Three Tuk-Tuks to the Floating Market: Fare, Route and Surprises

English transcript

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Ploy, I have been in Bangkok for five days and I have learned that this city has two speeds.

Two speeds?

Please explain because I was born here and I never noticed.

In the morning, everything moves slowly, like the fruit sellers and the old men drinking tea.

And in the afternoon, everything moves fast, like the taxis and the motorbikes and the boats.

And especially the tuk-tuks, those little three-wheeled things with the very loud engines.

They are the soul of Bangkok.

You cannot visit the city and not ride in one.

I saw one yesterday.

It went past me very fast, and the driver was smiling like he knew a secret.

He did know a secret.

He knew you would charge you far too much money.

That is not a secret.

That is just business, and I respect it a little.

Tomorrow we go to the floating market, and you will love it completely.

That sounds beautiful.

What will I see there?

Tell me everything, please.

You will see boats full of fruit and noodles and flowers, all crowded together on the water.

Boats full of noodles?

That is the most wonderful sentence I have ever heard.

First a bus, then a tuk-tuk, then a small boat.

It is a whole adventure in one day.

A bus, a tuk-tuk and a boat?

That is three vehicles.

I only have one stomach.

Then you must be brave and keep your stomach calm because the road is bumpy.

I will be brave, but I'm also bringing a plastic bag, just in case of trouble.

Do not bring a plastic bag, bring a hat, because the sun here does not forgive anyone.

I already have a hat.

It is very big and it makes me look like a mushroom.

That hat is perfect.

It is smart and it is funny and both things are important.

On Sunday morning, we met at the bus station and rode for one hour together.

Then we got off at a small stop near the river, where three tuk-tuks were waiting in the shade.

Three drivers were sitting there, and I did not know how to choose between them.

I told you that choosing a driver is the most important decision of the whole day.

How do I choose?

They all look the same to me, with the same calm faces.

You must look at their faces.

A good driver has kind eyes and a slow smile.

And what does a bad driver look like?

Please describe him carefully for me.

A bad driver has a fast smile and a very clean tuk-tuk because he never takes the long way.

I studied the three drivers and made my decision like a serious detective.

The first was young and bored, and the second was old and sleepy, and the third was eating mango.

I choose the mango man.

Anyone who eats mango at 9 in the morning must be good.

Good choice.

His name is probably Samchai, and he will probably try to charge us extra.

Then we will argue with him, and it will be fun and educational at the same time.

We walked to the third driver and he looked up and smiled slowly, exactly as I predicted.

Hello, we want to go to the floating market.

How much will that cost us today?

300 baht, he said, and he called it a very good price and a very fair price.

300?

That is too much.

We are not tourists.

Well, she is a tourist, but I am not.

You are both tourists today, he said, because the market is far and the road is hot.

I like him.

He is honest about being dishonest and that is a rare quality.

Fine 250 baht and you drive slowly because she has a weak stomach I always drive slowly he said I am the slowest driver in the whole of Bangkok Is that true I asked him and he said no but he would drive slowly because he liked my hat He liked my hat?

Everyone else laughs at my hat, and it hurts my feelings.

He said the sun here is strong, and a big hat is a smart hat, and I agreed with him.

See?

He's a philosopher.

All tuk-tuk drivers are philosophers, and I knew it.

We got into the tuk-tuk, which was small and open on the sides with thin, hard seats.

I held my hat with one hand and the metal bar with the other, and I was ready.

He said, hold your hat, because Bangkok is not gentle with hats or with tourists.

I am ready, I told him, but please remember that I have a very weak stomach.

He said he remembered because he has a very good memory for weak stomachs.

the tuk-tuk started with a loud noise and moved into the traffic like a small boat.

I had seen the traffic before, but I had never been inside it and it was different.

Motorbikes passed on both sides and a bus came so close I could see the driver eating a sandwich.

And a small dog sat on the back of a motorbike wearing a tiny shirt and looking proud.

Boy, there is a dog on a motorbike.

He's wearing a shirt.

Please explain this to me.

Yes, that dog is famous in this area.

His name is Moo and he goes everywhere with his owner.

Moo means pig, right?

Why is a dog named Pig?

That is confusing and funny.

Because he eats like a pig.

It is a very honest name for a very honest dog.

I love this country.

Nothing makes sense and everything is wonderful at the same time.

The driver turned onto a smaller road and the buildings became lower and the shops smaller.

I saw a woman cooking noodles on the sidewalk and a man selling goldfish in plastic bags.

I asked the driver if this was the way to the market, and he said, yes, this is the scenic way.

The scenic way?

Samchai, the market is on the other side of the river, not here.

I know, he said, but the bridge is busy today, so I take the long way and it is faster.

How can the long way be faster?

That is not possible in any country I know.

Because the short way is full of cars and the long way is full of nothing, he said.

Nothing is faster than cars.

That is not logic.

That is poetry, and I like it.

I do not care about the logic because I am enjoying the view.

Look at that house.

The house was built on tall wooden legs above a small canal, and it looked like a bird.

A woman was sitting on the porch, cutting vegetables, and she waved at the tuk-tuk.

She waved at me.

Why did she wave at me?

I'm a stranger with a mushroom hat.

Because you are wearing a big hat and you look surprised and people wave at surprised people.

He is right.

You have a very surprised face and it is your best quality.

I have been surprised since I arrived in Asia.

My face is tired from being surprised.

We drove for another 20 minutes and the road became narrow and quiet and green.

Trees grew over the street and the sun made small circles on the ground and I relaxed.

The engine was loud but the air was soft and the city felt very far away.

Driver, what is your name?

I have been calling you driver for half an hour.

My name is Sam Chai and I have been driving this tuk-tuk for 20 years.

20 years?

You must know every street in Bangkok, every corner and every shortcut.

I know every street, every shortcut and every place where the police do not look.

Do not tell her that.

She will worry about the police and the shortcuts.

I have not worried.

I am curious.

Where do the police not look, Sam Chai?

behind the temple near the river and in front of the noodle shop on soy 9.

Why not in front of the noodle shop?

That seems like a strange place for police.

Because the police also eat noodles Nobody arrests a man while he is eating noodles That is the wisest thing I have heard this week and I have heard many wise things In Thailand food is always more important than rules You will learn this slowly.

We turned a corner and suddenly the market appeared, and it was not a market on land.

It was a market on the water.

Dozens of small boats were crowded together in the canal.

Each boat was full of fruit, flowers, noodles, and people, and it was beautiful.

Oh, oh, this is beautiful.

This is the most beautiful thing I have seen in my whole life.

I told you, the long way is the beautiful way, and I was right about everything.

You told her nothing.

You just wanted more money for the extra driving.

I wanted more money, and I wanted to show her the beautiful way.

Both things are true.

I will pay you the extra 50 baht.

You earned it with the house on legs.

Samchai smiled and stopped the tuk-tuk near a small pier, and I got out and stretched.

My hat was still on my head and my stomach was still calm, which was a small miracle.

Thank you, Samchai.

You are a good driver and a very bad businessman.

Thank you.

That is the nicest thing anyone has said to me this month.

Now we take a boat.

Are you ready for the next adventure, my brave friend?

I am ready, but first I need to eat something, because I am hungry from all the philosophy.

We walked to a small boat that was selling noodles and the woman had a wide smile.

She had a very large pot and a very large smile and I pointed at the noodles.

Two bowls, please.

One for me and one for my friend who was always hungry.

Two bowls?

You are hungry.

I like hungry people, she said, and she gave us extra noodles.

Everyone here likes hungry people.

It's a very friendly country for hungry tourists.

We are friendly because we are always eating.

Hungry people are not friendly at all.

That is true.

I am not friendly when I am hungry.

I am a monster with a big hat.

The woman gave us two bowls of noodles and I sat on a small wooden bench.

The noodles were hot and sour and sweet and they were the best noodles I have ever eaten.

Ploy, this is amazing.

Why is everything here so delicious?

Please tell me the secret.

Because we cook with our hearts and our grandmother's recipes, and that is the secret.

In my country, we cook with a microwave and a lot of hope and a little salt.

That is sad.

You must learn to cook properly before you leave this country.

I will try, but first I want to ride in one of those small boats on the canal.

We finished our noodles and rented a small boat with a quiet driver and a slow engine.

The boat moved slowly through the canal, past boats full of fruit and flowers.

I bought a small bag of mangoes and eat one with my hands, and it was perfect.

I am eating mango in a boat in Thailand.

This is not real life.

This is a dream.

It is real life.

You are just not used to it yet, and that is fine.

I do not want to get used to it.

I want to be surprised forever and ever.

Then you will be happy here.

This country surprises everyone, even the people who live here.

We floated past a small temple and a group of children playing in the water.

The children waved at me, and I waved back with both hands like a happy fool.

My hat almost fell into the canal, and I caught it just in time, which was lucky.

See, I told you the hat was dangerous, and you did not believe me.

The hat is not dangerous, the boat is dangerous, the hat is innocent.

The hat is too big, and it makes you look like a mushroom, that is all.

New Dialogues and Stories Every Day, available in 21 subtitle languages.

You can practice all these dialogues sentence by sentence using the interactive player on our website Link in the description Up next the lesson based on this dialogue If you want to Skip it just jump to the next scene Good morning Today we will practice a few useful sentences from Anna and Ploy day in Bangkok.

Good morning!

I am ready.

Let's practice one sentence from the beginning.

In the morning, everything moves slowly, like the fruit sellers and and the old men drinking tea.

The useful phrase is move slowly.

The river moves slowly in the dry season.

The train moves slowly through the mountains.

My grandmother moves slowly in the morning.

Traffic moves slowly near the market.

Time moves slowly when I wait.

Now you repeat the sentence twice.

In the morning, everything moves slowly, like the fruit sellers and the old men drinking tea.

In the morning, everything moves slowly, like the fruit sellers and the old men drinking tea.

Good.

Next sentence.

They are the soul of Bangkok.

The useful phrase is the soul of Bangkok.

Jazz is the soul of New Orleans.

Family is the soul of this neighborhood.

The old market is the soul of the town.

Music is the soul of the festival.

The river is the soul of the city.

Now you repeat the sentence twice.

They are the soul of Bangkok.

They are the soul of Bangkok.

Next sentence.

You will see boats full of fruit and noodles and flowers, all crowded together on the water.

The useful phrase is crowded together.

The children were crowded together in the hallway.

The sheep were crowded together under the tree.

Boats were crowded together at the pier.

People were crowded together near the stage.

The books were crowded together on the shelf.

Now you repeat the sentence twice.

You will see boats full of fruit and noodles and flowers all crowded together on the water.

You will see boats full of fruit and noodles and flowers all crowded together on the water.

Next sentence.

A good driver has kind eyes and a slow smile.

The useful phrase is slow smile.

She gave me a slow smile.

He answered with a slow smile.

The old man had a slow smile.

Her slow smile made me relax.

The driver gave a slow smile and started the engine.

Now, you repeat the sentence twice.

A good driver has kind eyes and a slow smile.

A good driver has kind eyes and a slow smile.

Final sentence.

I learned that the long way can be faster and that dogs can be named pig.

The useful phrase is the long way.

We took the long way home.

The long way is quieter and prettier.

She always takes the long way to work.

The long way showed us the river.

I prefer the long way when I have time.

Now you repeat the sentence twice.

I learned that the long way can be faster and that dogs can be named pig.

I learned that the long way can be faster and that dogs can be named pig.

Today we practiced move slowly, the soul of Bangkok, crowded together, slow smile, and the long way.

These phrases can describe cities, people, and journeys.

You did well.

Thank you.

New Dialogues and Stories Every Day, available in 21 subtitle languages.

You can practice all these dialogues sentence by sentence using the interactive player on our website.

Link in the description.

Thank you.