My $2 bus ride in Bangkok turned into a 4 hour city tour

I thought I was being smart by skipping the tourist bus and hopping on a local orange bus. The driver spoke zero English and I just pointed at a map spot. We ended up going in a giant loop, passing the same temple three times. I was too cheap to get off and pay again, so I just rode the whole loop. Anyone else have a 'hack' that backfired into a weird adventure?

3 comments

3 Comments

kevin_west2mo agoTop Commenter

Been there, done that, got the t-shirt (or the bus ticket, I guess). I tried a similar "local knowledge" move in Lisbon, taking a tram that looked like it went down to the water. Ended up on a wild climb into the hills, watching my carefully mapped route disappear below. The driver just smiled and nodded every time I looked panicked. Sometimes the wrong turn gives you the best views of the city, even if you didn't plan on seeing them from a moving vehicle for an extra hour.

hayden_lane2mo ago

Oh man, that driver smile is the universal sign for "you're in for it now." My version of that was confidently walking into a Paris metro stop and popping out what felt like three cities over. The "best views" were just me, lost, staring at a confusing map.

phoenixb342mo ago

That exact same cheap bus logic got me in Mexico City. Convinced myself the local bus would be more "real" than the tourist shuttle to the pyramids. Ended up in a packed vehicle going the opposite direction, deep into a neighborhood where my phone map just gave up. The driver kept yelling street names I couldn't understand while I clutched my backpack. Saw a lot of cool street art and a very confused dog, but zero ancient ruins that day.