HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej. Because Thais consider the King to be the father of the country, father's day is also celebrated in Thailand today.

Happy Birthday to the King and Happy Dad's Day!

Hand Talk

Humans have been using their hands to make marks on surfaces since prehistoric times. So when I spotted this handprint of a monk on the ceiling of a taxi alongside other magical yan drawings, it reminded me of Paleolithic cave art. It also made me think about all of the art through history that includes hand gestures as a way to communicate to viewers. In Buddhist art, the Buddha is represented with various mudras that symbolize his actions, including teaching and blessing. According to the cab driver, this particular hand gesture stamped on the ceiling is supposed to activate dormant energy. Considering that taxi drivers spend long hours sitting in the front seat, I hope this handprint keeps this cabby alert and awake.      

Gambling Man

When I saw these stickers in the taxi, I thought perhaps my driver has a gambling addiction. Does he spend his time-off placing bets at Muay Thai boxing matches or cockfights? Or does he stop off at snooker clubs between picking up fares and wager all his money? As he drove like a maniac through the streets of Bangkok, I figured it out: he likes to gamble with his own life (and apparently the lives of his passengers, as well).  

Lucky Charms

Many Thais, including taxi drivers, don an amulet (or a dozen) dangling from a necklace with images of the Buddha, monks, Hindu gods and goddesses, and other lucky icons. The charms reflect the wearer’s personal beliefs, values, and superstitions. When many Bangkok cabbies begin their shift, they remove their amulets from around their neck and hang them from their rearview mirror while saying a prayer. The talismans thus serve to protect the car, as well as the driver. I also like to believe that they then keep passengers, like myself, safe from harm.  

Speedy Cabby

Today, my cab driver wildly swerved in and out of lanes and almost sideswiped a guy on a motorbike. So, I politely asked him to "cha cha noy" or slow down a little, but he laughed and kept driving like a madman. Had it been a Nascar race, we may have won, but there are no checkered flags on Thai highways, only checkered patterns on the interior of this cabby's vehicle.     

Think Pink

In Thailand, the color pink doesn't carry the same associations as it does in the West. Here it's a color that everyone seems to fancy, including the King and owners of taxi fleets just the same. Today, the interior of my taxi was coated in pink vinyl with a damascus pattern. If you ask me, this look is straight out of a bordello circa 1973, but for my taxi driver, it represents the ultimate in good taste and luxury. 

Good Deed for the Day

In Thai culture, providing aid and assistance to others is a surefire way to "make merit", which in turn, will ensure a peaceful existence now and in the future. In the taxi today, the driver told me that I could make merit by donating money to a temple in his village upcountry. Seeing the pictures from his hometown and knowing that I might be helping fund someone's education, bailing a family out of financial trouble, or maybe even helping a farmer buy a cow, I decided to make a donation. As I inserted a wad of cash into his wooden money container, a rush of good karmic energy immediately flowed in my direction. Without a doubt, it's the best investment that I've made in a long time.    

Ad(s) Nauseam

You can't escape advertising in Bangkok. It bombards you everywhere you go. Shophouses display vinyl banners that advertise everything from Coca-cola to new condominiums, department stores hang three-story high signs announcing sales, presenters in malls scream into microphones to promote new products, and the skytrain has monitors that show commercials non-stop. Now, you can't even avoid advertising when you're in Bangkok taxis. Lately, TVs showing only commercials have sprung up on headrests in some cabs. Regardless of the type of ads they show, this in-your-face tactic is annoying, even if they are only advertising things like dog shampoo. 

Rich and Happy

In the past few years, a lot of interesting findings in the field of happiness research have surfaced. Some researchers now claim that we can make ourselves happier regardless of the circumstances in our lives, and most studies have come to the conclusion that there is no correlation between money and happiness. This figure of Budai, the Chinese folkloric deity, on a taxi dashboard with a gold ingot in his hand, however, sends out a completely different message. In a not-so-subtle way, it suggests that costly treasures will bring a permanent smile to our face.   

Taxi Furby

The Furby craze over the past year has, without a doubt, made its way over to Thailand. Despite the fact that here they cost almost double the price you would pay in the States, some Thais with money to burn consider this to be a "must-have" toy. For those who can't afford one, like my taxi driver today, there are alternative ways to get ahold of something Furby-like. In his case, he opted for this green stuffed non-robotic version that he bought at a local market for sixty baht, or roughly two US dollars. The best part about it is that it doesn't make annoying sounds or talk back at you the way real Furbys do. 

Taxi Fashionista

If you saw the video about Bangkok style on nytimes.com last week and haven't been to Bangkok before, you would probably come to the conclusion that all Thai fashionistas are under the age of 25 and hang out in Siam Square. The truth is, you can find fashionable folk all over this city who range in age from toddler to senior. Today, even my cabby was donning (fake) Italian designer sunglasses with his shirt collar turned up for a sporty look.       

Siamese Cushions

If you get married in Thailand, you'll need a pair of matching round wedding pillows like these. One is for the bride and the other is for the groom. After the ceremony, they usually end up as decorations in homes. Or if your husband (or wife) happens to be a taxi driver, the set of sparkly cushions will most likely be proudly displayed in the back window of their cab.  

Harley Lover

The driver of this taxi is a huge fan of Harley-Davidson motorcycles. He knows all about the company's 110th anniversary celebration going on August 30th, 31st, and September 1st in Milwaukee, USA, the home of this icon. He wishes he could be there among Harley lovers from around the globe. But first, he would need to find someone to drive his cab while he's gone, and secondly, he would need a Harley.     

Paradise Driver

When I hopped in a Bangkok cab today, the first thing that jumped out at me were pictures of white sand beaches, tropical resorts, and the crystal clear waters of the Andaman Sea and Gulf of Thailand. This driver, like many others in this city, are available to take you anywhere you desire within the borders of the country, including these breathtaking locales. I was tempted to abandon everything and tell the driver to take me straight to paradise. Instead, I decided I'd better go home, but I definitely jotted down the phone number of this cabby so I can call him next time I need to get away from it all.

All Smiles

Here in the "land of smiles" as Thailand likes to bill itself, it's true that the locals seem to smile often. In addition to expressing pure bliss, the smile is used as a sort of defense mechanism and in tense and awkward social situations. After all, Thais avoid "losing face" at all costs. Even action figures in Thai taxis sometimes grin from ear to ear.      

Magical Ceiling

The cab driver told me that the monk who had made these yan drawings on the ceiling of his taxi had created them specifically with him in mind. The writing and symbols include magical formulas that are supposed to provide protection for him and ensure success in his life. I asked the cabby if they're working and he retorted, "Are the stars in the sky working?".      

Taxi Teletubby Gone Wrong

I was never much of a fan of the Teletubbies, so when I saw this red character that slightly resembled one sitting on a taxi dashboard, I wasn't overly thrilled about it. The strangest part was its blue face which I swear looks a little bit like Michael Jackson. I decided to ask the cabby about his pseudo-Teletubby, and he told me that he never heard of them. He bought it at the local market for 30 baht (about one US dollar) and for a small additional charge he had the seller add a blue-tinted image of his daughter's face on it.

Goddess of Commerce

Nang Kwak, whose image is on the amulet in the taxi, is the Thai goddess of commerce. She grins at customers as she sits in a traditional Thai pose. Never mind that her gesturing arm resembles a cobra. If you don't give her your money, she might strike with a deadly blow.     

Rearview Portrait

Behind the wheel of every Bangkok taxi is a driver who has to face daily challenges and personal tribulations. Waiting for passengers and green lights must be boring, sitting in traffic jams can be extremely frustrating, and worrying about making enough profit from fares day in and day out can undoubtedly create ongoing anxiety. To make matters worse, many taxi drivers in Bangkok are homesick as many of them leave their families and villages upcountry to find work in the big city. The driver's visages reflected in their rearview mirrors have recently become the focus of many of my photos. It is yet another way to attempt to understand Bangkok from the passenger seat. 

In the Mix

"Thai style" often involves an unlikely combination of things that typically don't go together. Thais are experts at taking incongruous elements and blending them together to suit their personal taste, all the while keeping in mind the principle of harmony. Even though this still life on the taxi dashboard includes an unusual mix of creatures, together these plastic, glass, and ceramic figures with a few metallic accents somehow form a well-balanced grouping.

Aliens of Thailand

In Thailand, the word for foreigner is farang which refers to the Franks, the people that once ruled much of Western Europe. It's obvious that this moniker is extremely outdated. A more suitable word for foreigner is alien and I believe that Thailand should adopt this term, as well, especially since Thais already know that word. It more aptly describes the kinds of peculiar creatures who land here from faraway lands with intentions of exploring a new world and in some cases, plundering the country. Anyway, some Thais apparently think that both foreigners and aliens are charming. Take this extraterrestrial being on the sticker in the taxi, for example. It reminds me of some of the foreigners you see in Thailand complete with a sunburn and sweat dripping off the forehead.  

Thai Tattoos in the Taxi

Never mind the sacred yan monk drawings that were on the ceiling of this taxi, the driver himself was covered from the neck down with traditional Thai sak yant tattoos.  According to the cabby, he received them when he was ordained as a Buddhist monk many years ago, and he believes that they have protected him from harm multiple times in his life. He also mentioned that they give him the confidence he needs to drive a taxi in this city filled with too many vehicles and a profusion of crazy drivers on the road.    

Fortune Telling Taxi Driver

At some point during the conversation with a taxi driver today, he casually mentioned that he was a fortune teller. Before I knew it, he pulled his cab off to the side of the road and carefully studied the palm of my hand. I felt relieved when all of his predictions about my future turned out to be favorable. His final words of advice were that I should massage the palm of my hand every day. If it brings me all the money, romance, and good health that he foresees, I'll rub it until it falls off.

Less is More

As I was preparing to write a long post today, I recalled this statement from the Buddha: "Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings peace".

Aluminum Talisman

It seems that a large amount of trash in Thailand is reused, recycled or renewed. Take this plaa tapean fish talisman made out of an apple juice aluminum can, for example. It's an artistic and inexpensive solution for creating something decorative and of service. Granted, a fish made from a tuna can would have been more appropriate. Nevertheless, this scrap of metal that could have ironically ended up in a canal has instead become a lucky charm in the form of a fish.