Two Dollar Tours Bangkok, Fact or Fiction

A series of 2 dollar tours in and around Bangkok, Thailand for the midly adventouous traveler with a few hours to spare. Free self guided tours that call for cutural immersion in the true sense of the word. Get in the bus, boat or train with the locals with total confidence on 2 Dollar Tours Bangkok.

(PRWEB) July 29, 2006 -- Retired Captain Geoff Ogilvie, after a lifetime of traveling around the globe, settled in Bangkok, Thailand with his Thai partner. There he enjoys publishing travel guides and humorous anecdotes via the web.

Geoff is launching his first series of free self guided tours of Bangkok attractions entitled “2 dollar tours-Bangkok" through this press release. Further series will include 5 and 10 dollar tours.

Geoff found that many times during his long career as a pilot he found himself awake early in the morning in some exotic city, such as Bangkok, Thailand unable to sleep and wishing there was something different to do to fill in the time.

Suffering from the cumulative effects of multiple time zone travel (Jet lag), he found himself walking the pavements of Bangkok city early in the morning. Far from being deserted the streets were clogged with buses and the canals (Klongs) busy with boats ferrying Bangkok’s millions of workers to and fro.

Geoff had no idea how the local transport system worked but was fascinated by the color variety and interest value of the vehicles themselves. The busses seemed to be in service based groups varying from old to new air conditioned coaches.

Most Thais cannot afford taxis unless they share the fare in numbers. The excellent Sky train service (BTS) is also too expensive for most working Thais to get to and from work. The public transport system in Bangkok caters almost exclusively for Thai locals and is a complete mystery to foreigners

Almost all the writing on the busses for example, with the notable exception of the bus route number, is written in Thai script. A puzzling mystery that baffles most visitors to Thailand. Geoff decided to investigate further.

Over the course of several weeks he rode on as many busses as he could just to see where they went. By traveling the waterways of Bangkok he also discovered an efficient network of canal boats that he also began riding, again just to see where they went.

He soon learned five amazing things about the public transport system in Thailand:

1.   The transport system reached just about everywhere in Bangkok.
2.   The transport vehicles were clean & safe.
3.   The public transport system is very good value.
4.     Traveling on the public transport system is the fastest way to enjoy contemporary Thai culture.
5.     This was fun!

An idea was born. But he would need more research first. Jumping on the internet Geoff began surfing feverishly. Soon he had decoded all the myriad transport timetables and routes from Thai script to English. Next he set about selecting a short list of interesting & famous attractions as well as a personal favorite, Wat Sangkhatan (Forest Glade Temple) that is off the beaten track.

And so was created 2 dollar tours-Bangkok. An excellent way for the mildly adventurous traveler who is can’t be bothered with tour crowd to get to and from Bangkok’s many splendid attractions. Add to this the chance to mix and mingle with the busy Thai population going about their daily business, Thai style. All this for less than two bucks, fantastic!

The six attractions that he has personally selected to launch this series are all accessible for less than $2 USD. Future tours are planned under the title 5 dollar and 10 dollar tours. These tours will travel further from Bangkok and will again offer incredible bang for buck.

Geoff, published 2 dollar tours at www.targatourusa.or and blogspot www.2dollartoursgoldenmountain.blogspot.com as six step self guided total cultural immersion tours. The initial free tours to local attractions are:

1.   Wat Saket (Golden Mountain Temple).
2.   Erawan Museum.
3.   The Royal Barge Museum.
4.   Koh Kret (Pottery Island).
5.   The Floating Markets of Damnoen Saduak.
6.   Wat Sangkhatan (Forest Glade Temple)-a personal favorite of Geoff’s.

Golden Mountain is a famous Bangkok attraction situated not far from the popular Farang (Foreigner) hangout of Khao Shan Road. Geoff’s tour takes you there by Klong boat. Erawan Museum is also a famous attraction almost exclusively reached by guided tour bus operators. Geoff’s tour takes you there by the Number 511 air-conditioned bus. The Royal Barge Museum is also a famous Chonburi attraction generally reached by tour boat. Geoff takes you there by Chao Phraya river ferry and foot. Koh Kret is also on the regular tour bus circuit and is a fabulous way to escape the noise and pollution of Bangkok city for a few hours. Geoff takes you there by river boat, mini bus and island ferry.

The Damnoen Saduak tour is quite different from the other tours for two reasons:

1.   It is reached by the little known Wang Wian Yai-Mae Khlong railway line.
2.   It takes the traveler out of Bangkok about 120 kilometers south-west.

The floating market tour offers a choice of travel modes, train and/or bus. The Wang Wian Yai-Mae Khlong train ride is a fantastic experience on its own and will be the subject of future 2 dollar tour series.

Travel editors interested in publishing 2 Dollar Tours-Bangkok or seeking other travel stories from Thailand please contact Geoff Ogilvie in Thailand.

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